Energy Update: Week of August 10

Friends,

Our California friends are probably laughing like they did the last time the eastern seaboard was hit with an earthquake in 2011, but we were surprised again Sunday by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that hit near the North Carolina-Virginia border, with shaking felt as far away as Tennessee and South Carolina. USGS said the quake's epicenter was 2.5 miles southeast of Sparta, NC at a depth of about 2.3 miles.

With all the COVID sports delays, Collin Morikawa won 2020’s first golf major, the PGA Championship yesterday. Tied with Paul Casey and with several others only one shot back, Morikawa hit an amazing tee shot with his driver on the 294-yard 16^th hole that was perfect in flight and even better when it landed, hopping onto the green and rolling to 7 feet.  He finished the putt for an eagle that all but clinched victory on a most quiet afternoon without fans at Harding Park in San Francisco.

While the Senate is in, the House remains out subject to a call should Congress reach a deal on COVID relief.  Amid an impasse in negotiations over the next coronavirus stimulus bill, President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a series of executive orders vowing to provide further economic relief to Americans during the pandemic, with the extension of enhanced unemployment benefits among the measures.  While it is unclear this is legal and may undercut negotiations this week, our team is on the beat and says there is little evidence that the actions taken by the President have changed the near-term outlook for a bipartisan deal.  Full report below.

Tomorrow, EIA will issue its Short-Term Energy Outlook report, providing a forecast on liquid fuels, natural gas, electricity, coal, and renewables. U.S. petroleum demand is projected to see a widespread dip for the rest of the 2020 calendar year, primarily as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also American Wind Week which celebrates America’s wind energy accomplishments and recognizes the men and women delivering on it.  While this is usually a celebration of events around the country, the pandemic has changed events and it has become a virtual push for many things, including several important key policies like COVID relief, renewing favorable tax treatment and extending project “safe harbor” timelines.

Finally with the “virtual” Democratic National Convention set for next week, as we mentioned last week, we expect that Democratic nominee, former VP himself, Joe Biden will make his VP pick later this week.  We have seen the typical media stakeouts on the potentials and campaign diversionary tactics last week, but that said, it seems to be down to four: Sen. Kamala Harris, Susan Rice, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, but who really knows until we find out.

The first week of hockey was great even without fans, but now the qualifiers are over and the real, full Stanley Cup playoffs begin. Call with questions, stay safe & healthy.  Stay tuned here for our latest COVID-19 Updates.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“It was a disappointing meeting.”

Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D-NY) at the conclusion of Friday’s COVID-19 negotiations

ON THE PODCAST

RFF Radio Talks Green Steel – In this episode of RFF’s Resources Radio, host Daniel Raimi talks with Chris Bataille, an associate researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris and an expert on industrial decarbonization. Exploring how essential steel is to contemporary life, Bataille discusses the steel industry’s colossal carbon footprint and evaluates alternative modes of production. As green steel is often expensive for companies to produce, Bataille considers technologies and policy innovations that could help incentivize environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes.

Energy Gang Looks at Super Renewable Projects – On this week’s episode of The Energy Gang, big energy companies are bidding for merchant, multi-renewable power plants. Then, they discuss whether green hydrogen activities including a large Saudi project unveiled last month at the gigawatt scale. utility activity making investments in solar-generated hydrogen and Bloom Energy is making electrolyzers. Finally, the Gang looks at the new Fisker Ocean SUV and a spate of other electric car announcements, looking at whether EV price parity even matters. Melissa Lott of the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy is the guest host.

FUN OPINIONS

Expert: CA Natural Gas Bans Will Worsen California’s Poverty Problem – In an op-ed in Real Clear Politics, columnist/energy expert Robert Bryce writes it is clear that the bans on natural gas, are regressive energy taxes that will hurt low- and middle-income consumers and in doing so, exacerbate California’s poverty problem. As Bryce said in a recent report for the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, by banning the direct use of natural gas for cooking, home heating, water heaters, and clothes dryers, California regulators are aiming to force consumers to instead use more electricity which, on an energy-equivalent basis, costs four times as much as natural gas.

GreenBiz: Clean Energy Innovation is Unlocking Private Venture Capital – Energy sector innovation and broader efforts to address climate change should resemble the best of the tech start-ups in the United States: fast, disruptive, exciting and good for consumers. Last week, GreenBiz published an op-ed by ClearPath's Managing Director of Policy Jeremy Harrell that articulates how disjointed regulatory policies, incumbency advantages and limited financing options have previously stymied the adoption of cutting-edge, first-of-a-kind energy technologies. Jeremy says that as policymakers mull measures to accelerate an economic recovery and invest in the country’s long-term infrastructure needs, policy should center on tackling the barriers to American ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

FROG BLOG

FORBES: US Nuclear Pivots to Compete – In a recent blog post for FORBES, contributor Dipka Bhambhani writes expanding U.S. commercial nuclear power abroad could become the Trump administration’s strongest lever against Chinese hegemony and Russian expansion in the global market. China and Russia’s aggressive plans to expand into the global nuclear energy sector pose a “significant risk” to “the U.S. economy, energy security, foreign policy, and national security, as well as that of allies,” DOE’s Rita Baranwal told Dee.  It is a long, very detailed piece so check it out here. 

IN THE NEWS

Cal Tech Researchers Look at Impacts of Energy Storage – CalTech researchers published an important report late last week that says as more states in the U.S. push for increased reliance on variable renewable energy in the form of wind or solar power, long-term energy storage may play an important role in assuring reliability and reducing electricity costs.  Looking at decades of data on wind and solar availability, it revealed that adding long-term storage such as hydrogen to a wind-solar-battery system lowers energy costs. This research shows the gas system is not only necessary to providing reliable power to back-up renewables, natgas fuels are actually the most cost-effective way to get more renewables in play. Lead author Jackie Dowling and her collaborators determined that currently available battery technology is prohibitively expensive for long-term energy storage services for the power grid and that alternative technologies that can store a few weeks’ to a month’s worth of energy for entire seasons or even multiple years may be the key to building affordable, reliable renewable electricity systems. The paper, titled “Role of long-duration energy storage in variable renewable electricity systems,” appears in the September issue of Joule. Co-authors are Nathan Lewis and Katherine Rinaldi, chemistry graduate student, of Caltech; Tyler Ruggles, Mengyao Yuan, and Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science; Steven Davis of UC Irvine; and Fan Tong of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Offshore Wind Study Shows Huge Benefits – A new Wood Mackenzie study for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), and others, examined potential federal lease auctions the next three years and found that the U.S. Treasury could generate $1.7 billion in initial revenues in just two years and ultimately $166 billion in capital expenditures by 2035. If the assumed auctions occur, the development, construction, and operating of offshore wind could support 80,000 jobs per year from 2025 to 2035. The majority of the jobs would come from initial project construction, but the work could support 20,500 jobs annually beyond 2035 in operation and maintenance.

Sens Urge Treasury, IRS to Offer Additional Year for CCS 45Q projects – Eight senators led by Kevin Cramer sent a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging them to amend the IRS’s safe harbor guidance to allow carbon capture, utilization and sequester projects an additional year of eligibility. The letter follows the IRS granting certain renewable energy projects an extension in May.

“Extending the safe harbor to qualify for the 45Q tax credit will create and protect thousands of jobs, provide regulatory certainty, and further incentivize carbon capture, utilization and sequestration projects to reduce emissions,” the senators wrote. “As you finalize carbon capture, utilization and sequester regulations, the safe harbor guidance IRS issued in February should be amended to provide carbon capture, utilization and sequester projects an additional year of eligibility.”

The letter was signed by Sens Cramer (R-ND), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Joe Manchin (D-WV).

COVID UPDATE

Amid an impasse in negotiations over the next coronavirus stimulus bill, President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a series of executive orders vowing to provide further economic relief to Americans during the pandemic, with the extension of enhanced unemployment benefits among the measures.

Newly announced executive actions:

• Federal Eviction Moratorium: The eviction moratorium put in place for tenants by the CARES Act expired July 25, but due to the 30-day notice requirement, the moratorium actually ends August 24. In June, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) already extended the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions for homeowners. The new order does not explicitly renew the moratorium, but instructs the relevant agencies (HUD, HHS, CDC) to consider measures and identify funds that would provide relief and spare renters and homeowners from eviction or foreclosure.
• Payroll Tax Deferral: This memorandum instructs the IRS to stop collecting the 6.2 percent employee side payroll tax for those making $104,000 or less. The delay is retroactive to July 1. It is unclear whether employers will pass on savings to employees, as the White House can only suspend collection without an act of Congress, and failure to withhold could eventually result in a $150 billion tax bill. For his part, President Trump has promised to ensure these payments are forgiven if re-elected.
• Enhanced Unemployment Benefits:  In an effort to replicate the lapsed Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), the memorandum instructed relevant agencies to create an "assistance program for lost wages" by tapping $44 billion in unspent disaster relief funds. The weekly benefit would be structured as a $300 federal match to $100 provided by participating states.  The memo calls on states to use Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) proceeds provided by the CARES Act to trigger the federal match, pointing out that $80 billion remained unspent at the end of June. However, a survey by the National Association of Budget Officers found that while much of the money was unspent, three quarters of the $150 billion had already been committed for specific purposes. Implementation and state participation in this program remain open questions. The memo calls for it to run through the first week in December, or until the Disaster Relief Fund is drawn down to $25 billion--the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the funding will last for five weeks.
• Defer Student Loan Payments: The CARES Act suspended payments, interest, and collections on federal student loans for six months under the CARES Act. These protections were slated to expire September 30, right before the presidential elections. The memorandum extends the existing student loan payment suspension and interest freeze through the end of the year.

 

What does it mean?

There is little evidence that the actions taken by the President have changed the near-term outlook for a bipartisan deal. Democratic leaders have not spoken with White House negotiators since Friday, and their public reaction has been frosty. While Secretary Mnuchin extended something of an olive branch, indicating in a CNBC interview that they are prepared to put more money on the table, the President weighed in on Twitter with characteristic tact to razz Pelosi and Schumer by name. With the news cycle on the verge of being consumed by the announcement of Joe Biden’s running mate, and next week dominated by the virtual Democratic convention, there is vanishingly little time to get to an agreement, let alone vote on one.

While the legal picture surrounding the executive actions remains murky, the immediate questions are more practical than constitutional. Indeed, the Democratic response has coalesced around the President’s actions being insufficient to address the crisis rather than criticizing him for going too far.

In this regard, the most important element remains the enhanced unemployment regime. Depending on the pace of implementation, which remains unclear, and the level of state participation, which itself presents a political minefield, funding for the federal assistance may only last for a matter of weeks. Thus, it is probably best viewed as a bridge to September, when these issues will be folded into broader talks over government funding (almost certainly a short term continuing resolution) and surface transportation reauthorization (similarly likely to be a short-term punt). If anything, by lending the Presidential imprimatur to a $400 a week unemployment supplement, the Trump memo nudges the ultimate resolution of the FPUC extension in the direction we have expected all along. This leaves additional state and local funding (and its conditions) as the most significant hurdle to an eventual deal. Republicans and Democrats remain roughly $800 billion dollars apart, a chasm that doubles as a significant driver of the topline disagreement, which will ultimately have to fall below $2 trillion to find purchase within the GOP.

Efficacy aside, the President has succeeded, at least momentarily, in pushing out the horizon for legislative action. At best, these measures provide the near-term policy and political stopgap needed to keep Americans afloat while giving congressional leaders more time to arrive at a compromise. At worst, President Trump will say he did everything in his power and lay the blame for any fallout squarely at the feet of Congress. Whatever the normative cost, congressional Republicans breathe a momentary sigh of relief and live to fight another day.

Status of the Deal

Stuck in the mud: After two weeks of negotiations, there is still scant evidence that a breakthrough is imminent in negotiations over the next phase of COVID-19 legislation. It is becoming clear that a successful conclusion to negotiations is far from guaranteed, and a deal will not come any sooner than next week. At the conclusion of short talks on Friday, Democrats declared the meeting a disappointment. Secretary Mnuchin said no progress had been made and that he would recommend that the President take executive action this weekend.

• Distance in the numbers: Democrats came into negotiations seeking $3.4 trillion in relief, and Republicans and the White House have insisted that a final number be below $2 trillion, with a number of Republicans expressing serious concerns about even a $1 trillion cost.
• Difference in priorities: The difference in numbers reflects a significant difference in the underlying policy priorities of the parties. Democrats want a focus on providing more funds aid to state and coal governments, rental assistance, extending the federal supplement to unemployment benefits.  Republicans want to focus on ensuring that state and local governments spend the funds that have already been provided to them via the CARES Act, on limiting the federal unemployment supplement in order to prioritize a return to work, and  helping renters through an eviction moratorium rather than rental assistance.  
• Threat of Executive action: This week the White House threatened to accomplish a variety of COVID-19 policy goals through Executive Orders, and it possible that President Trump could begin signing orders as soon as this weekend.  The practicality and legality of these orders is the subject of significant debate (as discussed below).

Key Takeaways

Failure to launch: As we said in our most recent updates, any fruitful negotiation is predicated on a level of GOP unity that has yet to materialize. That lack of harmony was on full display this past week when a plan to force Democrats into tough messaging votes went awry after Republicans couldn't manage to get behind a single amendment. This continues to be the fundamental problem, and until this group is marshaled by an engaged President, or spooked by external forces, it will take an unlikely capitulation by Democrats to get them behind a bill bigger than the HEALS baseline. Today's mixed jobs report probably had the opposite effect.

Sometimes things have to fall apart before you can pick up the pieces: Everyone from the press corps to the stock market hive mind has been far too sanguine about the inevitability of a deal in the face of obvious troubles. The belated realization that this effort is in the brink of total collapse could be enough to elicit a negative market reaction, or at least a sufficiently ominous news cycle, to break through to a President who is acutely focused both on the Dow Jones as well as the cable narrative of the day.

No better than 50/50: Any optimism about a swift resolution has nothing to do with the existing dynamics or any emerging plan, but rather a function of perceived necessity – chiefly, the idea that Republicans will be unwilling to sacrifice their Senate majority makers (and perhaps Trump's re-election bid) over born-again deficit concerns. But if the past two weeks have reminded us anything, it's that the current inertia favors a much broader swathe of the conference that is insulated from 2020 electoral pressures. It's ultimately up to the President to decide whether he gets more political mileage out of pumping trillions more into the economy or trading recriminations with DC Democrats. At any rate, if there is going to be a near-term deal, the next two-to-three days are absolutely critical.

Loose ends: Even if August yields no deal, lawmakers still need to come back and settle on a path forward to keep the government lights on, likely with a continuing resolution (CR) through the election, as well as legislation to address the expiring surface transportation bill. This necessary September vehicle could serve as a second bite at the apple for Congress to tackle some or all of the COVID-19 relief items under consideration, including the PPP program which will formally lapse tomorrow.

 

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

WIND WEEK Set – AWEA’s 4^th annual American Wind Week will be this week.  The event aims to tell wind’s American success story and highlight that “Wind Builds the Future.” Each day of the week the industry will showcase a different way wind energy is building a better, cleaner future, focusing on job creation, the post-pandemic economic recovery, wind champions, community investment, and corporate and industrial buyers.

Vet Energy Conference Set – The Atlantic Council, in partnership with many other groups like Citizens For Responsible Energy, will host a virtual conference today to Thursday for Veterans Advanced Energy Week.  The event is an interactive virtual learning and networking experience dedicated to veterans and military spouses working to strengthen US national security through careers in the advanced energy industry.  Participants will gain insights into the technology, policy, and economic trends that are driving the global energy transition from senior leaders and experts across industry, academia, and government.  Speakers will include VA Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Zais, Sen Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Jason Crow, as well as our friend/podcaster Julia Pyper.

Workshop to look at Gulf of Mexico Enviro Health – Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine holds a webcast on long-term environmental trends in the Gulf of Mexico.

Solar Resilience Forum Set – The Clean Energy Group and the Resilient Power Project hold an event tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to discuss ways of finding an appropriate way to determine the value of resilience in solar projects.  Based on real world experience with the design and implementation of solar+storage microgrids, the nonprofit Clean Coalition has developed a standardized and straightforward methodology for valuing resilience.  The event will discuss.

EPA SAB to Look at Cost-Benefit Analysis – EPA's Science Advisory Board holds a public teleconference on proposed rule changing cost-benefit analysis requirements under the Clean Air Act. The public teleconferences will be held tomorrow from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday, September 15, 2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Chatterjee, Cruz Headline TX Oil, Gas Forum – The Texas Oil & Gas Forum 2020 will be held tomorrow and Wednesday at the Petroleum Club in Houston.  The event will be an in-depth and off the record dialogue between U.S. Congressional and government leaders and the energy industry.  Speakers include Keynoter Ted Cruz, FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee, Reps. Randy Weber, Mike McCaul, Michael Burgess, Jodey Arrington and Kelly Armstrong.

EIA to Release STEO – The U.S. Energy Information Administration will issue its Short-Term Energy Outlook report, providing a forecast on liquid fuels, natural gas, electricity, coal, and renewables. U.S. petroleum demand is projected to see a widespread dip for the rest of the 2020 calendar year, primarily as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jet fuel and motor oil consumption is expected to decrease by 31 percent and 10 percent, respectively, as juxtaposed to rates at this time in 2019.

Forum to Look at US-Asia Gas Issues – On Wednesday at 6:00 a.m. (yes that is right), the U.S. Energy Association (USEA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are hosting the third installment in the U.S.-Asia Gas Partnership webinar series to discuss changing terms in LNG SPAs, with focus on contracts for deliveries to emerging Asian LNG markets. The webinar will explore the key innovative features in Asian LNG SPAs such as novel pricing mechanisms, recourse to price review arbitration, and enhanced termination rights, including in the event of force majeure.

DOE to Look at EE in Commercial Buildings – DOE’s EERE office will hold a webinar on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. to review the findings of the study, “Systems Retrofit Trends in Commercial Buildings: Opening Up Opportunities for Deeper Savings," assessing the prevalence of HVAC, lighting, automated shading and other system retrofits in a set of utility customer custom incentive programs, federal retrofit programs, and a database of energy service company (ESCO) projects. A framework is also presented for categorizing varying levels of systems retrofit approaches. Stakeholder perspectives on the opportunities, barriers and potential for system retrofits in the commercial market will also be shared.

C2ES to Look at Economic Recovery, Mitigation – The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) holds a web forum on Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. looking at economic recovery and climate mitigation. This webinar will feature a conversation between industry leaders in carbon reduction targets with an eye to the path forward to economic recovery and climate change mitigation. Speakers include Exelon’s Katie Ott, GM’s Cherie Wilson, Dow’s Edward Stone, Cargill’s Greg Downing and Brad Townsend of C2ES.

Forum to Look at Oak Ridge Nuke Experts – On Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., the American Nuclear Society’s Young Members Group Spotlight on the National Labs webinar series continues, featuring Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Panelists will offer insights into the unique nuclear science occurring at ORNL, highlighting how the lab is pursuing the Transformational Challenge Reactor, the world’s first additively manufactured nuclear reactor, as well developing leading modeling and simulation tools, moving reactor technologies forward, discovering new elements, and advancing the long-term vision of viable fusion energy. ONRL Director Tom Zacharia leads a panel with a broad array ORNL experts.

Event Targets Cybersecurity – Energy Central holds a PowerSessionLIVE on-line event on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., focused on cybersecurity on the U.S. Power Grid. In this PowerSession, the event will address risk assessment steps you can take to ensure that your command and control software objects are trustworthy enough to install and grant access to sensitive power equipment.

Rather to Address Press Club Newsmaker – Former CBS mega-journalist Dan Rather will join National Press Club President and former CBS News colleague Michael Freedman on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. for a live-streamed Headliner conversation about the press and the presidency, the role of journalism in protecting our democracy, and the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War II.

IEA to Release Oil Market Report – The International Energy Agency will release its August 2020 Oil Market report on Thursday. The IEA's monthly Oil Market Report (OMR) is the exclusive source for official government statistics from all OECD countries, as well as selected non-OECD countries, together with both historical datasets and supply-and-demand forecasts for the year ahead.

POLITICO to Discuss COVID, Economy – On Thursday at 11:00 a.m., POLITICO Pro holds a briefing on Covid-19's Impact on the Economy — GDP, Jobs, & Government Assistance, an exclusive video conference call for POLITICO Pro subscribers. Financial services reporters, Zachary Warmbrodt and Katy O'Donnell, employment and immigration reporter, Rebecca Rainey, and legislative reporter Eleanor Mueller will discuss the U.S. economic outlook, the national job market, and stimulus negotiations happening in Congress.

RFF to Look at CCS – Resources For the Future (RFF) is launching an Advanced Energy Technology Series and will hold the first discussion on Thursday at Noon on the future of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Dr. Sallie Greenberg of the Illinois State Geological Survey will discuss the state of CCS technology, along with DOE’s Sarah Forbes to highlight recent CCS policy developments. RFF President Richard Newell will then moderate a Q&A session with both panelists.

Forum to Look at Corporate Carbon Commitments – The Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy holds a webinar on Thursday at Noon looking at corporate climate commitments and carbon removal. With many companies like Apple and Microsoft recently announcing net-zero (or net negative) commitments, now is the time to ask how carbon removal fits into these commitments. This webinar will explore how corporate commitments are likely to affect the development and deployment of carbon removal and how realistic these plans really are. One Trillion Trees lead Betty Cremmins is among the speakers.

Forum to Look at Ag COVID Issues, SCOTUS Infrastructure Case – The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies holds a discussion webinar on Thursday 1:00 p.m., on the Agriculture Department's response to keep the food supply chain operating during the pandemic, as well as implications of the Supreme Court decision in U.S. Forest Service vs. Cowpasture River Preservation Association for future large infrastructure projects.

DOE to Look at Resident EE during COVID – On Thursday at 1:00 p.m., DOE’s EERE office holds a webinar looking at residential energy efficiency during the past six months.  Given the changes, experts will explore how residential energy-efficiency programs, their partners, and homeowners are faring since COVID lock downs where implemented.  They will also discuss perspectives from the field to get a current snapshot.

Forum to Look at COVID, Hurricane Response – The Bipartisan Policy Center holds a webinar on Friday at 10:00 a.m. on COVID-19's impact on hurricane evacuation and sheltering. Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) and former FEMA Administrator Brock Long will explore these pressing concerns. Recently tested by Hurricane Isaias, the current emergency managers of Florida and North Carolina will also share their efforts to update protocols, plans, and guidance for safe sheltering and evacuation.

Forum to Look at Brazil AgriBiz – The Business Council for International Understanding holds a virtual discussion on Friday at 2:00 p.m. looking at the most recent developments in Brazilian agribusiness, green finance and innovation, and the country's strategy toward sustainable development and investment opportunities for companies. Tereza Cristina, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, will address the most recent developments in Brazilian agribusiness, green finance and innovation. Cristina will also speak on the country's strategy towards sustainable development and investment opportunities for companies.

Forum to Look at Oil Challenges – The Center for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute hold a webinar on Friday at 4:00 p.m. on the continuing saga of petroleum in 2020. The event will look at economic and political uncertainties that are casting long shadows over the future of the global oil market and geopolitics. At this webinar, a panel of experts from the Center for Energy Studies will discuss these uncertainties and the implications for future market balance.

IN THE FUTURE

Democratic National Convention – Virtual forum set for August 17^th through 20^th

EV Forum to Look at Drivers – The second of three web forums hosted by the Electrification Coalition and Smart Columbus will be held on August 18^th at 3:00 p.m. to discuss driving consumer adoption through Public/Private Partnerships.  In three years, Columbus increased electric vehicle adoption more than four-fold without supportive state policies or incentives, but through the collaboration of the public and private sectors under the $10 million Smart City Challenge grant awarded to Columbus by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Discover how more than 70 Columbus companies came together to educate tens of thousands of drivers on EVs, conduct more than 12,000 EV test drives, create new corporate incentive programs, and grow consideration for EVs by more than 20%.

Senate Enviro to Hold WY Field Hearing – The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a field hearing Wednesday, August 19^th at 10:00 a.m. on Wyoming’s efforts using and storing carbon dioxide emissions.  The Hearing will be held at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center in Gillette.

GOP Convention Goes Virtual – After fits, starts and moves to Florida, the GOP convention will also be virtual the Week of August 24^th to 27^th.  The will likely be some closed meetings in Charlotte, but everything public will be virtual.

AWEA’s September Conferences Go Virtual – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced that the Wind Resource & Project Energy Assessment Conference and Wind Project Siting and Environmental Conference will be held virtually this September. AWEA is focused on reconstructing these events to create a valuable and successful online experience. Participants will have available live presentations, on-demand sessions, one on one networking, and shared social experiences.

Forum to Address Charging Infrastructure – The final web forum hosted by the Electrification Coalition and Smart Columbus will be held on September 8^th at 3:00 p.m. to discuss fortifying regional EV charging infrastructure. More than 1,000 new EV charging ports have been installed in the Columbus Region. This explosion of charging has contributed to a more than four-fold increase in EV purchases in the last three years. The event will look at how Smart Columbus partnered with local utilities to help residents, workplaces, businesses and developers identify the right ways to install EV charging infrastructure for their current needs and for the future.

Climate Leadership Summit Set – The American Climate Leadership Summit 2020 will now be a 100% virtual live event each Thursday during the month of August featuring thought-and-action-provoking topics and speakers in an engaging and interactive online experience.  It all starts Thursday at 2:00 p.m. with a discussion of climate progress and challenges, enviro/climate justice issues.

GTM to Look at Energy Storage – Greentech Media holds a forum on September 1^st at 1:00 p.m. that will feature Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Storage research team will connect with some of the most innovative energy storage technology players and developers, including Wärtsilä's Vice President of Energy Storage and Optimization. From strategies to operate batteries more efficiently to automation and predictive analytics tools helping asset managers reduce operational downtime and increase safety, this exclusive virtual session will break down some of the key drivers behind energy storage life-cycle management optimization.

Mexico Gas Summit Set – The 6^th Mexico Gas Summit will take place virtually this year on September 8^th, 9^th and 10^th.  The event will look at Gulf Coast onshore exploration and production, energy logistics and transportation, natural gas commercialization/infrastructure and the refined fuels market.

National Clean Energy Week – September 21-25