Energy Update: Week of February 8

Friends,               

It wasn’t a very good Super Bowl, but you have give due to the Bucs for a brilliantly designed and executed game plan from the pass rush that pressured Patrick Mahomes all night to Brady executing the game plan of Bruce Arians and OC Byron Leftwich (the DC native that I refereed in HS at Woodson).  There is no way they should have done that to a much better, experienced and Super-Bowl defending championship team.  But that is why they play the games. 

With late week action on the Democrats “go-it-alone” Federal Budget action in the Senate, now the fun turns to the two-week or so process in the House.  My colleague Liam Donovan says this is an absolutely critical week for President Joe Biden’s COVID relief/Budget Recon package. Nine House committees will begin work this week on marking up the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” with a goal of having the full reconciliation package on the floor by the week of February 22.  House Energy & Commerce goes Thursday while Tranpo and Ag go Wednesday and the tax writers take 3 days Wednesday to Friday. Meanwhile, the Senate takes up another impeachment trial, which may actually create a slight, temporary lull in what has been a crazy few weeks since President Biden took office on January 20^th. 

The House Energy panel holds its first climate hearing tomorrow at Noon on Federal climate action while over on the Senate side, the Environment Committee holds a business meeting to advance the nomination of Michael Regan to head EPA. Finally on Wednesday, EEI virtually hosts its annual Wall Street briefing on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.

Two other interesting things to keep your eyes on this week:

1) Extreme cold is about to hit much of the United States this week and it will likely cause record consumption of natural gas because it is what most parts of the country rely on when the going gets tough (or at least extremely cold). The prior all-time high for lower-48 natgas consumption was January 30, 2019 during the polar vortex.  Stay tuned on this front.

2) In a lengthy interview with POLITICO, Mass Sen. Ed Markey, one of the primary sponsors of Waxman-Markey emissions trading legislation in 2009, said today said he wants Democrats to pursue a clean energy standard over carbon pricing in their push for climate legislation.  Just wanted to remind all of you that bipartisan legislation from Reps. McKinley and Schrader has already outlined a path on this issue and also could be the other bracket for the start of serious discussions on an approach to move forward. 

It certainly won’t make it into this round of Budget Recon, but something to keep in mind when the BR process makes its next appearance later this year or next. 

Remember to mark your calendars next Wednesday when the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and BloombergNEF (BNEF) hold a presser to release the findings of the 9^th annual edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook.  It will be especially interesting this year given the new tack of the Biden Administration on clean energy issues.

Finally, a couple weeks ago, our great friend Jeanne Mitchell retired after 35 years at Mobil/ExxonMobil.  Just wanted to give her a shout out and tell her to enjoy the baseball (her son is a catcher for the State College of Florida Manatees).  Hope you all remember to stay safe & healthy and get those vaccine shots if you can!

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“Trying to replace Diablo Canyon with a collection of four-hour batteries? Probably not going to happen.”

CAISO's Karl Meeusen in California Energy Markets story by David Krause looking into reliability challenges with California’s electric grid.

“(G)iven that EVs cost more than conventional vehicles and we’re at a point where consumers are not making lavish discretionary purchases, the question is not, ‘Can we sell to the wealthy?’ It is, ‘Can we get the everyday household in mainstream America to buy an EV?’ and we’re still a long way away from that.”

David Keith, a Chevy Bolt owner and assistant professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management in a recent WaPo story by Steve Mufson on EV transition issues.

ON THE PODCAST

ClearPath’s Powell Joins Columbia Podcast – In this edition of Columbia Energy Exchange podcast, host Jason Bordoff is joined by Rich Powell to discuss what to expect in climate policy moving forward, particularly on the Republican side of the aisle.  Rich Powell is the Executive Director of ClearPath and ClearPath Action, the DC-based organizations developing and advancing conservative policies that accelerate clean energy innovation. Rich frequently testifies before Congress on climate change and energy innovation.

APPA hosts Podcast, Video Series on Public Power Issues – The American Public Power Association recently launched a podcast, Public Power Now, which brings listeners the latest news and insights from key public power utility executives, power industry players, and APPA staff.  The latest podcast is a discussion of rate design issues. Separately, the American Public Power Association’s President and CEO Joy Ditto hosts Public Power Conversations, a new video series in which Joy speaks with experts and those on the ground to explore how global and national trends affect the public power community. The latest episode looks at cybersecurity issues. Check them out.

FUN OPINIONS

NYT: Senate Must Ratify Kigali HFC Amendment – In an opinion piece in the New York Times, AHRI head Steve Yurek and E2’s Bob Keefe write Congress and President Trump recently finalized legislation that authorized a phase-down in the production and use of heat-trapping chemical coolants known as HFCs. Now, President Biden is asking the Senate to take the next step: move forward with the ratification of an amendment to the Montreal Protocol of 1987, which sets targets for the global phase-down of HFCs.  Yurek and Keefe say despite the new law, Senate approval to finalize the Amendment is needed so American industry will avoid potential trade penalties from treaty members and remain competitive with their foreign counterparts. A global transition away from HFCs could avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of projected warming by 2100.  Finally, they add “we also need the treaty amendment to keep U.S. manufacturers in the technological driver’s seat, create jobs in the U.S. and expand market share abroad for the HFC alternatives that American manufacturers have developed and are developing.”

FROG BLOG

Trumka Talks Biden on Axios on HBO – AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told Jonathan Swan in an interview for Axios on HBO that he wished President Biden hadn't canceled the Keystone XL pipeline his first day in office — because it will cost some good-paying union jobs.  Axios says in the piece that that organized labor is crucial to the Biden coalition. But there are significant tensions among environmentalists, the president's team addressing climate change and some parts of the labor movement. Trumka said he thought Biden had learned a lesson from his Keystone announcement and that he hopes the president will pair any future decisions that would kill union jobs with simultaneous and specific announcements about how those jobs would be replaced.

IN THE NEWS

EIA: Oil, NatGas to be Part of Energy Mix for Future – The EIA’s latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) released last week at BPC event forecasts a long and steady future for the U.S. oil and natural gas industry and a positive picture for U.S. energy exports through 2050. While the report acknowledges that varying policies and regulations will shape this long-term forecast, it also suggests that pre-pandemic energy demand levels will return sooner than expected. This, however, will depend mostly on how quickly the U.S. economy recovers. Let’s take a look at the report’s most promising insights on the long term. Natural gas will make up more than one-third of the future electricity generation by 2050. While the report expects renewable sources to account for a larger portion of the total electricity generation capacity by 2050, natural gas is projected to supply 36 percent generation. The low-emissions fuel will carve out a steady position within the electricity mix in the upcoming 30 years by taking over retired coal and nuclear generation capacity in the short-term and adding new capacity in the long-run.

Cities Undercounting Emissions – Researchers found that U.S. cities undercount their greenhouse gas emissions by 18.3% on average, discrepancies that are based largely on miscalculations but could result in high levels of underreported emissions. The study, published in Nature Communications, pointed out that nearly three-quarters of carbon dioxide generated from fossil fuels come from cities, and accurately measuring their emissions will be crucial for combating climate change. The new study looked at the self-reported carbon dioxide inventories from 48 cities as part of what the researchers call the Vulcan project; they compared the cities’ own emissions reports with estimates derived mainly from publicly available federal data on such sources as factories and power plants, census areas and traffic and road information.

Wind Still Rolling Despite COVID – The American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) newly released ACP Market Report Fourth Quarter 2020 says the U.S. wind industry had its strongest year ever in 2020 as the amount of new wind power capacity added increased by 85 percent over 2019. The industry added 16,913 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity to the grid in 2020—enough to power more than 5 million American homes. Most of this growth came in the fourth quarter, when developers commissioned 10,593 MW of capacity, smashing all quarterly records. With these additions, there are now 122,478 MW of operating wind power capacity in the United States, providing enough power for 38 million American homes. Project owners commissioned 54 new wind projects across 20 states in the fourth quarter, including two of the nation’s largest single-phase wind projects in history in New Mexico and Texas. On the heels of this activity, another 34,757 MW of wind projects are either under construction or in advanced development. Direct utility ownership of wind power continued to grow, while corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) lagged due to uncertainty caused by COVID-19.

S&P Survey Shows OPEC Boost – The latest S&P Global Platts survey of OPEC+ production which finds the alliance boosted output for the 7^th straight month in January, as it continues to unwind its pandemic-prompted oil cuts.  Some facts in the survey include OPEC+ compliance up to 101% with new quotas; OPEC output was up 270,000 b/d to 24.7M bpd; Non-OPEC allies add 170,000 b/d, mostly due to a Russian surge (9.25M bpd), surpassing Saudi output of 9.11 M bpd; Russia pumps 9.25 mil b/d and while not included in OPEC, the survey showed exempt members Iran, Venezuela also raised production.

Daines Seeks to Block Haaland – Sen. Steve Daines has indicated that he will try to block the confirmation of NM Rep. Deb Haaland as Interior secretary, according to The Hill.  Daines could stall the nomination by placing a hold preventing her from advancing through a procedural vote and instead forcing a cloture vote, which could take a significant amount of time. Haaland is likely to ultimately prevail though, as only a simple majority would be needed to eventually get her nomination to the floor.  Haaland was elected to the House in 2018, and her nomination has been one of the only nomination victories for progressives. If confirmed, she would be the first Native American to lead the Interior Department.

 

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

NARUC Winter Conference Continues – The National Assn of Regulatory Utility Commissioners will continues its Winter Policy Summit virtually today to Thursday.  The event includes panels on Hydrogen, LNG, DERC order 2222, Grid resilience, COVID impacts on utilities, EVs/grid and natgas decarbonization.  Among the speakers will be NW Natural’s David Anderson, NGSA head Dena Wiggins, NRC Commissioner David Wright, API’s Riley Smith and Laura Nelson of the Green Hydrogen Coalition.

IRENA Micro Grid Report Released – The International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA) hold a webinar tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.to release IRENA’s report Quality Infrastructure for Smart Mini-Grids. It will discuss how renewable mini-grids can be key providers of electricity access in remote areas and islands. Furthermore, interconnecting one mini-grid with another, or with the main grid, can bring multiple benefits. The webinar will also feature the latest development on international standards for Low-Voltage Direct-Current (LVDC) mini-grids.

Murkowski Headlines Forum on Arctic – The Woodrow Wilson Center's Polar Institute and Asia Program hold a virtual symposium today at 6:00 p.m. on Asian interests and the path forward in the new Arctic.  Speakers will include Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Japanese Minister of Justice Yoko Kamikawa.

Senate EPW Moves Regan Nom – The Senate Environment Committee votes tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to advance Michael Regan's nomination to be EPA administrator.

Ambassadors to Discussion Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan Energy Agreement – Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., the American Foreign Policy Council holds a webinar on the recent Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan long-discussed, major agreement on joint exploration the oil field in the Caspian Sea. The distinguished guest speakers will discuss this agreement, the regional collaboration that gave rise to it, and its meaning for the region and for the world. Speakers include Turkmenistan Ambassador to the US Meret Orazov, Azerbaijan Ambassador to the United States Elin Suleymanov and former Ambassador Matthew Bryza, now at the Atlantic Council. 

House Energy Panel Looks at Federal Climate Issues – The Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change will hold a hearing tomorrow 12:00 p.m., via Cisco WebEx on restoring Federal climate leadership.

Forum to Discuss Satellite Use to Clean Marine Plastic – The Woodrow Wilson Center's Science and Technology Innovation Program and China Environment Forum holds a webinar on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. looking at how satellites can help identify and combat plastic marine debris. At this meeting, the five speakers — Ellen Ramirez (NOAA), Lauren Bierman (Plymouth Marine Laboratory), Fabien Laurier (Minderoo Foundation), Caleb Kruse (Earthrise Media), and Grayson Shor (US Dept. of State) — are members of the technical committee responsible for guiding the development of the Minderoo Foundation-supported Global Plastics Watch platform. They will share their stories and discuss their work to harness the latest advances in remote sensing satellites and artificial intelligence to enable continuous, near real-time global monitoring of plastic pollution on land and at sea, as well as the impact this work and similar initiatives could have in the fight to reduce plastic marine debris.

AAAS Holds Comms Workshop – On Wednesday at Noon, AAAS holds a climate communication workshop at the AAAS Annual Meeting. Talking about climate change is considered one of the best ways individuals and communities can contribute to solutions, yet a majority of Americans rarely or never discuss it. In this workshop, we will introduce a “conversation guide” scientists can use to engage their communities in discussions. They will offer best practices and other resources for communicating and sustaining dialogue and action on climate change, and participants will start developing their own plans for having local-level conversations about climate change. They will also share multimedia resources highlighting how communities are collaborating with scientists on climate change responses.

Murkowski, Tonko Headline OEP Web Forum – OurEnergyPolicy continues its Energy Leaders Webinar Series on Wednesday at Noon with a forum on guiding principles for sound energy policy.  Sen Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Paul Tonko speak as well as a panel.  Bracewell and API are among the sponsors of the OEP Energy Leaders Webinar Series.

RFF to Look at Social Cost of Carbon – Over the past four years, the Social Cost of Carbon Initiative at Resources for the Future (RFF) has been a key hub for SCC scholarship to implement the NAS recommendations. RFF will host a virtual event on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., as we highlight the latest SCC-related research from RFF scholars and the Climate Impact Lab. The conversation will also feature perspectives from decisionmakers using the SCC to inform policy and highlight key considerations for the Biden administration’s near-term and final updates of the estimates.

EEI to Hold Wall St. Discussion – The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) will virtually host its annual Wall Street briefing on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.  This annual outlook presentation will cover ESG and financial reporting, as well as EEI's legislative and regulatory policy priorities for 2021, which will help to advance our efforts to maintain the steady and strong transition to clean energy; modernize the energy grid to make it more dynamic, more resilient, and more secure; and develop the innovative solutions our customers expect and deserve.  Tom Kuhn will be joined by Brian Wolff, Phil Moeller and Richard McMahon.

Forum to Look at Roof Top Solar – On Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., the Energy and Policy Institute (EPI) and Solar United Neighbors will host author Dr. Leah Stokes; Chandra Farley of the Partnership for Southern Equity; and the Energy and Policy Institute's David Pomerantz for a discussion of rooftop solar.  Stokes will talk about her research examines public policy, public opinion and political behavior, with a focus on energy, environment and climate change. She is the author of Short Circuiting Policy. The book examines how interest groups have tried to weaken clean energy laws across the United States.

Energy Economists Hold Annual Dinner – On Wednesday, the National Capital Area Chapter of the US Assn of Energy Economists (USAEE) holds its annual Awards Dinner on Zoom with special guest, Mark Mills of the Manhattan Institute.  Mills will speak on Global Demand for Critical Minerals - Key to "Energy Transition." Is a wholesale transition to what has been described as a “new energy economy” taking place? Is it inevitable? And what are the consequences of “energy transition” policies and subsidies on the global demand for critical energy minerals?  Peri Cankardes Ulrey will be the recipient of the 3^rd Mark Lively Award for dedicated support and outstanding service to NCAC-USAEE. Peri served as the 2012-2013 President of NCAC-USAEE and Council Member during 2005-2014 and has been a member since 2003.

Total Renewable Gas Expert to talk Finance – On Thursday at 10:30 a.m., Reuters Events hosts a webinar to find out ways to attract finance for biomethane projects from global thought leaders.  The webinar features Olivier Guerrini. Total’s Vice President of Gas, Renewables & Power (Biogas Division).  Guerrini will look at a global perspective for the biogas and renewable natural gas industries to scale up and increase competitivity and public-private partnerships to balance the use of innovative technologies, sharing of project costs and risk allocation for project success.

Andrés Headline s GW Sustainability Summit – The GW Sustainability Summit will be held on Thursday afternoon.  The event brings together GW students, faculty, alumni, and staff with community leaders, policy experts, change makers, thought leaders, and advocates in the Washington, D.C. area. The event will celebrate the role of the university in addressing sustainability in our nation's capital and beyond, and explore innovative solutions that will further motivate and inspire participants to take action. Featured speakers include Professor and Chef José Andrés, environmental activist Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, and others.

Forum to Look at Climate Change in Middle East – The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies holds a virtual seminar on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. looking at regional cooperation on climate change in the Middle East.  Richard Caplan, University of Oxford, UK, will deliver a seminar in the Bologna Institute for Policy Research Leaders, Friends and Foes in the Middle East Series.

Web Event to Look at Heat Pump Hot Water Heaters – On Thursday at 1:00 p.m., the New Buildings Institute holds a webinar on Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs) and the Advanced Water Heating Initiative. In this webinar, NBI and initiative partners will provide an introduction to the initiative, followed by a moderated panel session on the work being done to build market demand and advance HPWH technology in both residential and commercial applications. The session will also include a policy and programs landscape overview, incentive program examples from across the county, and a look at the future of the initiative, including plans for field studies.

LeFleur to Headline Women in Energy Panel – On Thursday at 1:00 p.m., the Center on Global Energy Policy's Women in Energy program holds a virtual roundtable discussion with Cheryl LaFleur, CGEP Distinguished Visiting Fellow, and former FERC Chair. LaFleur will discuss her career path in the private and public sectors, her work at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and her current work on the adaptation of the electric grid and markets to address climate change.

Web Event Looks at Rejoining Paris – On Thursday at 1:00 p.m., ICF will hold a forum on what rejoining Paris means to government agencies, both at the federal and local level.  Julie Cerqueira, the Executive Director of the U.S. Climate Alliance, and Marian Van Pelt, a member of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Roster of Experts, as we discuss how government agencies can scale up action at the pace needed to address the urgency of climate change.

FNCL to Highlight Executive Orders – On Thursday at 4:00 p.m., the Friends Committee on National Legislation holds a webinar on Biden executive orders restoring the regulations rolled back by the previous administration. The speaker will be Clarence Edwards, FCNL’s new lead lobbyist on the environment.

Yale Forum to Look at Climate, EJ Issues – On Thursday at 5:00 p.m., the Yale School of the Environment will hold an online panel discussion on grassroots climate change action and environmental justice. The event celebrates panelist Michael Mendez's recently released book, Climate Change from the Streets: How Conflict and Collaboration Strengthen the Environmental Justice Movement. The panel features high-profile sustainability policymakers who will share their vision for justice-based climate change solutions -- and discuss how concrete policy changes can be achieved by organizers.  Speakers include Mendez, former CA House Speaker and current LA Councilman Kevin de León, Darnell Grisby of TransForm, CA Gov. Climate advisor Kate Gordon and our friend Dan Esty.

IN THE FUTURE

FERC’s Clements Headlines WRISE Forum – Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) announced a dynamic lineup of keynote speakers for the upcoming Leadership Forum taking place virtually on February 15-18.  The 2021 WRISE Leadership Forum Keynote Speakers are FERC Commissioner Allison Clements, Nwamaka Agbo and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Founder of Urban Ocean Lab. The WRISE Leadership Forum is a unique experience, combining professional development with tools to advance renewable energy. Renewable professionals from across the country will connect virtually to discuss current renewable energy trends and policy issues; and gain valuable tools to enhance their careers, companies and organizations.

Bloomberg Holds Net Zero Forum – Bloomberg will host a Net zero conference on Tuesday February 16^th where corporations and investors globally will discuss aligning with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees C and reaching global net-zero emissions by 2050.

Yergin to Headline National Ethanol Conference – Daniel Yergin, a best-selling author and highly-respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics will Keynote the annual National Ethanol Conference on February 16-18^th. 

Forum to Look at Southern Gas Corridor – Next Tuesday February 16^th at 11:30 a.m., the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center holds a virtual event to reflect on the lessons learned from the successful completion of the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline system and to discuss future opportunities for expansion. The event will feature change-makers that played an essential role in the establishment of the corridor; Elshad Nassirov, vice president for investment and marketing at the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will deliver keynote remarks and set the scene for the discussion on this multilateral achievement. Then, a panel discussion with former Sen. Lugar staffer Neil Robert Brown, now managing director at KKR Global Institute and KKR Infrastructure; former Azerbaijan ambassador Matthew Bryza; and Professor Brenda Shaffer, adjunct professor at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies at Georgetown University, whose published work on Caspian energy often informs policymakers.

Web Event to Look at EV Policy, Strategies – Abt Associates holds a webinar on electric vehicle policies on next Tuesday February 16^th at Noon.  This webinar will highlight strategies that public agencies and utilities are implementing to electrify the transportation sector in an equitable way. It will feature the updated AchiEVe Toolkit, a free resource developed by Sierra Club, Plug In America, the Electrification Coalition and Forth Mobility that covers a wide array of policy options and case studies on topics ranging from vehicle purchase to charging infrastructure to battery recycling. Then, the State of North Carolina will share how they are putting the policy pieces together in a comprehensive electric vehicle strategy.  Speaker will include EPA’s Jessica Daniels and Andrea Denny, Sue Gander and Andrew Linhardt, of the Electrification Coalition; Katherine Stainken of Plug In America and Sierra’s Hieu Le, all focused on AchiEVe Toolkit Overview; and finally North Carolina’s Electrification Policies with Jeremy Tarr of NC Gov. Cooper's Office.

BCSE, BNEF to Release 2021 FactBook – The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and BloombergNEF (BNEF) will hold an embargoed press briefing on February 17^th at 11:00 a.m. to release the findings of the 9^th annual edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The 2021 Factbook will be released to the public on February 18. Each year, the Factbook provides comprehensive information and analysis on major sustainable energy facts and trends from the previous year. The Factbook includes energy statistics on market growth and contraction, and analysis of trends in the energy efficiency, natural gas, renewable energy and other clean energy segments. The 2021 Factbook will look back on year-on-year dynamics, including how COVID-19 business conditions impacted U.S. energy markets and the overall energy transition. The press event will cover several core benchmarks – deployment, technology innovation, policy, emissions, and jobs.

Former EIA Head to Address Energy Economists – On Wednesday February 17^th at 12:00 noon, the US Energy Economists host a forum with former EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski, A former NCAC-USAEE President, Sieminski speaks on “The Role of Circular Carbon Economy.”  The circular carbon economy is an integrated and inclusive approach to transitioning toward more comprehensive, resilient, sustainable, and climate-friendly energy systems. The corollary in the circular carbon economy is that people do not want bio-energy and carbon utilization; they want a safe climate and an improved quality of life. As such, the circular carbon economy welcomes all carbon mitigation options that can help achieve climate goals.

Green Hydrogen Coalition Webinars Launched – The Green Hydrogen Coalition will debut its 2021 webinar series on Wednesday February 17^th from 1:00 p.m.  The event will discuss why now is the time for green hydrogen market development in the US and what policies are needed to support green hydrogen project development at scale. We will feature presentations on exciting US project initiatives and have an engaging discussion with green hydrogen champions on how they are crafting their green hydrogen strategies. Speakers include Dominion’s Andrew Hegewald, GHC’s Laura Nelson and more industry leaders to be announced.

DOE Holds Zero Home Program Webinar – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program holds a webinar on Wednesday February 17^th at 1:00 p.m. on zero energy homes. Zero Energy Ready Homes are homes designed to offer a superior homeowner experience. These homes live better, work better, and last longer. DOE’s program combines the best of building science with the latest technologies and systems, innovative building practices, and risk management solutions to offer homeowners complete peace of mind.

New Paper to Address Nuclear Safeguards – The Stimson Center’s Nuclear Safeguards Program presents its latest working paper in a webinar on Wednesday February 17^th at 1:00 p.m. exploring how emerging or “advanced” reactors will differ from the current fleet in spent fuel disposal, processing, and nuclear safeguards. In this webinar, Rowen Price introduces her findings and, in discussion with James Casterton and Andrew Worrall, examines how these reactors will disrupt conventional spent fuel management and international safeguards. The working paper by Rowen Price, “Bringing the Back-End to the Forefront: Spent Fuel Management and Safeguards Considerations for Emerging Reactors,” will be available prior to the event.

Sommers, Sens, Reps to Speak at Oil, Gas Conference – Energy Stream is hosting the 3^rd Houston Oil & Gas Forum 2021 in person on February 17 & 18^th at the Petroleum Club of Houston, Texas. The Forum is an annual market intelligence platform that brings together powerful U.S. Congressmen, Senators, government leaders, C-level energy executives, and investors.  The latest add to the agenda is API head Mike Sommers.  Other speakers will include Sen Ted Cruz and TX Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Kevin Brady, Brian Babin and Lance Gooden, as well as Rep Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota. TX Railroad Commission Chair Wayne Christian and DOE officials are also expected to speak.

BU Forum Looks at Energy Water Nexus – On Friday February 19^th at 11:00 a.m., the Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy continues its series co-sponsored by the Northeast Clean Energy Council and the BU Energy and Sustainability Club.  In an event sponsored by the Edison Electric Institute, experts will discuss new approaches that show promise in creating the future energy and water systems needed based on simultaneously considering the transition of the water and energy nexus.

House Financial Services to Look at Climate, Social Responsibility – The House Financial Services Committee’s Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets Subcommittee holds a hearing on Tuesday February 23^rd at 2:00 p.m. on climate change and social responsibility.

Columbia Panel to Look at Hydrogen – On Wednesday February 24^th at Noon, Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy will host a panel of exceptional policy, technology, and commercial experts to discuss how hydrogen can be made and used today in service of economic growth and rapid decarbonization,  Panelists will include Out friend Jack Brouwer of U.C. Irvine and Director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center & Advanced Power and Energy Program, former DOE Official Julio Friedmann, National Grid’s Sheri Givens, NYSERDA’s John Lochner and Kristine Wiley, Executive Director of the Hydrogen Technology Center.

Power, Gas M&A Forum Set – S&P Global Market Intelligence holds its 34^th Annual Power and Gas M&A Symposium 2021 on Wednesday February 24^th

EESI Climate Camp Turns to Decarb High-Emissions Sectors – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) continues its Climate Camp online briefing series on Friday February 26^th at 2:00 p.m. looking at Federal policy to decarbonize high-emission sectors. They will go over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for achieving near-term and long-term carbon reductions through policy.

Moler to Headline New Discussions Series – On Thursday, February 25^th at 4:00 p.m., the Center on Global Energy Policy for Columbia Energy holds its first Straight Talk, a new discussion series hosted by for DOE official David Hill and former FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, both affiliated with the CGEP program.  The series will focus on frank, practical, bipartisan discussions on how to make change happen in the energy world. Each episode will focus on a different topic related to energy and climate change, and will include a special guest. In the premier episode, Cheryl and David will host Betsy Moler, former FERC Chairman and Deputy Secretary of Energy, who led or was involved in every major change in the electricity and natural gas worlds for several decades – including some that were transformative and others that did not move forward. The discussion will focus on what makes policy change successful, and what we can learn from past successes and failures to advance today's efforts on energy and climate change.

Columbia SIPA Women’s Forum Set – On Thursday March 4^th the Center on Global Energy Policy's Women in Energy (WIE) program hold a forum featuring a panel of experts to discuss the policies, finance, and leadership skills that will be needed to drive the energy transition in the United States, and how the leadership of women will shape the transition.  With this event, we’re honored to welcome Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to the WIE network. By joining the WIE network, the Climate Policy Lab, an initiative at Tufts University's Fletcher School, and the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) will bring WIE programming such as roundtables, site visits, and professional development workshops, to their students, alumni, and the broader Boston area, and support WIE’s mission to bring more opportunities to women who want to work in the energy sector. It will be the first joint Tufts University, MITEI, and Columbia University Women in Energy event.

Manchin, FERC’s Clements Head Line ACORE Policy Forum – On March 10-11, the ACORE Policy Forum will convene leaders from across the U.S. government and the renewable energy industry for a deep dive on climate policy, grid advocacy, and their expectations for progress at the federal and state levels.  Keynote speakers Joe Manchin and FERC Commissioner Alison Clements will provide an outlook for executive, regulatory and legislative action over the coming year.