Energy Update: Week of July 27

Friends,

We are inside of 100 days to the 2020 election and yet, we are not at the Republican and Democratic Conventions in Charlotte/Jacksonville or Milwaukee or seeing the crazy rallies and campaign events.  AND, we are not starting to watch the Tokyo Olympics, which was supposed to have had opening ceremonies last Friday.  Instead, we did get to watch to the opening of Major League Baseball with the Nats-Yankees last Thursday.  And par for the course: it poured (seriously, not just rain, but poured) for two hours in the 6^th inning, ending the game.  NBA (Friday) and Hockey (Saturday) also return this week, all without fans.

In Congress, the last of the approps funding will move out of the House this week (this one with Energy/Water funding), but much of the week will focus on the next round of COVID-response funding.  We will be reporting on that throughout the week with Liam Donovan, Josh Zive and our team tracking the action.  Below is a preview of where things were late last week.

We are also tracking election scenarios as well with our experts so let us know if you have inquiries on such matters.

On the hearing front tomorrow, Senate Energy hosts a panel of heavy hitters on large-scale carbon management technologies including former Energy Sect Moniz, current DOE official Steve Winberg and former DOE official Julio Friedmann, as well as BPC’s Sasha Mackler and CURC’s Shannon Angielski while a House Energy panel looks at drinking water standards with state water officials.  Later in the afternoon tomorrow, the House Climate Panel returns to action for the first time since publishing its climate report for a hearing on environmental justice issues that will feature the always-controversial Michael Shellenberger.

EPA head Andy Wheeler speaks at a Heritage event on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on EPA reg reforms while you can likely expect a climate question or two for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as tech CEOs testify at high Noon Wednesday in House Judiciary.

Advocates and experts across the globe are talking about hydrogen as an energy source for the future, which our friend Amy Harder documents in her column this week.  At the same time both the Atlantic Council and Reuters will host Thursday events on the topic. We can help with resources here: Air Liquide remains a leader in the infrastructure and development space and folks in a number of sectors are already developing Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) projects (a precursor for “green” hydrogen) across the country.  Speaking of the RNG side, also Thursday, RNG will be the subject of a webinar at 1:00 p.m. to hear key findings from two recent reports that forecast RNG production volumes by feedstock and detail RNG’s unique ability to reduce GHG emissions across all sectors of the economy.

Finally, President Trump will head to oil country Wednesday when he joins a roundtable discussion, tours a rig in Midland and speaks on “restoring energy dominance.” We’re still watching driving demand and oil production as EIA data showed a drop in motor gasoline and distillate fuel supplied for the week ended July 17^th, perhaps signaling the rebound we’ve been seeing is maybe slowing again. With refineries starting to curtail activity, we’ll have to keep a close eye on inventories as OPEC and allies are set to increase some of their production starting in August (Friday). Exxon and Chevron also report 2Q earnings Friday.

Call with questions, stay safe & healthy.  Stay tuned here for our latest COVID-19 Updates.

 

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“I have rarely seen, if ever, any technology that enjoys so much political backing around the world. Countries who have completely different views on energy and climate all join saying that hydrogen is a key clean energy technology.”

Fatih Birol, International Energy Agency executive director on Hydrogen

ON THE PODCAST

Cap Crude: Experts Look at Impacts of Potential Biden Win – In this week’s Capitol Crude podcast, guest host Ellie Potter spoke with David Livingston, senior analyst at the Eurasia Group about what he thinks is in store if Biden takes the White House. He said that while some regulatory changes could burden companies, Biden's proposals could also offer opportunities for the sector.

FUN OPINIONS

Rep. Roy: RFS Needs Reform – In an op-ed in the Washington Examiner, Texas Rep. Chip Roy says while refineries across the nation work overtime to produce the fuels that make us go, and more recently, even the hand sanitizers we use to fight COVID-19, politics surrounding the 15-year-old RFS threaten to shut them down. Roy argues directly and indirectly, refineries employ tens of thousands in states such as Texas and Pennsylvania — states with the very sort of industrial workers Trump promised to fight for in Washington. It is unconscionable to continue to let federal regulations like the RFS cause so much damage to a nationally important industry.

FROG BLOG

Axios: Global Support Builds For Hydrogen – In this week’s Harder Line column, Axios energy columnist Amy Harder digs into increasing support for hydrogen energy to cut carbon emissions and create jobs across the globe.  Harder writes the obscure energy source could help tackle climate change in the thorniest parts of the global energy system, like shipping and power storage. But it’s prohibitively expensive and would need lots of government support to get off the ground.  Of the $54 billion in economic stimulus funding approved in countries around the world (mostly in Europe) that’s going toward clean energy, 19% of that is for hydrogen. That’s second only to electrified transportation, according to BloombergNEF.  Harder adds enviro groups and delayed job benefits are challenges that remain.

IN THE NEWS

COVID RELIEF LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

Where Negotiations Stand – Final Details: While Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had intended to preview the Republicans’ P4 proposal during his 9:30 AM remarks on the Senate floor today, lingering intra-party disagreements put a hold to those plans.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows this morning to go over some “final details.” Secretary Mnuchin made a show of confidence, saying that the White House and Senate Republicans have a “fundamental agreement” on a stimulus bill, but the lack of an announcement today reinforces the fraught dynamic. Indeed, just hours before Leader McConnell strode to the floor to announce next week’s roll out, the Administration was publicly floating the idea of forcing a vote on a skinny (liability/partial unemployment insurance/school funding) package. Leader McConnell’s eventual floor speech reinforced most of what we already know about the plan, while leaving the thornier questions to be committed to paper in the interim.

GOP P4 Provisions Coming Into Focus – While Leader McConnell has not yet unveiled the complete GOP P4 package, the following provisions have come into focus as likely components. We mentioned these in our previous update, and here we note new details that have emerged.

• Direct Payments – Same structure as in the original CARES Act, per Secretary Mnuchin: “We’re talking about the same provision as last time. Our proposal is the exact same provision as last time.”
  • What this means: $1,200 per adult, $500 per child, phased out beginning at $75,000 AGI ($150k MFJ)
• Unemployment Supplement (FPUC) – Secretary Mnuchin said the GOP plan will include federal pandemic unemployment insurance compensation pegged to a wage replacement rate of 70 percent.
  • What this means: Rickety state UI systems mean this proportion will still be a flat figure, presumably pegged to average wage. The math would put this somewhere around $175-200 per week. This lines up with our previous update, although with reports of Senate Republicans floating $100 per week, it’s not entirely clear where this lands.
• State and Local Aid – The Trump administration has laid down a marker that, in the words of Secretary Mnuchin “the president is not going to bail out Chicago and New York and other states that prior to the coronavirus were mismanaged.” Practically, this suggests that funds for states and localities, if any, will come with strings attached. The opening bid from Senate Republicans remains $0, but with flexibility for funds previously appropriated under the CARES Act.
  • What this means: The posturing against a blue state bailout lines up with what we have been saying—while the final number will end up somewhere between $0 and Democrats $1 trillion ask, it will be a sliding scale depending on the attached conditions.
• Education – Senate HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) this afternoon shared that GOP senators had reached agreement on $105 billion in funds for schools, which according to Alexander works out to roughly $1,200 per student for public and private schools nationwide.
  • What this means: As reported yesterday, $70 billion will go toward K-12 education, with half tied to re-opening, a non-starter for Democrats. The $30 billion balance will go toward colleges and universities.
• Child Care – Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) says the P4 bill will include $15 billion in grants for child centers to reopen.
• Student Loans – Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said the GOP stimulus plan would extend student loan forgiveness until individuals have an income and cap payments at 10 percent of income minus the cost of living.

 

What to Expect TODAY: Leader McConnell indicated in his floor remarks the members with ownership over key pieces of the package:

• Appropriations—Shelby/Blunt: The funding side of the GOP proposal has been buttoned up, and we expect $300 billion in funding, with most of that going to education, health care, and the broader COVID-related medical response.
• HELP—Alexander: Alexander’s committee has domain over health care and education matters, the two biggest pots of funding in the bill.
• Finance—Grassley: A narrow list of business provisions are expected to be in play, as mentioned yesterday. Inclusion likely for employee retention tax credit (ERTC) expansion, incentives for PPE and other COVID-safety related expenses, and restoration of 100 percent deduction for business meals, a priority of President Trump. The tax-writing committee also handles unemployment insurance, the thorniest remaining issue for Republicans, and health care related revenue matters.
• Small Business—Rubio/Collins: We previewed the next iteration of the PPP program in yesterday’s update, including a second round of loans for smaller, distressed businesses, larger and longer term loans for certain industries, simplified/streamlined forgiveness for smaller loans, expansion of forgivable expenses to include PPE and other COVID/protest-related costs, and clarification of deductibility for forgiven PPP expenses.
• Liability—Cornyn: The details of the GOP’s liability proposal have been widely reported, as well as previewed in yesterday’s update, but the real issue will be what (if anything) skeptical Democrats are willing to accept.
• Entitlements—Romney: Romney has been publicly pushing to get his Social Security and Medicare reform bill, the TRUST Act, into the next COVID package. A courtesy inclusion is likely as far as it gets in this process.

Clean Energy Push: A group of seven Senate Republicans – Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Richard Burr (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) – penned a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), urging the leader to add clean energy incentives to the P4 bill. However, do not expect such tax credits to gain traction because they will likely not be included in the initial GOP offer and would have to be a top Democratic to stand a chance in the ultimate negotiations.

Reactions:

• White House: President Trump took to Twitter today to express his strong support for a payroll tax cut, despite the tactic agreement between Senate Republicans and Secretary Mnuchin to not include it in a deal. This, perhaps, may be one of the sticking points that delayed the release of the GOP P4 proposal today.
  • “The Democrats have stated strongly that they won’t approve a Payroll Tax Cut (too bad!). It would be great for workers. The Republicans, therefore, didn’t want to ask for it. Dems, as usual, are hurting the working men and women of our Country!”
  • Trump economic advisor Stephen Moore also chimed in, telling the Washington Post, “We’re not giving up on the payroll tax cut. We’re going to pound the pavement to get this back in the bill… It’s premature to say this is dead.”
• Democrats:
  • Leader Schumer: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tweeted out a list of Democratic priorities today, providing a preview of negotiations to come, and items that might be included in the final compromise bill:
    • “From what we know, the GOP COVID relief proposal won’t include: Food assistance for hungry kids[,] Rental assistance[,] Hazard pay for essential workers[,] New funding for state and local governments[,] Investments in communities of color[.] It won't get the job done.”
  • Leader Hoyer: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), for his part, criticized Republicans for supposed inaction:
    • “Due to their own internal divisions, Republicans still don’t have a coronavirus relief proposal. The House passed the #HeroesAct 2 months ago. Instead of acting, Senator McConnell & the Trump Administration waited. They chose to take a pause. Their inaction was intentional….”

The Upshot: While time runs short, especially with regard to the $600 weekly federal pandemic unemployment compensation (FPUC), the real key is getting the GOP on the same page. If Republicans can roll out their package and maintain a united front beginning Monday, the rest of the negotiations—largely kabuki theater—can proceed fairly quickly, even with a lost week. Don’t read anything into the dollar amount chasms or maximalist posturing. Ignore the conspicuous omissions and the indignant rhetoric. This is all a part of the legislative dance, albeit a frustrating and increasingly hapless one. Democrats came in high with HEROES; Republicans are now coming in low. Provided the GOP can speak with a united voice, it’s fairly easy to see how they split the difference on the core components of a deal—look no further than our handy matrix. In the meantime, the important thing is for members to get this out of their system, save face, allow both sides to fight the good fight, and meet somewhere in the middle to get to a package everyone knows needs to get done.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

Grid Evolution Virtual Summit Locked In – The Smart Electric Power Alliance hold its Grid Evolution Summit as a virtual meeting tomorrow to Thursday.    Lots of great speakers including NEI’s Maria Korsnick and Jigar Shah. 

Senate Energy Looks at Large Scale CO2 Techs – The Senate Energy Committee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to examine development and deployment of large-scale carbon dioxide management technologies.  Witnesses include DOE’s Steve Winberg, former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, former DOE Official (who also held Winberg’s position in the Obama Admin) Julio Freedmann, BPC’s Sasha Mackler and Shannon Angielski, Executive Director of the Carbon Utilization Research Council.

CSIS to Look at Decarbonizing Heavy Industry – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., CSIS holds the fourth session in the Climate Solutions Series on Decarbonizing Heavy Industry. This online event will examine emissions from the industrial sector and opportunities and challenges for its decarbonization. Rebecca Dell (ClimateWorks Foundation) will give an overview of the industrial sector, the sources of emissions, and the policy landscape involved in reducing emissions from manufacturing and energy-intensive industry. Andreas Bode (BASF) will provide the perspective of a major company in the chemicals industry and how the industry is attempting to reduce emissions from its products and processes. Adam Rauwerdink (Boston Metal) will then elaborate on the experiences of a small startup attempting to decarbonize the production of iron, steel, and other metals.  The session will close with a panel discussion on the policy and technological aspects of the decarbonization of heavy industry, moderated by Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS).

House Energy Panel to Look at Drinking Water – The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment will hold a remote hearing tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. via Webex on reforming the Nation's drinking water standards.  Witnesses include Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies CEO Diane VanDe Hei, Oklahoma DEQ Water Quality Director Shellie Chard and NRDC’s Mae Wu.

Forum to Look at Beneficial Electrification – Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., Assn of Energy Service Professionals hold a webinar to discuss the positive economic and environmental benefits inherent within the declining carbon intensity of electricity.  Speakers include Tri-State Generation’s Shaun Tuyuri, NRDC’s Ben Longstreth, SCE’s Michelle Thomas and Southern Company’s Kenneth Schiver.

House Climate Panel Returns to Hearing Action – The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, returns to action tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. for the first time since publishing its climate report on climate policy for a hearing on environmental justice issues with a clean energy economy.  The hearing will focus on clean energy and environmental justice to be part of the government's response to the pandemic. BlueGreen Alliance head Jason Walsh and Enviro Progress founder and always controversial Michael Shellenberger are among those on the panel. 

Bloomberg Green Summit Set – The Bloomberg Green Summit will be held on Wednesday.  The Green Summit will feature the voices of those people working at the edge of change to deliver real solutions. Built to foster solutions-oriented conversations with a festival atmosphere, the Bloomberg Green Summit will feature a cross section of visionaries from business, design, culture, food, technology, science and entertainment.

Wheeler to Address Heritage Forum – EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will speak a Heritage Foundation virtual forum on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Wheeler will highlight the agency’s 2020 regulatory actions and what they mean to Americans.

Senate to Look at COVID Impacts on Seafood Industry – The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to examine ways to strengthen the U.S. seafood industry, which has been hit hard by COVID. Witnesses will include NOAA’s Paul Doremus, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Leann Bosarge and Phil Anderson, chairman of the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Forum to Look at Efficiency – The EEGlobal webinar series continues on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. with a forum on how prioritizing energy efficiency can contribute to global economic recovery. The series highlights the experience of the SEforAll Energy Efficiency Accelerators in scaling up collaborative public-private program models to improve energy efficiency in various economic sectors.

The first webinar in the series focuses on energy efficiency in buildings. Panelists will discuss opportunities for boosting recovery efforts by leaning into global building retrofit efforts -- yielding significant economic, resilience, and climate mitigation benefits.

Forum to Look at Energy Transition – Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy hosts a webinar on Wednesday at Noon looking at the transitioning to low-carbon power in the US. In this webinar, panelists will discuss how the U.S. power sector can deliver abundant, affordable, secure, and flexible power as we transition to a low-carbon and increasingly electrified economy. Panelists include for FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, former DOE official Peter Fox-Penner, NYSERDA Chair Richard Kauffman and NYISO Board Director David Hill. 

Forum Looks at Clean Energy, National Security – The Atlantic Council holds a webinar on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. on national security and the energy transition.  An expert panel discusses the clean energy-national security nexus and the critical importance of renewed US leadership in the advanced energy and climate space.  Speakers include former Dep Asst Sect of the Navy for Energy Joe Bryan, former First Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security) Sherri Goodman and Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment.

Forum on Infrastructure Set – The third installment of Powering Forward will be held by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts and National Governors Association on Wednesday at 1:45 p.m. The webinar will examine the state and local response to COVID-19. Panelists will explore how state governments are responding to the pandemic, identify what energy resilience solutions are critical for communities in the wake of this crisis, and discuss federal infrastructure legislation currently pending in Congress.

Forum to Launch Climate Tool Kit – On Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., the Georgetown Climate Center will launch its Equitable Adaptation Legal and Policy Toolkit. The effects of climate change disproportionately affect overburdened and low-income people and communities of color, who already face significant economic and social challenges. The cumulative impacts of pollution, racism, and political and economic disenfranchisement make it difficult for these communities to withstand and recover from extreme heat, flooding, and other climate impacts.

Clean Tech Virtual Trade Show Ready – On Wednesday, July 29^th at 3:00 p.m., CleanTechnica is hosting an On-Line Event via Zoom to highlight some of the companies making the newest and most useful products for your Tesla cars.  Each participating company will have a short introduction and pitch, and then we will divide the meeting into dedicated booths (aka “Zoom breakout rooms”). Attendees can then drop into the different booths for any length of time to learn more about specific products, ask the manufacturers questions, or just have a chat with the founders. The Virtual Trade Show will be hosted by CleanTechnica’s CEO, Zachary Shahan, and many on the CleanTechnica team will moderate.

WIRES to Host Summer Meeting – WIRES will host its 2020 Summer Meeting on Thursday morning starting at 9:00 a.m.  The event will include speakers and panelists focusing on transmission issues, emphasizing on enabling the development of a grid that's ready for the future.

Public Meeting on NatGas, Climate Goals – On Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., Advanced Biofuels USA sponsors a virtual public meeting on efforts to help DC reach its climate goals of becoming carbon neutral in ways that are cost-effective, innovative and community-driven.  The webinar will walk through Washington Gas’ Climate Business Plan and provide insights into how this approach will help the community achieve its climate goals in an affordable and inclusive way. 

Forum to Look at Hydrogen – On Thursday at 8:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center will host a discussion with Cosma Panzacchi, executive vice president for Hydrogen at Snam.  Panzacchi will discuss new technologies necessary to implement hydrogen blending with natural gas in Snam’s current transmission network infrastructure. Hydrogen is poised to become a major factor in the energy system, but the costs to produce it using an emission-free process will need to be substantially reduced. Panzacchi will discuss Snam’s journey to accelerate the cost reduction by creating demand through blending hydrogen into Snam’s existing pipeline network.

Renewables, EE Expo Set – The 23^rd annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum is set for Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ONLINE.  It will bring together 23 businesses, trade associations, and government agencies to showcase renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. In every state across the country, these technologies are having a significant impact in business development and job creation in the manufacturing, transmission, power, transportation, and building sectors.  The bipartisan House and Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses are the EXPO's honorary co-hosts.  Speakers include DOE’s Dan Simmons and DOE Building Technology Office head David Nemtzow, as well as BCSE’s Lisa Jacobson, SEIA’s Abby Hopper, American Assn of Black in Energy head Paula Glover, NRECA’s Keith Dennis and Growth Energy’s Chris Bliley among others.

Forum to look at Green Hydrogen – Reuters hosts an event on green hydrogen on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. to explore how green hydrogen can supplement the shortfalls of electrification and its significance to the energy mix. Industry experts joining the session Thierry Lepercq of Soladvent, Laura Nelson of the Green Hydrogen Coalition, Dhamma Energy’s Marcos López-Brea and CVA’s Matthieu Crest.

Forum to Look at RNG – A precursor for Hydrogen, Renewable NaGas (RNG) will be the subject of a webinar Thursday at 1:00 p.m. to hear key findings from two recent reports that forecast RNG production volumes by feedstock and detail RNG’s unique ability to meaningfully and cost effectively reduce GHG emissions across all sectors of the economy.  The reports are the American Gas Foundation’s “Renewable Sources of Natural Gas: Supply and Emissions Reduction Assessment” and “California’s In-State RNG Supply for Transportation: 2020 to 2024 Assessment” from Gladstein, Neandross & Associates.  Speakers include Dominions Ryan Childress and AGA’s Emily O’Connell. 

BPC to Launch Farm, Forest Agenda – On Thursday at 2:00 p.m., the Bipartisan Policy Center will launch the BPC Energy Project’s Farm and Forest Carbon Solutions Initiative and release of a new policy options synthesis report. Robert Bonnie, former Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, is joining the Energy Project to lead the initiative. The event will discuss promising areas of common ground and opportunities to build a shared, bipartisan agenda that can unite stakeholders from agriculture, forestry, conservation groups, rural communities, and other related interests. Other speakers include Rep. Greg Walden, CA Agriculture Sect Karen Ross and National Alliance of Forest Owners head Dave Tenny.

IN THE FUTURE

Forum to Look at Climate, Economics – Next Tuesday August 4^th, the World Resources Institute holds a webinar with a diverse set of leaders exploring how states and businesses are making progress toward a low-carbon future and what policy interventions, corporate leadership, technology trends and other activities can accelerate this transition, while ensuring that workers aren’t left behind.  The webinar will feature a brief presentation on "America’s New Climate Economy: A Comprehensive Guide to the Economic Benefits of Climate Policy in the United States". Launching on July 28, the paper explains how low-carbon investments and policies would create jobs, provide widespread public health benefits and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.  Among the speakers includes our friends Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles and BloombergNEF expert Ethan Zindler.

WCEE to Look at Energy Storage – The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) holds a forum next Tuesday August 4^th at Noon to hear from energy finance and regulatory lawyers Rabeha Kamaluddin and April Kim of Greenburg Traurig about financing challenges for energy storage systems and the status of energy storage regulation.  The speakers will discuss the drivers behind the boom, contract structures, construction risks, and solutions that promote bankability. They will also provide an overview of current regulation of energy storage and discuss participation of these resources in the regulated wholesale electricity markets across the United States. 

DOE to Host Thermal Energy Storage Workshops – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office is hosting a webinar series starting Wednesday August 5^th at 1:00 p.m. to help catalyze further development in thermal energy storage technologies.  The events will engage stakeholders to identify both potential barriers as well as research, development, and deployment needs for thermal energy storage.

Forum to Look at Scaling Up Clean Energy – Climate Links and US AID-funded Climate Economic Analysis, Development, Investment, and Resilience (CEADIR) will host a webinar on Thursday August 6^th at 9:00 a.m. to look at scaling up clean energy. The webinar will present highlights from the CEADIR’s Activity Climate Finance Assessment: Opportunities for Scaling Up Financing for Clean Energy, Sustainable Landscapes, and Adaptation. It will describe experiences of USAID and other development assistance organizations to expand investment from the private sector and other sources. The webinar will highlight options for improving enabling environments, strengthening information and capacity, and creating or strengthening financing mechanisms and instruments.

Vet Energy Conference Set – The Atlantic Council, in partnership with many other groups like Citizens For Responsible Energy, will host a virtual conference August 10 – 13^th for Veterans Advanced Energy Week.  The event is an interactive virtual learning and networking experience dedicated to veterans and military spouses working to strengthen US national security through careers in the advanced energy industry.  Participants will gain insights into the technology, policy, and economic trends that are driving the global energy transition from senior leaders and experts across industry, academia, and government.  Speakers will include VA Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Zais, Sen Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Jason Crow, as well as our friend/podcaster Julia Pyper.

Chatterjee, Cruz Headline TX Oil, Gas Forum – The Texas Oil & Gas Forum 2020 will be held on August 11 and 12 at the Petroleum Club in Houston.  The event will be an in-depth and off the record dialogue between U.S. Congressional and government leaders and the energy industry.  Speakers include Keynoter Ted Cruz, FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee, Reps. Randy Weber, Mike McCaul, Michael Burgess, Jodey Arrington and Kelly Armstrong. 

Forum to Look at US-Asia Gas Issues – On Wednesday August 12^th at 6:00 a.m. (yes that is right), the U.S. Energy Association (USEA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are hosting the third installment in the U.S.-Asia Gas Partnership webinar series to discuss changing terms in LNG SPAs, with focus on contracts for deliveries to emerging Asian LNG markets. The webinar will explore the key innovative features in Asian LNG SPAs such as novel pricing mechanisms, recourse to price review arbitration, and enhanced termination rights, including in the event of force majeure.