Energy Update: Week of August 1st

Energy Update - August 01, 2022

Friends,

Well, it is my Pelotonia 100-mile cancer charity ride on Saturday, and I am up in Cape Cod prepping. So far, I’ve ridden 120 miles - some with Adam. Another short 35-mi ride today (which is why the update is out early today) and one more long 70-mi ride all the way up to Provincetown Wednesday (we are going to Incubus that night in Mansfield, MA). With all this on my plate, rudely last week, Sen. Manchin and Maj. Leader Schumer announced a $369 billion climate package that has kept all of us in the energy space busy sifting through the details.

I have a full analysis below with links and major details. It is also sprinkled with political and administrative process insights which may be even more valuable. Our team is all over this issue and the details so please feel free to connect. I may be on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, looking for Offshore Wind turbines or at a Cape Cod League Baseball game, but I will get to you right away.

The Senate is in but don’t expect any votes as we detail below given the Senate Parliamentarian review and other admin/process challenges. And the House margin drops to three on August 9th and maybe 2 on Aug 23rd, so definitely, there are real challenges that will fill our normally quiet, election-year August.

I’m sure as we digest the legislation and its specifics there are a lot of questions. I can think of a few storylines moving already that are interesting:

  1. Permitting Deal for Fall – As my colleague Liam Donovan said: “the player to be named later.” How does the deal get done and what does it look like? We can help with some answers there.
  2. Critical minerals related to EV tax credit -- The $7500 EV tax credit contingent on proving where these materials are mined and manufactured. Technologically, this is possible, and companies like Circulor already are doing it—down to the material and the vehicle for big companies. This will be something to explore in more detail.
  3. Direct Pay – The deal includes a compromise on direct pay — despite Manchin’s skepticism of the concept which enabling the mechanism to be used for hydrogen, carbon capture and manufacturing, as well as for tax-exempt entities, like co-ops, nonprofits and tribes, that are unable to access tax equity financing.
  4. Oil/Gas leases, Methane – Certainly, this has been talked about a lot over the last year, but how they play Out In this package has taken a turn for the interesting. More oil/gas leases tied to renewable leasing is one concept that seems to be in this bill. How that will play remains a key takeaway. On the Methane Fee, word that if companies are meeting EPA rules will allow them to be exempt also raises another new twist.
  5. Process, Process, Process – The Senate has trouble doing anything in one week and this will be no different. That process discussion should be in itself an interesting story over the next few weeks. There is a lot more on this below…

In other big news this week, OPEC and its allies are set to meet on Wednesday. We know that OPEC+ will consider maintaining current crude output for September, even as the US has called for more production to stifle high energy prices before/after Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this month. There has been movement on bipartisan legislation in Congress to amend U.S. anti-trust laws to allow federal legal action against the OPEC member governments for price fixing that harms the interests of the US. We have experts here…  And one more interesting note: this is also the first OPEC+ meeting following Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo's unexpected death.

Around DC, BPC does a big take on the Infrastructure law in a forum tomorrow.

I head to Columbus on Friday so expect a full report next week if I survive the 100 miles, along with the latest on the status of the Senate’s Manchin-Schumer foray. So many of you helped me raise over $10K last year and a bunch of you have already helped me again this year in my attempt to beat last year. You still have time to help this great cause. Any little bit helps. To donate, please follow this link to my profile page:  https://pelotonia.org/profile/FM735496

Call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“It’s not a Democrat bill. It’s not a Republican bill. It’s not a green bill. This is a red, white and blue bill, and it’s great for America.”

Manchin said on CNN’s State of the Union.

“I’m grateful to Manchin for fighting for American energy. We’ll all be complaining about climate change a whole lot more when diminished power generation and supply shocks leave us with rolling blackouts and long stretches without air-conditioning.”

NY Times Columnist Bret Stephens in his recent column with Gail Collins, The Conversation.

ON THE PODCAST

Resources Radio Talks Weather/Climate with Samenow – In its weekly podcast Resources Radio, RFF host Kristin Hayes talks with Jason Samenow, weather editor for the Washington Post and one of the leaders of the Post’s Capital Weather Gang. They discuss the intersection of climate change and weather, with a particular focus on how meteorologists communicate with the public about climate change in a scientifically rigorous way and how that communication has evolved alongside climate science. Samenow and Hayes also talk about the increasing number of extreme weather events occurring both globally and in the Washington, DC, area.

NatGas Bans on IHS Podcast – Our friend and gas utilities expert Tom DiChristopher, a Commodity Insights senior reporter for S&P Global's Capital IQ, joined the IHS Markit podcast EnergyCents this week to discuss moves to ban the connection of new building constructions to municipal gas grids, and how they may impact the future plans of utilities and residential consumers.

FUN OPINIONS

NYT Friedman: Biden Needs a Better Energy Strategy  – In his column last week, NY Times columnist Tom Friedman writes that when it comes to energy policy today, Biden is not realistically diagnosing our problems or offering a comprehensive solution. Suspending the federal gasoline tax or draining our strategic petroleum reserves is not a strategy. They are signals that you have none. He then goes on to discuss a better strategy for a green transition with ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance. Friedman closes writing “there has got to be a way to strike a deal here, but it will happen only by the president going to Houston and not Riyadh.”

FROG BLOG

API, Chamber Blogs Address Profits, Windfall Tax Policy – It’s second-quarter earnings time for U.S. oil and natural gas companies and well-worn myths are surfacing that distract from America’s path forward on sound energy and climate policy. API’s Meg Bloomgren is on the case saying earnings by America’s natural gas and oil industry indicate a sector that is a large, robust driver of the U.S. economy – benefiting millions of American households through individually owned stocks, mutual funds, retirement accounts and other financial instruments.  Meanwhile, he US Chamber’s Global Energy Institute pushed back on calls for windfall profits taxes writing in reality, higher taxes on oil companies would have no near-term effect on prices at the pump and would actually raise gasoline prices in the long term because it would lead to reduced oil and natural gas production.

FUN FACTS

THE BIG NEWS

MANCHIN-SCHUMER CUT DEAL – After weeks of negotiations, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that they had reached an agreement on a reconciliation package, known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, that will include significant tax incentives for clean energy technologies along with modifications to the tax code meant to reduce the federal budget deficit. The bill has generally been met with praise from most parts of the Democratic caucus, especially as they had previously expected that Senator Manchin would only support a heavily scaled back healthcare focused bill. However, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has remained notably quiet on the legislation, raising concerns among some Democratic members that the bill has yet to receive the requisite votes it needs to pass the Senate. Democrats hope to expeditiously pass the legislation, but it must still undergo review by the Senate parliamentarian and move through procedural hurdles, which are further complicated by some Democratic Senators recently contracting COVID-19. The next weeks will remain critical for Democrats to push ahead and pass a signature piece of their legislative agenda.

Statement from Schumer and Key Links

Washington, DC – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement today on his agreement with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to add climate provisions to the FY2022 Budget Reconciliation legislation and hold a vote in the Senate next week:

“After years of many in Washington promising, but failing to deliver, with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, this Senate Democratic Majority will take action to finally take on Big Pharma and lower prescription drug prices, tackle the climate crisis with urgency and vigor, ensure the wealthiest corporations and individuals pay their fair share in taxes, and reduce the deficit.

“By a wide margin, this legislation will be the greatest pro-climate legislation that has ever been passed by Congress. This legislation fights the climate crisis with the urgency the situation demands and puts the U.S. on a path to roughly 40% emissions reductions by 2030, all while creating new good-paying jobs in the near and long-term.

“I expect that the remaining work with the parliamentarian will be completed in the coming days and the Senate will vote on this transformative legislation next week.

“I thank Senator Manchin for his willingness to engage and his commitment to reaching an agreement that can earn the support of all 50 Senate Democrats.”

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022

Legislative Text

Summaries

 Liam Donovan’s Bottom Line

In a legislative caper worthy of The Sting, with a plot twist straight out of The Usual Suspects, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) fooled the entirety of Washington this week, simultaneously freeing a fattened legislative hostage in the CHIPS+ bill, resuscitating seemingly forsaken elements of the Build Back Better agenda, and putting the largest climate package in history on the threshold of passage. 

Two weeks after broader reconciliation talks broke down over timing concerns, a week after Republicans let their guard down over the emerging "skinny" package, and mere hours after the CHIPS and Science Act passed the Senate with 17 GOP votes, Manchin and Schumer revealed precisely the sort of climate-centric agreement we might have expected before its apparent collapse, albeit rebranded as the "Inflation Reduction Act." In short, the proposal would use a minimum tax on the book income of certain larger corporations, curtailing of carried interest treatment, IRS enforcement (funded by $80 billion in new spending), and previously agreed to drug pricing reforms to finance $369 billion in clean energy investments and incentives, three years of ACA premium subsidies, and $300 billion in deficit reduction.

But Manchin's Eleven this was not. The rope-a-dope suckered Democrats and Republicans alike, at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, from the rank and file to the highest levels of leadership. Even the breakdown itself was a genuine setback, though in retrospect Manchin's calm and conciliatory reaction in the wake of Schumer's media offensive was a tell, and he ultimately had to yield on his insistence for more inflation data. Occam's Razor might suggest that Manchin overplayed his hand, was surprised by Schumer's reaction, and spent the intervening days seeking to get the deal back on the rails. Which is to say, the best way to understand the package the two men produced might be to forget the past two weeks ever happened.

The drama now enters the final act, with a number of questions unanswered, and several dynamics working against ambitious plans for swift passage.

Sinema

First, as we've long discussed, Schumer has exclusively been seeking a deal with Manchin, who, while pivotal, does not represent the 50th vote. All eyes now turn to Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who has been illusive about her intentions from the beginning, and exceedingly quiet since laying out her revenue-related redlines last fall. Sinema professed surprise at the deal, and her office has indicated that she will take her time in reviewing its contents while waiting for the parliamentarian to rule. [More on that later.]

On its face, this bill should be something she can support. Sinema is a former Green Party activist who supports the bill's climate priorities, and her stated concerns over raising rates on businesses have been generally respected, as reflected in the decision to drop expansion of the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). Perhaps more importantly, not supporting the bill would have existential implications for her political future. Sinema was already drawing fire from the progressive wing of the party for her commitment to the filibuster, sundry moderate stances, and aloofness on BBB; toppling a scaled down bill at this juncture would all but ensure a top tier primary challenge in 2024.

But Sinema is an enigmatic lawmaker who has cultivated a mavericky political persona, and when it comes to re-election in Arizona she has a very specific theory of the case. The ghost of John McCain, who famously blindsided Republican leaders by tanking Obamacare repeal efforts on the floor of the Senate, looms large. The ultimate question is whether she is looking for a reason to get to yes, or an excuse to get to no. If the goal is to support the bill while saving face, she could essentially name her price, at least within the broad structure of the bill.

Many have focused on the carried interest provision, which she has previously opposed, as a potential target of her ire, but the issue is politically fraught, whether as a singular legislative scalp, or an explicit rationale for voting no. (Manchin's decision to publicly declare this a redline suggests Democrats appreciate the double bind she faces.) At $14 billion, it also represents less than 2 percent of the bill's offsets, making it a dubious hill to die on. A riper target might be the minimum tax on corporations reporting more than $1 billion in "book income." As the single biggest pay-for in the bill, there is both a great deal of room to maneuver and perhaps score improvements that would be less punitive toward companies whose capital-heavy expenditures have reduced their effective tax rates. And if she were to choose to stick to her guns on opposing tax increases more broadly, there is suddenly a clear off-ramp in the form of a second consecutive quarter of economic contraction, traditionally a harbinger of recession.

While the developments of the past 48 hours are enough to chase anyone out of the prediction business, such a climactic step would register as a surprise. As is her tendency, Sinema is likely to keep her powder dry and wait for the process to play out before committing to anything.

Attendance

But Democrats have an arithmetic challenge even beyond any undecided members. An ongoing spate of COVID cases, along with the prolonged absence of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), has prevented the caucus from mustering a full, 50-vote complement for the entire month of July. Though Leahy has been released from post-hip surgery rehab, the prospect of an all-night vote-a-rama experience is not a pleasant one. And while Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) is set to clear COVID protocols in time for next week, the only good news on this front is that a solid chunk of the caucus has very recent immunity. Health of the paper-thin majority remains perhaps the biggest X-factor, with greater tail risk the longer things stretch out.

Parliamentary Procedure

Even with enough Democratic bodies to head to the floor, the timing of the process remains at the mercy of Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough and her pace in scrubbing the accumulating text, adjudicating arguments, and ultimately giving her blessing. The process has taken longer than expected at every turn dating back to last fall, and even the limited drug pricing package has stretched into the second week, with iterations ongoing. Now she has 725 new pages of multi-jurisdictional text, along with the apparent addition of an insulin pricing provision that may present Byrd questions. The minority has been given time to review the language, meaning she won't even begin the "Byrd Bath" for several more days.

[Caveat: as always, the majority can do anything it has the political will (or leadership gumption) to do, meaning they could choose to forego the parliamentarian's sign-off and go straight to the floor. Schumer controls the calendar, and as such can move whenever he wants to. This is a highly risky choice, as it carries with it privilege questions that could jeopardize the entire bill, but it is not without precedent.]

If all of these elements go smoothly, Democrats could move to a motion to proceed late next week. After 20 hours of debate, the Senate would move into the vote-a-rama.

Protecting the Product

Ideally Leader Schumer would have a blood oath from his entire caucus not only to vote for the bill, but to protect the entire package from any attempted GOP meddling. Under the reconciliation process, the minority may not filibuster the bill, but they may offer as many amendments as they wish on a rapid-fire basis, known as the vote-a-rama. While this process played out over the summer in the non-binding context of the budget resolution, these amendments amount to "live ammo" that will affect the underlying proposal.  They are not without restriction, however. First, they need to comply with the Byrd rule, like the bill itself, meaning that they must score, and cannot be merely incidental to their budgetary impact. (Read: no tough immigration votes, e.g.)  Second, and importantly for Democrats, they must not violate a budget point of order, or else it will trigger a 60 vote threshold Republicans cannot hope to win, even with a rogue majority. This is most likely to factor into amendments that would tap the bill's deficit reduction funds, either by adding spending or by removing revenue provisions. (There is no such restriction on adding revenue/reducing the deficit, meaning taxes could be added with 50 votes but can only be stripped with 60.) Look for Republicans to craft rifle shot amendments aimed at winning Kyrsten Sinema's vote without running afoul of the other stipulations. Even if she votes to proceed, she may insist on keeping her options open to improve the bill and consider changes on their merits. And while Schumer has previously used "wraparound amendments" to negate any of the changes that were adopted in the vote-a-rama process, that too would need her support (among others.) This dynamic may test the traditional notion of legislative poison pills, as Democrats may have no choice but to swallow.

The House

The House has long been viewed as a potential stumbling block for any reconciliation legislation, with its disparate factions and sometimes contentious intra-caucus dynamics, but the reception of the Manchin-Schumer deal has been markedly positive, even among skeptics. After the experience of the past 18 months, and the near-death experience of the past two weeks, House progressives have come around to the idea that something is better than nothing. On the moderate side, Pelosi lost only one vote for the original BBB, and that was under the guise of opposing the SALT fix. And while such a fix has been ruled out of this bill by Manchin himself, its champions in the New York and New Jersey delegations have laid down their swords, indicating that they would support the package because it did not contain tax increases on individuals, a notable attenuation of their previous stance.

If and when the bill passes the Senate, it will achieve escape velocity, and the House is almost certain to follow. But the timing matters nonetheless--Pelosi currently has four votes to spare, a margin that will drop to three by August 9th. (With this in mind, the House is preparing to return in time to pass the bill that week, but it will depend on the previous time variables in the Senate.) If the process stretches into the third week of August, Republicans could net an additional seat in New York, trimming that cushion to just two. None of which is likely to jeopardize passage in the lower chamber, which still permits remote voting, but does add pressure to get it done and avoid any unforeseen headaches.

We'll know more in the days ahead, but if recent weeks have taught us anything it's that the writers may have more up their sleeves.

Remaining variables to swift, smooth passage:

  • 50 votes: Sinema (et al)
  • Attendance: COVID, broader health challenges (Leahy)
  • Procedural: Byrd bath timeline; advance clearance vs. live bath on floor (risky)
  • Protecting the product: vote-a-rama poison pills; wraparound amendment(?)
  • The House: Pelosi margin for error trimmed to 3 on August 9th, could fall to 2 by end of month; BUT only lost one vote on BBB, SALT caucus backing down

Critical Minerals in IRA

Critical minerals have an interesting treatment in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the current reconciliation bill under discussion.  Supply chain considerations figure into the generosity of the clean vehicle tax credit; the premium is premised on either utilizing minerals from an FTA country or those that have recycled in the United States. These provisions are intended to help make markets for critical minerals from FTA counties and recycled sources. The implementation will require standards for careful tracing of sources that the Treasury Department and the IRS will have to develop. While EV manufacturers are concerned about implementation, they are nevertheless bullish on the lifting of the cap on the credit even despite the new inclusion of means testing.

There is also inclusion of a new production credit for applicable critical minerals, which seems to include the principal battery metals of nickel, cobalt, manganese and many others – but not copper despite recent findings regarding shortage and lack of new productive capacity in the US.

Sec. 13401 – Clean Vehicle Credit

  • Critical Minerals Requirement: The credit is $3,750 for vehicles that fulfill critical mineral requirements in battery construction, subject to a phase in.
    • If minerals are extracted or processed in any country with which the United States has a free trade agreement, they are considered eligible.
    • If minerals are extracted or processed in another country and recycled in North America, the content of recycled materials must be equal to or greater than the “applicable percentage.”
      • For vehicles placed in service before January 1, 2024, the applicable percentage is 40%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2024, the applicable percentage is 50%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2025, the applicable percentage is 60%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2026, the applicable percentage is 70%
      • For vehicles placed in service after December 31, 2026, the applicable percentage is 80%
  • Battery Components Requirements: The credit is $3,750 for vehicles whose batteries were manufactured or assembled in North America, subject to a phase in.
    • To qualify, the percentage of the value of the components contained in such battery that were manufactured or assembled in North America must be equal to or greater than the “applicable percentage.”
      • For vehicles placed in service before January 1, 2024, the applicable percentage is 50%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2024 or 2025, the applicable percentage is 60%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2026, the applicable percentage is 70%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2027, the applicable percentage is 80%
      • For vehicles placed in service during calendar year 2028, the applicable percentage is 90%
      • For vehicles placed in service after December 31, 2028, the applicable percentage is 100%
  • Excluded Entities:
    • Vehicles placed in service after December 31, 2024, that contain critical minerals in a battery that were extracted, processed, or recycled by a foreign entity of concern
    • Vehicles placed in service after December 31, 2023 that have components contained in the battery of such vehicle that were manufactured or assembled by a foreign entity of concern

Sec. 13501 – Advanced Energy Project Credit

  • The bill includes a new production credit for “any applicable critical mineral.”
  • The credit applies to components produced and sold after December 31, 2022.
  • The credit is equal to 10% of the costs incurred by the taxpayer with respect to production of such critical minerals.

Manchin Hits Sunday Shows – Sen. Manchin was a hot guest on all 5 Sunday shows yesterday to defend his climate, health care and tax deal reached with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) while fending off Republican senators who called it a betrayal.  Manchin took to the airwaves to portray the package as inflation-fighting legislation, championing provisions like those empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices and a $300 billion allocation to reduce the federal deficit.

Energy Efficiency/25C Tax Credits

25C is renamed the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, and will be extended for 10 years, limited to 30 percent of the cost of qualified products or equipment, and as a general rule is limited to $1,200 annually. Certain energy property types, such as central air conditioners and natural gas, propane, or oil water heaters, furnaces, or hot water boilers, are limited to a maximum credit of $600. Other product types, such as electric and natural gas heat pumps, and identified biomass stoves are limited to $2,000. The new provision provides a credit for certain electric panel board replacements or enhancements and also allows up to $150 for energy audits. In addition, the included Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) electric appliances rebate program language was included, and the package also provides $500 million in Defense Production Act funding for heat pumps as well as tax credits for thermal energy storage.

IN THE NEWS

EIA on LNG – The Energy Information Administration said the US has become the world’s largest LNG exporter delivering an average of 11.2 billion cubic feet a day to overseas buyers, a dramatic achievement from a country that only started shipping gas in significant quantities in 2016.  The US LNG industry now has the capacity to ship 11.4 billion cubic feet of gas a day, enough to beat out Qatar and Australia and take the top spot. Natural gas exports have been growing as new projects that had been under construction for years began operation, including the sixth production unit at Sabine Pass, and 18 new mid-scale liquefaction trains at Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG. Cheniere was also able to boost capacity at its existing trains at the Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi LNG facilities. The capacity increase comes at a critical time for buyers in Europe, who are scrambling to replace deliveries from long-time supplier Russia amid Moscow’s aggression toward Ukraine. With Russian gas now reaching fewer customers, prices for the commodity have soared and helped the U.S. become a larger player in the global market.

Clean Energy Deployment Slows in 2Q – American Clean Power’s Clean Power Quarterly Market Report Q2 2022 says the rate of clean energy deployment slowed substantially in the second quarter as policy headwinds, economic factors facing the industry, and trade issues have impacted project development and increased the backlog of new project delays. During the second quarter, the industry saw a 55 percent decline in project installations from the same period in 2021, with 3,188 MW of utility-scale clean power capacity installed. This makes the second quarter the lowest quarter for clean energy capacity additions since the third quarter of 2019. Additional market headwinds impacting the rate of development include commodity prices, COVID pandemic-related delays, supply chain issues, and increased operating costs. Solar installations were down 53% compared to the same quarter in 2021. Concerningly, onshore wind installations were 78% lower when compared to the same time period last year. Project developers brought 60 new projects online to the grid in the second quarter, representing $4.3 billion in capital investments. The industry installed 3,188 MW of new capacity from 41 solar projects, 14 storage projects, and 5 wind projects across 27 states. Total installations for the year are now 9,795 MW, compared to more than 13,000 MW of projects brought online in the first half of 2021.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

WRI Forum to Look at Decarb Solutions – The World Resources Institute’s Buildings Initiative as part of the Zero Carbon Building Accelerator project supported by GEF and UNEP, will host a forum tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. where experts will share insights from super-efficient industrial and commercial space cooling. They will discuss designing cooling techniques for residential homes, nature-based solutions to keep our cities cooler overall, and tools for government planning for heat impacts.

BPC to Look at EPA, Infrastructure – In the fourth event of our “Overcoming Challenges and Seizing Opportunities: Implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” series, the Bipartisan Policy Center, National Association of Counties, and National League of Cities will host Karen Dettmer, Managing Director for Infrastructure Implementation at the Environmental Protection Agency for a discussion tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. on the agency’s work to guide and support investments in our nation’s water infrastructure.

House Climate Committee Looks at Resilience Communities – The House Select Climate Committee holds a field hearing on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT in Oregon on building climate-resilient coastal communities. This hearing will examine challenges facing Oregon’s coastal communities and ecosystems due to the climate crisis and opportunities for the federal government to help state, local, and Tribal partners build resilient, climate-ready coasts.

OPEC+ Meeting Set – Wednesday August 3rd.

Forum to Look at Local Green Deals – The NYU Institute for Policy Studies holds a forum on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. taking another look at how communities are attempting to advance the Green New Deal at the local level. Rebecca Leber, who covers climate change for Vox, will moderate the discussion.

NASEO Holds Transmissions Forum – The National Assn of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Electricity Committee holds a webinar on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. on innovative technologies to support a resilient transmission system. This NASEO webinar will be an opportunity for states and territories to hear from and ask questions of experts in the reconductoring space as well as hear from utilities how they are considering including grid-enhancing transmission technologies in their resilience investments.

TX Environmental SuperConference Set for Austin – The 34th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference is set for the Four Season in Austin on Wednesday to Friday.  As usual, the conference is stacked with great speakers including several of my Bracewell Colleagues like fuels expert Brittany Pemberton.

IN THE FUTURE

Battery Workshop Set for Ann Arbor – On Monday August 8th and Tuesday August 9th, NAATBatt International, the trade association for advanced battery technology in North America, will hold its 5th annual, two-day in-person workshop on issues in lithium battery recycling and lifecycle management at the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The workshop program will present the latest information about the economics and technology of lithium battery recycling and reuse. Speakers will include leading experts on the economics of lithium battery recycling, the technology of lithium battery recycling, government assistance available to battery recyclers, and regulatory and legal matters related to lithium battery recycling and reuse.

RFF Hosts DOE’s Turk – On Thursday August 11th at 3:00 p.m., Resources for the Future (RFF) for a Policy Leadership Series event with David Turk, Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy. RFF President and CEO Richard G. Newell will sit down with the deputy secretary to discuss the dual global energy and climate change crises. Their conversation will delve into the administration’s ongoing responses to high energy prices, policies and technologies needed to combat climate change while ensuring a just and equitable clean energy transition, and more.

Cornyn to Hold Hydrogen Workshop – On August 17th, Sen. John Cornyn will hold a Texas hydrogen workshop. More on this soon…