Energy Update: Week of June 14

Friends,               

Happy Flag Day!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  After a rainy Friday (allowing me to watch some really good French Open tennis), it turned out to be a pretty great weekend. At the French Open, after beating Nadal (where he has been unstoppable), Novak Djokovic rallied from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and win his 19^th major title. Meanwhile on Saturday, unseeded Barbora Krejčíková beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to take the Women’s title. Krejčíková became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to lift both the singles and doubles trophies at a Grand Slam. And this is Golf’s US Open Week at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

The G7 summit ended this weekend with lots of climate promises/rhetoric, but again very little real action.  More on this below.  Congress returns in full this week with the future of the Biden infrastructure agenda heating up after a group of bipartisan senators reached an agreement late last week. Lawmakers are hitting a crucial stretch ahead of the July 4^th recess. 

Tomorrow, the Senate Energy Committee hosts Secretary Granholm on the DOE Budget while House Resources panel holds a hearing on environmental justice and energy transition for coal country and House Homeland Security will go over the federal response to the Colonial Pipeline attack.  On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will be with a Senate Appropriations panel to go over her department’s budget request while Senate EPW hosts more EPA nominees.  Finally, FERC holds its open monthly meeting on Thursday. 

Off the Hill, ACORE hosts the ACORE Finance Forum tomorrow and Wednesday, while tomorrow WaPo Live holds a virtual discussion on climate solutions that focus on oceans, FCHEA talks hydrogen with DOE, Air Liquide and Plug Power and SAFE and the Bipartisan Policy Center hold a conversation on a policy agenda to improve our nation’s electric vehicle and transportation infrastructure.  RFF looks at environmental justice issues on Thursday and Friday the Hudson Institute looks at the future of America’s defense industrial base with SAFE executive Dr. Jeffrey Nadaner.

Finally, a Pekingese named Wasabi won best in show at the Westminster Dog Show last night. Wasabi, notched a fifth-ever win for the toy breed. A whippet named Bourbon repeated as runner-up in the competition, which was held this year in Tarrytown, N.Y., rather than at Madison Square Garden. I still love Eugene Levey and Catherine O’Hara’s portrayal of Gerry and Cookie Fleck in the classic “Best In Show.”

BTW, if you want to check it out, Wolfgang Van Halen visits with the Washington Post LIVE today at 2:00 p.m. to discuss blazing his own trail as he releases his debut album. Hope you stay safe & healthy and get those vaccine shots if you can.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“To be credible, ambitions need to be supported by tangible actions in all sectors of our economies and societies. We will lead a technology-driven transition to Net Zero, supported by relevant policies, noting the clear roadmap provided by the International Energy Agency.”

G7 Leaders Communiqué

ON THE PODCAST

Bryce Talks NatGas with APGA’s Schryver – On last week’s Power Hungry Podcast, energy expert Robert Bryce interviews Dave Schryver, the CEO of the American Public Gas Association, which represents about 1,000 municipally and publicly-owned natural gas distribution systems. It was a good follow up to my April interview with Joy Ditto, the CEO of the American Public Power Association. In looking back on those interviews, it’s remarkable to note the huge number of publicly owned energy providers. When you add the 1,000 publicly owned gas utilities, 2,000 publicly owned electric utilities, and 900 electric cooperatives, it becomes clear that when it comes to energy and power, the US has the world’s most-diffused ownership system. While some might contend that diffused ownership is not as efficient as a system that is more tightly controlled by a handful of corporations, the American system has also resulted in a diffusion of political and economic power that assures a certain level of stability. It also gives more people an ownership stake in their energy and power providers that isn’t seen in other countries. 

FUN OPINIONS

WSJ: America’s Energy Gift to Dictators– In an editorial last week, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board blasted several Biden’s anti-carbon efforts “as one of the greatest self-inflicted wounds in its history.”  They write the moves will have “no effect on the climate as global demand for fossil fuels will continue to increase for decades no matter what the U.S. does” and Russia, China and Iran will take advantage of America’s astonishing fossil-fuel retreat.  “Progressives want to surrender one of America’s major strategic economic advantages in the name of saving the climate. But banishing fossil fuels in the U.S. won’t eliminate carbon emissions, which will be produced somewhere else. So will the jobs, economic growth and geopolitical leverage.”

FROG BLOG

Restoring land around abandoned oil and gas wells Important – In an opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle, Hendrix College biology Professor Matthew Moran writes President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan proposes to spend $16 billion plugging old oil and gas wells and cleaning up abandoned mines. But there's no authoritative measure of how many of these sites exist across the nation. Moran led a recent study to account for every oil and gas well site in the lower 48 states that was eligible for restoration.  He concludes that the infrastructure investment would produce returns that include crop production, better human health, cleaner air and water, and a more beautiful and ecologically sound landscape.

FUN FACTS

The First Ethanol Subsidy:

• The Energy Policy Act of 1978 was the first federal legislative ethanol subsidy. It allowed for a 40-cent tax exemption per gallon of ethanol, according to Purdue University.
• The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 increased the tax exemption to 50 cents per gallon of ethanol.
• The 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act extended the ethanol subsidy to 2000 but decreased the amount to 54 cents a gallon.
• The 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act of the 21st Century extended the ethanol subsidy through 2007 but reduced it to 51 cents per gallon by 2005.
• Bush's signature on the Jobs Creation Act changed the way the modern ethanol subsidy worked. Instead, it offered a straight tax credit to producers, the legislation allowed for the "blender's credit."
• Taxpayers for Common Sense says taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars over the last 40 years subsidizing the biofuel.

IN THE NEWS

G7 Hits the Climate Notes – There were many issues discussed at the G7 meetings in England, but climate issues was at the top of the list given Biden’s approach versus the Trump Admin. While G7 leaders said 2021 would be a “turning point for our planet,” the goals outlined in its communiqué to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 are not terribly new.  The also weighed in on building/funding new coal plants, saying they will eliminate funding by this year, but that again remains to be seen.  On that front, the group aims to pressure China on its expansive program for investing in carbon-intensive projects through their China’s Belt and Road initiative. They made a fleeting non-reference in the group’s communiqué, with a commitment to prevent “carbon leakage.” EU leaders wanted the group on board with its plans for a carbon border tax, but Japan and the U.S. were hesitant to sign on, according to reporting by our friends at POLITICO.  Here are their takeaways. 

Biden Considers Giving Refiners Relief – Our friends at Reuters scoop that the Biden Administration is weighing measures to offer relief to oil refiners from biofuel blending mandates amid pressure from labor unions and senators, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Delaware Democratic Sens. Chris Coons and Tom Carper have had at least two discussions with EPA Administrator Michael Regan in recent weeks to discuss potential relief options, the sources said, including a national general waiver that would relieve refiners from some obligations, lower fuel blending amounts, a price cap on compliance credits and an emergency declaration, two of the people said.

Plug Power to Build Green Hydrogen Plant in Georgia – Plug Power plans to build a green hydrogen production plant in Camden County, Georgia, to serve customers across the southeastern U.S. The plant will produce 15 tons per day of liquid green hydrogen, produced using 100% renewable energy and intended to fuel transportation applications, including material handling and fuel cell electric vehicle fleets. Plug Power has signed a Purchase Power Agreement with Okefenokee Rural Electric Membership Corporation to source the renewable electricity needed to power the plant. Additionally, the company is entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with Camden County Joint Development Authority for land and local site support. The exact location for the plant and details about construction and job openings will be announced upon finalization later this year. Plug Power is investing $84 million in the facility.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

ANS Holds Annual Meeting – The 2021 American Nuclear Society will holds its Virtual Annual Meeting today to Wednesday. Among the Speakers are NEI Maria Korsnick, X-energy CEO Clay Sell, form DOE Nuclear Office Head Rita Baranwal and NRC Chair Christopher Hanson.

Merkley Headlines Roadmap Conference – The Electrification Coalition is among the sponsors of the Roadmap Conference, the leading electric, shared and smart mobility conference in the U.S. The event will be held virtually today to Wednesday to look at electric vehicle deployment and to advance transportation electrification efforts across the nation.  Sen. Jeff Merkley is among the speakers.

ACORE Finance Forum Set – The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), hosts the ACORE Finance Forum tomorrow and Wednesday where they will examine how the renewable energy transaction landscape will evolve to meet this growing demand. The event brings together experts from across the renewable energy marketplace, including the sector’s largest and most influential investors, developers, utilities, manufacturers, advisors, and buyers to provide you with insights on the next stage of renewable energy finance and investment.

Decarb Connect Set – The Decarb Connect North America Conference will be held tomorrow to Thursday to help identify competitive industrialization business models.   Among the speakers will NREL’s Richard Adams. 

Granholm Heads to Senate Energy – The Senate Energy Committee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on the President's FY2022 Budget Request for DOE.  Secretary Granholm will testify.  The Committee will also hold a markup on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

House Resources Looks at Coal Country – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee holds a hearing on environmental justice for coal country.  The hearing will focus on supporting communities through the energy transition.

WaPo Live Hosts Earle on Oceans – The Washington Post Live holds a virtual discussion tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on climate solutions that focus on keeping our oceans clean and working toward bluer communities around the globe.  Sylvia Earle will speak.

House Ag Looks at Rural Opportunities – The House Agriculture Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. examining opportunities for growth and investment in rural America.

Cardin to Discuss Helsinki Supply Chain Report – Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., the Wilson Center will roll out the publication of a report from The Helsinki Commission, “The Ties That Bind,” that examines these vulnerabilities and suggests a variety of policy solutions, with an emphasis on the rule of law and international cooperation. Wilson Center President & CEO, Ambassador Mark Green will host a public conversation on supply chain security with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chair of the Helsinki Commission. This session will be followed by a discussion of the Helsinki Commission report with the authors and expert analysts who will address threats to U.S. and global supply chains and possible policy responses.  Panelists will discuss the present risks and vulnerabilities as well as the opportunities to secure global supply chains through the rule of law. This event will launch the Wilson Center’s “Critical Supply Chains Initiative”, which brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to answer some of the most pressing questions relating to America’s supply chains.

Forum Looks at Latest Hydrogen Developments – Tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Assn holds a webinar on the latest developments in the hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies from leading industry and governmental officials.  Speakers include Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), DOE’s Sunita Satyapal, Air Liquide Vice President of Hydrogen Andrew Garnett and Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh, among others. 

OEP Forum Look s Clean Energy, Utilities – OurEnergyPolicy holds another forum tomorrow at Noon on utilities achieving a clean energy future.  This conversation will examine how utilities are working to meet these goals and overcome barriers to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future.  Speakers include ConEd’s Tim Cawley and NY LCV’s Julie Tighe. 

Aspen to Discuss Net Zero Report – The Aspen Institute holds a forum tomorrow at Noon to release its “Building Cleaner, Faster” Report.  the Aspen Institute Energy & Environment Program convened a group of policymakers, experts and practitioners to consider solutions to expedite climate action over a series of three roundtable conversations to focus on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is ecologically essential, technologically feasible, economically achievable, but procedurally impossible.  The discussions led to a unanimous conclusion: to truly succeed in decarbonizing the economy, we must take bold action to modernize and reform our environmental review and permitting processes to implement decarbonization projects with the scale, speed, and predictability that confronting the climate crisis requires. This event will feature some of the roundtable participants joined by special guests in discussion of the final report and its implications, including House Energy panel Chair Paul Tonko, Rep. Sean Casten, BPC’s Jason Grumet, former CEQ heads Katie McGinty and Jim Connaughton, former DFERC Chair Colette Honorable and Philadelphia Energy Authority CEO Emily Schapira.

Forum to Look at NordStream – The Hudson Institute holds a virtual discussion tomorrow at Noon on the future of the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Rebeccah Heinrichs and Peter Rough and Senior Analyst at The Polish Institute of International Affairs, Bartosz Bieliszczuk, will discuss the Biden administration’s decision to lift U.S. sanctions connected to the Russian Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and the concerns of U.S. allies across Central Europe and the European Union.

House Resource to Markup Legislation – House Resource will hold a markup of several pieces of national heritage legislation tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

Forum to Look at Transportation Electrification – SAFE, the Electrification Coalition and the Bipartisan Policy Center hold a conversation tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. on a policy agenda to improve our nation’s electric vehicle and transportation infrastructure.  Transportation is shifting from a gasoline and diesel past to an electric future, and commercial goods transport is at the center of an emerging strategic policy agenda. Keynote remarks will be from Rep.  Don Beyer and a panel discussion with Tom Jensen of UPS, Dana’s Ryan Laskey and Tiffany Nida of Amazon.

Forum to Look at Renewable Technologies – The Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) host a webinar tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. that will focus on sustainable technologies beyond wind, solar, and storage.  The event will look at using animal waste to create renewable natural gas utilizing anaerobic digesters, plastic recycling and renewal technologies, and other infrastructure-adjacent carbon reduction projects.  Panelists will provide the perspectives of a developer, an investor, an investment banker, and a major oil & gas company moving into renewable technologies.    

Homeland Security Look at Colonial – The House Homeland Security Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. to look for lessons from the Federal response to the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack.

Forum to Look at Africa Green Deal Opportunities – On Wednesday at 9:15 a.m., the Center for Global Development holds a virtual discussion on achieving a Green Deal for Africa. The panel will explore the perspective, the role and responsibilities of different actors, including the European Union, an African prime Minister, the Practitioners’ Network and its members, on behalf of the development partners, and the youth African activists and entrepreneurs.

Haaland Headed to Senate Approps – The Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday looking at FY2022 budget estimates for the Interior Department.  Secretary Deb Haaland will testify.

Senate Enviro to host EPA Nominees – The Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on the nominations of Jeff Prieto and Jane Toshiko Nishida to be assistant administrators of EPA for GC and EPA’s International affairs office.  They will also host Alejandra Castillo to be assistant Commerce secretary for economic development.

ITIF to Look at WH Supply Chain Reports – On Wednesday at 10:00, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) holds a forum offering an overview and prospects on the White House’s recent reports on Supply Chains. The event will feature an in-depth discussion of the White House report, implications for policy, and potential next steps.

Forum Focuses on EVs – Third Way is holding a webinar on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. to discuss the growing demand for EVs, its workforce, and the enormous economic opportunities. Speakers include Michigan State University expert Lisa Cook and UAW’s Cindy Estrada.

Forum to Look at Cities Climate Program – The ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability USA holds a forum Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. on its Cities Race to Zero (CRTZ).  Cities in the CRTZ pledge to reach zero emissions by 2050 and set an interim 2030 target. They then must plan at least one high-impact action to achieve these commitments, proceed with these actions, and publish their progress. The presentation will introduce this preliminary analysis and preview the renewable energy high-impact action pathway, one of the pathways ICLEI USA is developing for its members in the Race to Zero and ICLEI150.

Forum Looks at LA 100 Renewable Study – New America’s Resource Security Program holds a discussion on Wednesday at Noon about the LA100 study and the path forward for Los Angeles. LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP), asked the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to help them figure out how to achieve 100% renewable. The result was "LA100: The Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study."  Former CEQ official and current LA Chief Sustainability and Economic Development Officer Nancy Sutley and NREL’s Brady Cowiestoll discuss.

Energy Economists Host Hydrogen Expert – The local US Energy Economists will hold their June Lunch Forum on Wednesday at Noon on the transportation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, including its potential regulation. This session will explore the order of magnitude of the facilities involved and the potential paths interstate regulation might take. The speaker is RBN Energy’s Rick Smead.

Forum to Look at Energy Resilience – Axios hosts a forum on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. on energy resilience and the electric grid. The event will spotlight conversations across the public and private sectors around how to drive a sustainable energy transition and meet growing energy needs. Axios Climate and Energy Reporter Andrew Freedman and Energy Reporter Ben Geman will host one-on-one conversations with Sen Martin Heinrich, NYPA’s Gil; Quiniones and GridWise Alliance’s Karen Wayland.

AU Forum to Tackle Climate Change – On Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., four professors from American University's School of International Service (SIS) will discuss the issues of climate change and the roles for ecosystem restoration in climate mitigation and ecosystem resiliency. A Q&A with the audience will follow the discussion.

Washington Oil, Gas Policy Forum Set – US Energy Stream holds IN-PERSON its 6^th Washington Oil & Gas Forum 2021 on Wednesday and Thursday at the Cosmos Club of Washington, DC. The Forum is an annual market intelligence platform that brings together powerful U.S. Congressmen, Senators, government leaders, top energy executives, and investors. The main topic of this year’s Forum is the dual challenge of meeting the world’s oil and gas demand while addressing emissions and climate change.  Speakers include FERC Chair Rich Glick, Sens. Ted Cruz, Bill Cassidy Steve Daines and Roy Blunt as well as Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR of McKinley-Schrader) Scott Peters, Bruce Westerman, Lizzie Fletcher, Mike McCaul, Sheila Jackson Lee, Michael Burgess, John Curtis, Vicente Gonzalez, Kelly Armstrong, Port of Corpus Christi CEO Sean Strawbridge and many more.

Forum to Look at Climate Economics – On Thursday at 9:00 a.m. the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center hold a panel discussion on the role central banks, finance ministries, other government institutions, and the private sector should play in accelerating economic transitions in response to climate change. The panel will feature Jake Levine, the Chief Climate Officer at the US International Development Finance Corporation, Kara Mangone, Global Head of Climate Strategy at Goldman Sachs, and Barbara Matthews, Founder and CEO of BCMstrategy and a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council. The conversation will be moderated by Ryan Heath, Senior Editor of POLITICO.

Forum Looks at Plastic Waste – The Woodrow Wilson Center's China Environment Forum holds a virtual discussion Thursday at 9:00 a.m., on plastic waste in China.  The event will focus on how science fiction reflects reality and can inspire action to solve complex pollution and climate change problems.

FERC OPEN Meeting – Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

Senate Energy Hosts Forest Service on Budget –The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing on Thursday focused on the president's proposed budget request for FY2022 for the U.S. Forest Service.

NPC Virtual Book Event: Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, “Resolved” – Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will discuss his new book “Resolved: United Nations in a Divided World” at a National Press Club Virtual Headliners Book Event at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.  Ki-moon, a South Korean diplomat and former foreign minister, served as the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations from January 2007 to December 2016, a tumultuous period that included the Arab Spring, nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, the Ebola epidemic, and brutal new conflicts in Central Africa. In Resolved, Ki-moon offers a personal account of his decade at the helm of the United Nations, as well as “a candid assessment of the people and events that shape our era, and a bracing analysis of what lies ahead.”

RFF, Urban Institute Look at Enviro Justice – On Thursday at 11:00 a.m., Resources for the Future (RFF) and the Urban Institute hold the third event in Exposure, a six-part webinar series on environmental justice. Who stands to win—or lose—as a result of climate change? The impacts of temperature increases, sea level rise, and extreme weather events often hit low-income neighborhoods and communities of color particularly hard. Government policies can exacerbate these problems because investments in hazard mitigation and the disbursement of disaster aid often disproportionately benefit wealthier households and neighborhoods. This panel will discuss research in this area, grassroots advocacy, and policy challenges and solutions.

ELI Talks Social Cost of Carbon – On Thursday at Noon, the Environmental Law Institute and leading experts hold a forum to explore the key elements of the social cost of carbon.  The event will include discussion of the regulatory stakes; risks, distributional and intergenerational impacts and hoe to incorporate the best possible science. Panelists include Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists, RFF’s Richard Newell and EPA’s Ann Wolverton.

NARUC Series Looks at Renewables, Reliability – The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Center for Partnerships & Innovation’s monthly webinar series continues at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday exploring timely topics in electricity regulation.  This week it is focused on renewables and reliability with NextEra’s Mark Ahlstrom, Xcel’s Drake Bartlett, ERCOT’s Julia Matevosyan and GE Decarbonization Consulting expert Sheila Tandon Manz.

Forum to Look at Climate Price – The Brookings Institution and the International Monetary Fund hold a virtual discussion on Friday at 10:00 a.m. focused on the critical role for International carbon price floors.  The event feature Keynote remarks from IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.  Other speakers include IMF’s Ian Parry, Joseph Aldy of Harvard's Kennedy School, Brookings’ Adele Morris and Stephanie Aaronson.

Rice Forum Looks at Oil Demand, Climate Policy – On Friday at 11:00 a.m., the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies holds a virtual conversation with one of the authors of a recently published paper showing that the world has for many decades, needed produce less oil given the level of economic output.  Christof Rühl of the Harvard Kennedy School will discuss and Mark Finley, fellow in energy and global oil at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies, will lead a moderated discussion with Sarah Emerson, president of ESAI Energy, and Dean Foreman, chief economist of the American Petroleum Institute.

SAFE Expert Headlines Hudson Forum, Report on Defense Supply Chains – The Hudson Institute holds a forum on Friday at Noon to look at the future of America’s defense industrial base.  It will feature Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Arthur Herman and former DOD Undersecretary Ellen Lord and former DOD Acquisitions Asst Sect. and current SAFE executive Dr. Jeffrey Nadaner for a discussion on the erosion of the U.S. defense industrial base and opportunities to restore America’s ability to innovate and manufacture systems vital to national security. Today, the supply chains U.S. armed forces depend on are brittle, and some of the essential components in U.S. military capabilities are produced in China—a key problem given the increasingly adversarial relationship between America and the PRC. A new report by Lord and Nadaner proposes a strategy for the U.S. and its allies to expand their defense and commercial industrial capacity. Join Hudson Institute for this timely discussion.

EESI Looks at Energy Systems – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing on Friday at Noon looking at the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system. Briefing panelists will discuss policy opportunities such as a federal energy efficiency resource standard, state level efforts, and the nexus between buildings, transportation, energy storage, and the grid.

IN THE FUTURE

Reuters Looks at Global Energy Transition – Reuters Events' Global Energy Transition will be held on June 21-25.  The event unites leaders and change makers from across the public and private sectors to shed light on the defining issue of our time and tackle the energy transition head on. The Global Energy Transition will define the future of our energy system, inspire a decade of action and prepare the sector for COP26, with diverse voices from around the word bringing passion, experience and expertise to deliver a new path forward.  Among the speakers are bp’s Bernard Looney, Equinor’s Anders Opedal, Duke’s Lynn Good, Southern Gas’ Kim Greene and many more.

Forum Look s at Zero-Carb Buildings – On Tuesday June 22^nd at 9:00 a.m., WRI launches its Zero Carbon Building Accelerator (ZCBA) in a webinar. Global thought leaders will speak about the urgent challenges inherent in building sector decarbonization and what kind of business and planning models can help us overcome these challenges.

Report: Uncertain Energy Future – Next Tuesday June 22^nd, the Baker Energy Institute at Rice University hosts Equinor’s Eirik Wærness, to discuss the recently released Energy Perspectives report, which presents three distinct scenarios for future energy demand. The three scenarios — reform, rebalance and rivalry — reveal a wide set of possible outcomes driven by a variety of factors, ranging from economic growth and technological development to climate policy and geopolitics.

Forum to Look at Critical Minerals – ConservAmerica holds a webinar on Wednesday June 23^rd at 10:00 a.m. to explore the threats and challenges created by our reliance on foreign imports of critical minerals, our capacity to develop these resources domestically, and the policy changes needed to make that happen. Speakers will include Rep. Pete Stauber, National Mining Assn CEO Rich Nolan, Tristan Abbey of Comarus Analytics and PolyMet CEO Jon Cherry.  Our friend Abby Smith of the Washington Examiner moderates.

Forum to Look at Coastal Resilience, Climate – On Wednesday June 23^rd at 10:00 a.m., the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program and Island Press hold a roundtable discussion on coastal city resilience and the launch of a new book, A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: United Design, Economics, and Policy. The event will bring together some of the best thinkers and practitioners engaged in building resilient coastal cities both at home and abroad. The conversation will engage the virtual audience and focus on successful approaches to develop comprehensive climate adaptation actions in coastal cities and to direct financial resources to safeguard people, their livelihoods, and to build a more resilient future.

AEE To Look at EVs, Offshore Wind – Advanced Energy Economy holds a webinar on Wednesday June 23^rd at 1:00 p.m. looking at state legislatures and EV and offshore wind issues.  In this webinar, a panel of AEE and company experts will discuss the legislative focus on issues involving equity in environmental impact and employment, supporting (and taxing) electric vehicles, and launching offshore wind as a new U.S. industry.

WCEE to Chat with Author Highlighting Energy’s Women Leaders – On Wednesday June 23^rd at 6:00 p.m., the Women’s Council for Energy and the Environment hosts its virtual Author Spotlight featuring author Steve Mitnick to discuss two of his recent book projects: “Lewis Latimer, The First Hidden Figure” and “Women Leading Utilities.” His book on Lewis Latimer shines light on a founding father of the utility industry, forgotten due to his race, and is available for download thanks to the book’s generous sponsors.

USEA Looks at De-risking Renewables – The US Energy Assn hold a forum on Thursday June 24^th at 6:30 a.m. on the underlying risks that investors and lenders usually review and that can cause a project to fail if not addressed properly. The webinar will demonstrate how risks and the perception of these risks will affect the “bankability” of projects, increasing financing costs.  The webinar will also provide a brief introduction to risk mitigation instruments, which will be covered in more detail during the other webinars in the series. This webinar is rooted in experiences on the ground and will provide multiple examples and short case studies that will bring these otherwise abstract risk concepts to life. It is open to all for registered participation.

Chamber to Address Critical Minerals – The US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute continues its EnergyInnovates Series on Thursday July 24^th at 11:00 a.m. with an in-depth discussion on critical minerals.  This discussion will examine the need for policies to address end-to-end supply chain concerns in order to facilitate continued energy innovation and emissions reductions across the economy.

WCEE Forum Looks at Equity in Clean Energy – The Women’s Council for Energy and the Environment hosts a forum on Thursday June 24^th at Noon focused on concerns about equitable access to resources and equity impacts of new policies. Speaker include DOE EERE’s Kara Podkaminer and Anne Canavati of the Energy Futures Initiative.

ITIF to Look at US Manufacturing, Low Carbon Economy – On Thursday June 24^th at 12:00 p.m., the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) holds a forum and discussion on a new report, in partnership with Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation, outlining policy recommendations to integrate the U.S. manufacturing innovation and competitiveness agenda with emerging national climate policies.

Dabbar to Join ClearPath Forum on Fusion – On Thursday June 24^th at 4:00 p.m., ClearPath hosts a forum with Paul Dabbar, DOE’s former undersecretary for science featuring a conversation on how to mobilize investments on nuclear fusion. 

Forum to Look at Public Power – On Monday, June 28^th at 4:00 p.m., the Center on Global Energy Policy holds its fourth episode of Columbia Energy Straight Talk, a discussion series hosted by former DOE official David Hill and former FERC Chair Cheryl LaFleur. The hosts will discuss the role of public power entities and hydroelectricity in bringing about America's energy future. For this discussion, Cheryl and David will welcome Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Steve Wright, General Manager of the Chelan County, WA Public Utility District, and former Administrator of the Federal Bonneville Power Administration.

Transmission Conference Set – Global Transmission is organizing a two-day virtual conference on Transmission Infrastructure Investment on July 28-29^th.  The mission of the conference is to explore the issues that impact transmission investment and discuss how to finance the needed infrastructure. The conference will bring together policymakers, regulators, utilities, investors and technology providers to discuss what’s needed to build a decarbonized, resilient and modern electricity grid in the US.  Our friends Eric Thumma of Avangrid and Neil Kirby of GE are among the speakers.