Energy Update: Week of July 29th

Friends,

Well, this is the week!!  No not to get a new Presidential candidate, launch the Olympics or anything else, but my 100-mile ride for Pelotonia Cancer Charity at Ohio State’s James Cancer Center in Columbus. I will head to Ohio on Friday for the race on Saturday and then head straight up to Detroit to visit my brother Art and attend his twin boys HS graduation event.

As you may know, cancer really hits home this year as Art is in the midst of a massive fight against brain cancer after being diagnosed at the end of last year. My visits to him during this battle has only made me more firm in my resolve to make a difference. So many of you have already helped, but I am hoping that all of you can help in some small way. Any amount matters so please head to this link and support this noble cause.

It looks to be a busy week despite Congress talking a step back from pushing budget bills, and seemingly deciding it is time to campaign. The House bolted after completing the EPA/Interior funding bill but falling short on two others. The Senate is in for this week and it will be highlighted by action on Wednesday on the recently-announced Manchin-Barrasso Permitting Reform legislation, which heads for a markup. Will it pass? Certainly, in Committee, but unlikely to see much time or action beyond that. But, some suggest, strong bipartisan passage would create additional momentum for efforts in other Senate Committees and definitely among those pushing it in the House (Peters/Westerman). Most experts are guessing it ,may have a slim chance if a perfect election storm occurred that would allow it to slide into a lame duck budget session (perhaps like the December 2020 energy/climate provisions).

All House hearings have been postponed for the week. On Senate side, while again not really a budget issue, the Senate Budget Committee is also holding a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the future of EVs and charging infrastructure. EPRI Director of Transportation Britta Gross and Princeton’s Jesse Jenkins are among those testifying. Finally, Senate Environment is holding a hearing on issues and Impacts of specific chemicals.

Speaking of chemical issues, on Thursday, the U.S. Chamber holds its Chemistry Solutions Summit with expert voices from Congress, the Administration, and industry to discuss the most important issues and innovation within the chemical value chain.

Other events this week include EESI and the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses hold the 27^th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (EXPO 2024) tomorrow in the Rayburn Gold Room. Also, tomorrow evening, ClearPath, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Anthropocene Institute hold a reception that will showcase technologies funded by DOE’s ARPA-E. The projects on display will cover a wide range of technical areas including geologic hydrogen, fusion, fission, CO2 measurement/agriculture, and rare-earth-free permanent magnets. Then, Thursday, The Hill holds a discussion on nuclear power.

I will report out on the ride and week’s action next Monday, but that will likely be our only August Update, with the exception of any special reports. Back to work… and watching as much of the Olympics as possible.

Call with any questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932                                                                                                                            

FRANKLY SPOKEN      

“Meeting this increasing demand for energy molecules, electrons, and minerals will require fewer permitting hurdles to allow businesses to respond in a timely way to the massive buildout that is necessary. The lengthy and cumbersome nature of the permitting process and frequent project-level litigation results in costly delays and uncertainty that hinder innovation, investment, and deployment.

US Chamber Global Energy Institute President Marty Durbin in a letter to Senate Energy Committee leaders Joe Manchin and John Barrasso supporting permitting reform legislation..

ON THE PODCAST

PRG Pulse Convention Takeaways on Energy, Climate – Today’s New York Times Daily Podcast talks about nuclear power, once the great hope for a clean way to meet the world’s energy needs, but fell out of favor decades ago. Our friend Brad Plumer, who covers technology and policy efforts to address global warming for The Times, explains how one company with a radical idea is now working to bring it back.

FUN OPINIONS

Curtis Victory Shows Climate Issues can Matter – In an op-ed in Real Clear Energy, CRES head Heather Reams writes Rep. John Curtis' (R-Utah) victory in the recent Republican primary election shows offers a much-needed conservative voice on energy and climate policymaking, emphasizing a “big tent” energy approach, sharpened by American innovation and leadership.  These milestones are worthy of celebration, but there is plenty of work ahead including permitting reform, advanced energy innovation and rebuilding America’s supply chains, which will continue to strengthen our economy, secure our nation and protect our environment for generations to come.

FROG BLOG

CO School of Mines Experts Discuss Hard-to-Decarb Issues – In a report and blog on ScienceDirect, a team from the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, led by our friend Morgan Bazilian write cement and concrete are among the world's largest and most important industrial products, second only to water as the most consumed material in the world. Despite the many options identified for decarbonization of the CCI, implementing these interventions may face challenges or barriers. Policy interventions can help overcome barriers to decarbonization, though.

FUN FACTS

EV Expansion Could Under Gas Tax Revenues Without Policy Changes: According China’s National Bureau of Statistics and Bloomberg Opinion, China's cement sector is headed to its weakest year since 2009.

IN THE NEWS

DOE Plans for a Low-Carbon Cement/Concrete Center of Excellence – DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) announced its intention to develop a Cement and Concrete Center of Excellence to advance the development and adoption of novel low-carbon cement and concrete technologies. The DOE intends for the center to be led by one of the U.S. national laboratories and to bring together researchers, engineers, code and standards developers, and other key stakeholders across the cement and concrete full value chain. The center will prioritize the development of test methods, which would address phase formation and carbon uptake evaluation; modeling, with a focus on durability under a range of environmental settings; data collection with the use of next-generation sensors and instrumentation; and carbon accounting via the development of methodologies that can be used for lifecycle analysis and support to Environmental Product Declarations.

New Columbia Report Looks at Nuclear Waste Storage – A new report, part of a series of publications on nuclear waste policy at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University SIPA, was released and explores the history of DOE, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and state efforts to develop disposal capabilities for GTCC and GTCC-like inventories. It explains why this gap merits greater attention from policymakers now and identifies measures Congress, the DOE, and the NRC could take, should they decide to address it.

GE Vernova Suspects ‘Manufacturing Deviation’ Caused Vineyard Wind Blade Failure – GE Vernova, the manufacturer and installation contractor for the Vineyard Wind turbine blade that broke apart Friday, suspects the blade “experienced a manufacturing deviation – in this case, insufficient bonding. A Spokesman said the quality assurance program should have identified the issue with the Haliade-X turbine blade, but so far, “there is no indication of an engineering design flaw in the blade.” GE Vernova’s initial environmental analysis of the incident, completed by consulting firm Arcadis US, found that debris from the blade poses a risk of injury to those who encounter it, but contains only inert material.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Fed Society to Discuss Crypto/Data Center Energy – The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies Environmental Law & Property Rights Practice Group holds a virtual discussion today and tomorrow on crypto, data centers and climate.

NASA, FAA on POLITICO Agenda – POLITICO will convene a conversation tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. about what Washington needs to understand is at stake – which sectors of the global economy see their growth arc in space, and what the right role of government leaders is in both growing and regulating the explosion of orbital ideas.

Report to Look at LNG Life-Cycle – Industry groups Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future and the Partnership to Address Global Emissions hold a forum tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in 203 of the Congressional Visitors Center to unveil a new report analyzing U.S. LNG’s lifecycle emissions. Sens. Bob Casey and Bill Cassidy will speak, as well as a Fireside chat between Will Jordan, general counsel at EQT, and Naomi Boness, managing director of the Stanford Natural Gas Initiative.

House Science Looks at Marine Carbon Removal – POSTPONED – The House Science Committee’s Energy Subcommittee and Environment Subcommittees joint hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on evaluating the potential of marine carbon dioxide removal approaches Has been postponed.

House Banking ESG Hearing Cancelled – The House Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee has canceled its hearing tomorrow on scrutinizing the use of Environmental, Social, & Governance standards.

Congressional Energy Efficiency Expo Set for Cap Hill – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses hold the 27^th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (EXPO 2024) tomorrow. In the Gold Room, members of Congress and top-level executives will discuss technologies and solutions that reduce carbon emissions, save households money, improve the economy, build resilience, and protect our security interests. In the Rayburn Foyer, participating organizations will present materials showcasing their clean energy work. There is a great list of Congressional speakers, as well as our friends Lisa Jacobson of BCSE, ACP’s JC Sandberg, CEBA’s Bryn Baker, ClearPath’s Cheryl Lombard, FCHEA’s Connor Dolan and NHA’s Malcolm Woolf.

ARPA-E Reception to Honor Projects – Tomorrow evening in Dirksen G-11, ClearPath, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Anthropocene Institute hold a reception that will showcase technologies funded by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The projects on display will cover a wide range of technical areas including geologic hydrogen, fusion, fission, CO2 measurement/agriculture, and rare-earth-free permanent magnets. ARPA-E plays a unique and critical role in maintaining America’s global leadership in energy technologies. ARPA-E supports high-risk, high-potential energy projects to transform how we generate, store, and use energy. These innovations strengthen our economy, bolster national security, and enhance the resiliency and reliability of our grid.

Forum Looks at Satellite Innovations – The Government Executive Media Group holds a discussion on Wednesday morning, focusing on the ability to process near-real time amounts of satellite imagery. Sessions include one on innovations in geospatial intelligence and on revolutionizing environmental monitoring with satellite imagery.

Senate Budget Looks at EVs – The Senate Budget Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the future of EVs and charging infrastructure. EPRI Director of Transportation Britta Gross and Princeton’s Jesse Jenkins are among those testifying.

Senate Energy Marks Up Permit Legislation – The Senate Energy Committee holds a markup of S. 4753 (118), the "Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

Defense Energy Forum Set – The Defense Strategies Institute holds its 2024 DOD Energy and Power Summit on Wednesday and Thursday. Highlights include Navy Operational Energy Director James Caley delivering remarks on resilient energy solutions and DOE’s Puesh Kumar delivering remarks on advancing energy security.

Canary Hosts Battery Storage Supply Chain Forum – On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., Canary Media and Clean Energy Associates hold a discussion that will dive into the current state of the lithium-ion supply chain and an outlook for how it will evolve over the next five years. The lithium-ion battery market is at a critical inflection point as direct policy action by the United States seeks to onshore manufacturing.

Senate Environment Looks at 6PPD – The Senate Environment Chemical Safety subpanel holds a hearing on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. focused on understanding the potential environmental impacts of the Chemical 6PPD.

Chamber Holds Chemistry Summit – On Thursday, the U.S. Chamber holds its Chemistry Solutions Summit. This event will feature expert voices from Congress, the Administration, and industry to discuss the most important issues and innovation within the chemical value chain. EPA Assistant Administrator in the Office of Chemical Safety Dr. Michal Freedhoff and Rep Troy Carter (D-LA) will keynote.

The Hill Discussion Focuses on Nuclear – The Hill holds a discussion on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. on nuclear and securing America's energy future. NEI CEO Maria Krosnick keynotes.

Forum Looks at Tawain Energy Issues – The Hudson Institute holds a virtual discussion Thursday at Noon on Taiwan's energy transition. The forum will look at how the island’s energy mix might change in the next several years.

IN THE FUTURE

USEA Forum Looks at Extreme Weather Impacts on Utilities – On August 7^th at 11:00 a.m., the US Energy Assn holds a media presser on extreme weather and the existential threat to utilities. This forum will explain the situation and to offer remedies — both in hardening the system against these perils and in rapid storm remediation. Speakers include Cal ISO’s Elliot Mainzer, Midwest ISO’s Todd Hillman, David Naylor of the Rayburn Electric Cooperative, EEI’s Scott Aaronson, EPRI’s Andrea Staid and ERCOT’s Pablo Vegas.

Cement Sustainability Forum Set – The second annual Portland Cement Association Sustainability Summit will be a virtual event held August 13^th to 15^th at 11:00 a.m. each day. The even features industry leaders discussing the latest efforts and strategies in the cement-concrete-construction value chain's efforts to achieve net zero.

Western Gas Forum Set for San Diego – The 20^th annual Energy Innovations: LDC Gas Forum Rockies and West takes place in San Diego, CA on August 14^th to 16^th to gain insight, analyze and structure arrangements to buy, sell and transport natural gas. Informative industry insight covering the Rockies and West from a host of speakers who will break down topics around Innovations in Energy such as Certified Gas, low-carbon alternatives, infrastructure updates.

Dems Head to Chicago – The DNC holds its Convention in Chicago on Monday August 18^th to Thursday August 21^st at the United Center.