Energy Update: Week of February 24th

Friends,

I thought I would start but giving you five bullet points on what I did last week, but you already know if you read this forum each Monday.

It is a busy week for President Trump starting today when he hosts French President Emmanuel Macron. He holds his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday and on Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in DC.  Both the Macron and Starmer meetings are interesting given yesterday’s German election results where opposition conservatives led by Friedrich Merz ousted German leader Olaf Scholz with support of his party and the further right AFG party.  Energy costs were one of the major campaign issues.

While the Trump team continues to rattle its saber, the real action on the budget seems to be slowly inching forward in Congress. After the Senate pushed through its budget, the House Speaker tries this week to push through its version of “one big beautiful bill” to deliver on Trump’s policy agenda. Republicans remain twisted into pretzels though, with conservatives like Thomas Massie opposing the budget bill because it doesn’t cut enough and Party moderates remaining as holdouts over SALT tax issues and other items. As for votes this week, the House will vote on two CRA resolutions to rescind an EPA rule on methane limits and DOE energy efficiency standard for gas-fired water heaters.

On the hearing list, both House Oversight and House Energy’s Oversight subpanel will be focused on hearing this week.  Oversight hosts Permitting Council head Alex Hergott and conservative energy experts Alex Epstein and Mandy Gunasekara while the E&C Oversight Panel reviews Biden’s post-election IRA spending rush. House Transpo looks at Pipeline Safety, House Resources looks at Endangered Species Act issue and Senate Environment reviews infrastructure law spending to date. 

Some excellent events off the hill include tomorrow’s POLITICO event on Energy with Sen. Hickenlooper, a Wednesday Axios event on energy demand and the ACORE Policy forum on Wednesday and Thursday. Also, the American Public Power Association and NARUC are both hosting their annual meetings in D.C. early this week, bringing state utility regulators and public power providers from across the country to the Capitol.

Finally, tomorrow, the offshore wind advocacy group Turn Forward will release polling from the Republican polling firm, The Tarrance Group, that will show voters sentiment from both political parties regarding offshore wind development both in the U.S. and in their own states. Please let me know if you are interested in hearing about the event and we will connect you…

And after last week’s great Four Nations Cup, the NHL is back in action and Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick (his 32^nd 3-goal game of his career) on “Hockey Day in America” yesterday, putting him only 13 goals away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Pretty Amazing… The 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards were also last night with Conclave taking home Best Motion Picture (Interesting timing with the latest on the health of the Pope) and Timothée Chalamet won best actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. The SAG awards are the final major awards ceremony ahead of the Oscars, giving a glimpse of which stars and projects might claim gold at the Academy Awards next month. And

A lot going on and starting the ramp up for CERA Week in Houston, so let me know if you are going.  Call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932                                                                                                            

FRANKLY SPOKEN

 “As the country faces unprecedented load growth, this is an enormous opportunity to deploy a broad portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to make our energy systems even more reliable, resilient, and affordable. Moving forward, the United States can capitalize on this momentum through smart policy and regulatory reforms, such as maintaining federal energy tax credits, enacting permitting reform, and continuing investment in innovation through RDD&D initiatives. These policies will catalyze private sector dollars and unlock further American energy prosperity.”

BCSE President Lisa Jacobson while rolling out the 2025 BSCE/BNEF Sustainability Factbook last week.  

ON THE PODCAST

Former DOE Official Talks Energy on USEA Power Podcast – In today’s USEA Power Sector Podcast, Battelle Energy and Resilience Division Manager Shawn Bennett answered questions by journalist Herman K. Trabish about what to expect in power sector policy and what new breakthroughs to look for in carbon capture and carbon management technologies under the new presidential administration and congress as changing resources, spiking electricity demand, and extreme weather events add unprecedented stress to the US power system.

FUN OPINIONS

WSJ: Eliminate CA Waivers – In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal Ed Board writes President Trump campaigned on eliminating electric-vehicle mandates and bringing down prices. Republicans in Congress now have an opportunity to do both by overturning California’s onerous EV regime. The Biden Administration in December approved a waiver letting California set its own vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions standards... But CO2 doesn’t cause smog, and California doesn’t have any more compelling need to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions than any other state.

Bloomberg Opinion: Russian Sanctions, Commodities Market Impacts – In his column in Bloomberg Opinion, Javier Blas writes with movement on Russian-Ukraine peace discussions, Russian commodities would return to the market.  He adds though with the exception of natural gas, they never really left. The oil and commodities sanctions regime against Russia is already crumbling, in reality if not in law yet.

FROG BLOG

Tariffs Can’t Help an International Nuclear Industry – Former NYT energy writer and nuclear expert Matt Wald released a blog post today in Breakthrough Institute’s Journal saying Trump's goals on nuclear power’s expansion and tariffs are in conflict with each other. The Trump plan to “unleash” American energy may run directly into the Trump plan to extract a better trade deal with Canada. This is especially true for nuclear energy. In the past, the United States was so central to the world reactor market that a supplier could easily launch a model here and think later about selling it abroad. But now we have a “nuclear renaissance” in which there are no orders beyond two demonstration projects. The industry needs to get the ball rolling, and losing the Canadian market will not help.

FUN FACTS

FACTBOOK Chart Highlights soaring Global Clean Energy Investment: Global investment in sustainable energy once again shattered records, soaring to over $2 trillion. The US deployed $338 billion in financing for energy technologies, including renewable energy, EVs, and power grid investment, up from $303 billion in 2023, a 0.8 percent increase year on year. China continued to lead the global market, with $818 billion of investment in 2024, a 20 percent increase year on year.

Source: BCSE/BNEF 2025 Sustainability Factbook

IN THE NEWS

BOEM scraps Biden-era Rice's whale protections – The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has rolled back Biden-era rules requiring offshore oil and natural gas companies to limit vessel speeds and use spotters to protect the endangered Rice's whales in the Gulf of Mexico. BOEM listed the guidance as “rescinded” as of Feb. 20. Industry leaders hailed the decision as a boost for regulatory certainty and energy development. NOIA’s Erik Milito said: "By restoring regulatory certainty, attracting investment, and creating high-quality jobs while maintaining high levels of environmental stewardship, these reforms will strengthen America's position as the global energy leader.”

American Sustainable Energy Techs Ready to Meet Increasing Energy Demand – In 2024, U.S. power generation reached its highest volume in two decades, driven by growth in renewable energy technologies and by stable natural gas generation capacity. These energy growth sectors face favorable market conditions as the United States eyes rising energy demand, according to the 2025 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook published today by BloombergNEF and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). 2024 saw continued investment and deployment across the power sector, especially in energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage, natural gas, and sustainable transportation. Meanwhile, rapidly rising expectations of power demand from new industrial sources and transportation, onshoring of U.S. manufacturing, and a burst of new data centers planned by tech companies in the race for artificial intelligence (AI) mastery have shifted the focus of U.S. energy system planning.

ConservAmerica: Brattle Report Shows Impacts of IRA, Tax Credits – ConservAmerica is pleased to announce the launch of its new report, A Wide Array of Resources is Needed to Meet Growing U.S. Energy Demand, as prepared by The Brattle Group. US electricity demand is already growing and is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. This economic analysis finds that to meet demand affordably and reliably the country needs a portfolio of all forms of energy. The reality is that some energy resources are available now, while others will take more time to deploy. Findings include:

• Due to increased demand from data centers, reshoring of manufacturing, electrification of industry, and growing oil and gas extraction, the U.S. is projected to need 50% more annual electric energy production in 2035 than it does today.
• Serving this growth will require much more supply, and traditional supply sources alone cannot meet the need.
• Renewables and energy storage are already in development and can be deployed relatively quickly.
• There is less natural gas generation in development, and the turbine supply chain is limited.
• Eliminating clean energy credits would increase going-forward generation system costs by 14%, raising electricity prices for American consumers.
• By 2035, 3.8 million job-years would be lost as employers spend more on electricity, capital investment declines, and higher electricity rates reduce consumer spending in other sectors (on average, this is equivalent to total US employment being 380,000 lower for 10 years in a row).
• U.S. economic growth would be depressed due to a $250 billion reduction in investment in the power sector, a $510 billion decrease in GDP, and a $270 billion decline in household consumption.

Nikola Files for Bankruptcy – Th electric vehicle maker Nikola has filed for bankruptcy with plans to wind down its business. Nikola filed for chapter 11 last week intending to conduct a court-supervised auction of its assets. The filing further swells the ranks of zero-emissions vehicle developers that have run out of road recently, following other Tesla wannabes that wound up in bankruptcy. Nikola came to symbolize the excesses of a green-auto investment boom that has cooled amid rising costs and a shifting political landscape in a second Trump administration that has put planned investments in zero-emissions autos at risk.

NGA Features Permit Reform Action in Winter Meetings – The National Governors Association held its 2025 Winter Meeting over the weekend. The Forum included an opening plenary on "Permitting Reform" featuring Interior Secretary Doug Burgum; Gov. Jared Polis, (D-Colo.); Gov. Kevin Stitt, (R-Okla.); Gov. Henry McMaster, (R-S.C.); and Gov. Josh Shapiro, (D-Pa.). During the meeting, Stitt (R) and Shapiro (D) launched a bipartisan working group to explore issues related to permitting reform, infrastructure acceleration and energy resilience. The group will be particularly focused on NEPA, judicial review and transmission siting. Lots of other energy action behind the headlines in the States, mostly focused on energy demand and How states will try to meet it.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

NARUC Winter Meetings Set – The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) holds its 2025 Winter Policy meetings today through Wednesday.  Speakers include Sens. Ben Lujan and Shelly Moore Capito, Rep. Julie Fodorchak, Southern CEO Chris Womack, ACP head Jason Grumet, Chamber Energy head Marty Durbin, AGA CEO Karen Harbert, NRG’s Travis Kavulla and many more. 

APPA Holds DC Legislative Push – The 2025 American Public Power Association Legislative Rally is being held today to Wednesday.  This is the annual event for public power executives, policymakers, and staff to take public power’s message to Capitol Hill.

Axios to Host STEM Event –Tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. in The Showroom, Axios hosts an event convening policy and tech leaders for conversations looking at how the U.S. is working to maintain science and technology leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape and new era of AI. We’ll discuss the importance of investing in training the next generation of STEM leaders, shoring up scientific education and building the infrastructure necessary for the U.S. to lead in the quest for new discoveries in science and technology. House Science Chair Brian Babin and ranking Dem Zoe Lofgren lead the discussion.

POLITICO Looks at Energy Demand Issues – Tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. at Union Station’s Columbus Club, POLITICO will convene key leaders for impactful, relevant, and urgent conversations on the future of energy policy. The event feature Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Sen. John Hickenlooper and will Look at how Congress Trump administration representatives, the Department of Energy and FERC will address the surging demand for energy on the electric grid.

Forum Looks at Energy, Defense Impacts – The Institute for Defense and Government Advancement holds its 17^th Operational Energy Summit tomorrow and Wednesday. Navy Rear Adm. George Bresnihan, commander of the Defense Logistics Agency, delivers remarks on "Assuring Energy to Support the Warfighter" tomorrow while Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Defense Continuity and Mission Assurance Steven Schleien delivers remarks on "Protecting Critical Infrastructure".  On Wednesday, Nate Horner, director for grid cybersecurity and communications at the Energy Department's Office of Electricity, delivers remarks on "Grid Security on the Battlefield and at Home".

House Transpo Looks at Pipelines – The House Transportation and Infrastructure Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. promoting and improving safety and efficient pipeline infrastructure.

Forum to Look at LNG, National Security – The American Security Project holds a virtual discussion tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. the intersections of US LNG (liquefied natural gas) and international security.

House Resources Panel Looks at Mining Challenges – The House Natural Resources Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. on contrasting momentum in the space mining economy to the terrestrial mining regulatory morass.

Forum Looks at Latin Mining – Resources for the Future (RFF) holds the “Lessons in Mining Sustainability in Latin America" webinar tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. There will explore advances in sustainability around mining and community engagement in Latin America, some of the challenges in achieving these improvements, and what the rest of the world can learn from the Latin American experience.

CSIS Looks at Nuclear Blueprint – Tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., CSIS hosts for a discussion with former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security Sherri Goodman, former Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman and former Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette on their new report with the Commission on Nuclear Energy and American Leadership: Nuclear Energy & American Leadership: A Blueprint for the Future.

ACORE Holds Policy Forum – The 2025 ACORE Policy Forum is set for Wednesday and Thursday in Washington DC. Topic include rising electricity demand , manufacturing and digital infrastructure buildout, domestic and global clean energy supply chains and permitting roadblocks limiting our ability to deploy critical transmission lines and clean energy projects. The ACORE Policy Forum will be a two-day event for the first time.  Reps. Sean Casten and Kathy Castor will speak.

Axios Looks at Energy – Axios holds an event in Washington, DC on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. convening top energy and policy experts for conversations on what steps will best prepare the grid to securely meet the consumption needs of the future. The event looks at the policies, technologies and industry shifts expected to play a role in modernizing and expanding electrification. Speakers include Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Bob Latta.

House Oversight Tackles Energy – The House Oversight and Government Reform Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., on opportunities to strengthen America's energy reliability. Panelists include Alex Epstein, Mandy Gunasekara and Permitting Council head Alex Hergott.

House Resources Panel to Review ESA, Marine Mammals Act – On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., the House Natural Resources Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee holds a hearing on evaluating the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Senate Looks at Infrastructure Law – The Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation and case studies.

House E&C Oversight Panel Looks at Biden Energy Spending – The House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. examining the Biden Administration's energy and environment spending push.

EESI Talks Clean Manufacturing – On Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., EESI’s Climate Camp briefings will feature  panelists showcased tools—like the EN-ROADS simulator, co-developed by MIT Sloan and Climate Interactive—that staff can use to easily digest climate data and generate policy ideas. They also highlighted federal agency resources essential to understanding the climate challenge and innovative solutions to address it.

SEJ to Host Webinar on Wildfires – On Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., SEJ hosts a webinar covering wildfires and the new extremes. This SEJ webinar is about coverage so far, discussing how to handle continuing coverage and preparing to report on the next wildfire. The webinar will feature subject matter experts on recurring and emerging concerns from physical access and safety concerns to environmental health and exposures, to trauma-informed reporting, and the ways coverage is changing. The webinar will feature presentations from a panel of experts, and provide an opportunity for us to get together and talk through what worked, what’s working and what’s not.

Forum Look sat Critical Minerals – The Business Council for International Understanding holds a discussion on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. focused on U.S.-Ivorian relations and investment and business opportunities across key sectors, including mining, minerals, energy, agro-industrialization, science and innovation.

Carbon Capture Blueprint to be Released – The Carbon Capture Coalition will hold an embargoed press briefing at Noon on Thursday on the Coalition's 2025 Federal Policy Blueprint. This briefing will take place on Zoom and you can register for it by replying to ben@renewpr.com. Once registered, you'll also receive an embargoed copy of the Blueprint in advance so that you can review it before the briefing. Speakers include NET Power Head of Energy Policy Jack Thirolf, Bipartisan Policy Center’s Xan Fishman, ClearPath’s Savvy Bowman, Carbon Capture Coalition’s Christian Flinn and Jessie Stolark.

ACCF Hosts Former World Bank Head – On Thursday at 12:00 p.m., the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) hosts a conversation with David Malpass, the 13^th Chairman of the World Bank (2019-2023) about economic policy today.

CSIS Launches Critical Minerals Book – On Thursday at 2:00 p.m., the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program will launch of a new policy book, Critical Minerals and the Future of the of the U.S. Economy. This event feature a discussion around policy recommendations for the most pressing challenges facing minerals security. The event will feature keynotes from Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN).

Forum Looks at Energy, Military Readiness – On Thursday at 2:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Forward Defense Program will host a discussion on how operational energy strengthens US military readiness and resilience. With the new administration prioritizing energy dominance and military lethality, this event will explore how energy strategies align with these objectives to enhance force effectiveness in an evolving security landscape.

CSIS Hosts GM, Vale Metals Experts– On Friday at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program holds a conversation with Vale Base Metals' Emily Olson and General Motors' Jasper Jung on the bilateral U.S.-Canada mineral relationship and its role in driving a competitive U.S. auto industry.

IN THE FUTURE

CRES to Host Geothermal Exhibition – CRES will host Geothermal House DC MAGMA on March 4^th at Top of the Hill from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. featuring a mix of panels, virtual reality experiences and networking, followed by a reception. MAGMA stand for: Making America Geothermal: Modern Advances.  The event will feature how next generation geothermal can bolster U.S. energy security, creating economic growth and high-quality energy jobs, while providing clean baseload power supported by U.S. supply chains. Geothermal House is a unique, immersive educational experience, featuring live programming, a ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ virtual reality experience, geothermal themed food and drinks, spotlights on the movers and shakers building and funding the future of geothermal energy, and a few surprises in between.

CSIS Looks at Energy, AI – The CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program holds a conversation on March 5^th with Vivian Lee, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Shanu Mathew, Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst at Lazard Asset Management. Vivian and Shanu will discuss the state of AI electricity demand, the implications of DeepSeek, the trend towards colocation, prospects for nuclear, and other key dynamics at the intersection of AI and electricity.

RFF Study Looks at Jobs – On Wednesday, March 5^th Resources for the Future hold a webinar where study authors Jacob Greenspon and RFF Fellow and Director of the Equity in the Energy Transition Initiative Daniel Raimi will discuss their analysis and demonstrate a new interactive data tool that allows users to examine which jobs offer the best match for workers in a variety of occupations that are heavily concentrated in fossil fuels. After the presentation, there will be a moderated panel discussion featuring workforce experts from academia, industry, and policy, followed by an interactive question and answer session with the online audience.

USEA Look sat Environmental Legal Issues in Trump II – The US Energy Association will hold its next virtual press briefing on Tuesday March 5^th at 11:00 a.m. to examine what to expect from the Trump administration in its reshaping of environmental policy, and the nature and scope of the legal opposition. Court challenges have already been filed and many more are expected. Panelists include SEPA’s Emily Fisher, former SoCo exec Karl Moor, Diana Furchtgott-Roth of the Heritage Foundation and NRDC’s Bob Deans.

Forum Looks at Trump 2.0- Energy – On March 6^th, the GW Security and Sustainability Forum holds a forum, part three of a series on Trump 2.0.  To discuss, SSF will host one of the most respected voices in sustainability, energy, and societal resilience - Richard Heinberg. Heinberg is a Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute and the author of many award-winning books on energy and the environment.

CERA Week – The Energy Week of all weeks, CERA Week, will be Held on March 10^th to 14^th in Houston.  We will see you at the Starbucks in the Frank Maisano CERA “Office.”

BCSE to Discuss AI in Forum – On Wednesday March 12^th, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) will hold a roundtable discussion on what is needed next to boost energy supply and strengthen the grid. The event will look at the state of AI technology with AI experts and industry leaders – including key topics such as grid optimization and congestion solutions, data centers and industrial energy generators, utility partnerships and accelerating innovation:

Plastic Recyclers Head to DC for Conference – The Plastics Recycling Conference will take place March 24^th to 26^th at National Harbor, Maryland. The event brings together over 2,600 industry leaders to discuss the latest advancements in plastics recycling. This year’s agenda features sessions on market trends, innovations in sorting and processing technology, and policy developments shaping the industry. Speakers include executives from major brands, policymakers, and sustainability experts tackling challenges like integrating recycled content, scaling advanced recycling, and regulatory and legislative shifts. For the first time, the event will also host a concurrent Textile Recovery Summit, focusing on the intersection of plastics and textile recycling, with discussions on circularity, material innovation, and infrastructure development. This expanded programming highlights the evolving landscape of materials recovery and offers attendees a broader perspective on sustainable solutions.

Third SAFE Summit Set Focused on Critical Minerals, Energy Security – SAFE holds its 3^rd annual SAFE Summit on Tuesday April 1^st and 2^nd.  Speakers include Hyundai CEO José Muñoz, Schneider Electric’s Aamir Paul, ACP’s Jason Grumet and many more. 

EPSA Competitive Power Summit Set – The Electric Power Supply Association holds its Competitive Power Summit on Wednesday April 2^nd at the Grand Hyatt Washington.  Speakers include PJM CEO  Manu Asthana, Vistra CEO Jim Burke, Pennsylvania PUC Chair Steve DeFrank, NY ISO Rich Dewey and many more.

Columbia Energy Summit Set – On April 9^th, the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA holds the annual Columbia Global Energy Summit on the Columbia University campus. This year’s day-long Summit will address myriad issues at the heart of today’s complex geopolitical, environmental, and economic landscape. Speakers from around the world, including current and former government officials, financial industry executives, CEOs of major companies, leaders of civil society, and experts from academia will offer valuable perspectives on critical challenges facing the global energy and climate community. Speakers include Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte, Microsoft Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa, former European Commissioner for Energy, European Commission Kadri Simson and Rio Tinto head Jakob Stausholm.