Energy Update: Week of June 7

Energy Update - June 07, 2021

Friends,               

I start with sad news today as our friend and energy media expert Pat McMurray passed away last week.  Pat was a strong voice on energy issues for years, as an avid contributor to my energy knowledge and mostly, by volunteering time with the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) and the US Association of Energy Economics.  She will be missed.  We also remember former President of Shell Oil Company and leader of Citizens for Affordable Energy John Hofmeister, who also passed away last week.

President Biden heads out on his first overseas trip later in the week. Before he launches, the White House is expected to release tomorrow morning the four 100-day reports called for in the EO on Americas Supply Chains, including the report on the advanced battery supply chain authored by DOE, and a report on the supply chain for critical minerals.  These reports are expected to make recommendations for improving the security, diversity and resilience of our supply chains.  Of course, we are have great resources, background and comments on the supply chain issues and are ready to provide them for you.

Lots of Approps action on Capitol Hill even though the House is out.  The Senate returns today with the biggest focus being tomorrow’s Homeland Security hearing on Colonial Pipeline.  Also Senate Energy looks at more energy nominations tomorrow including the top spot at Interior’s BLM and DOE’s GC, while the Senate Environment Committee discusses PFAS issues on Wednesday.  Finally, on Friday, the House Select Climate Committee hears from mayors on climate resilience.

Other big events this week include ACP’s CLEANPOWER 2021, the renewable energy industry’s premier event that will hear from Gina McCarthy, Senate Leader Schumer, FERC Chair Rich Click and many more.  Also, NEI holds its annual Nuclear Energy Assembly this week with Granholm on tap for tomorrow.  Finally, on Thursday, the Rainey Center holds a Fireside Chat on the future of conservative climate policy with Rep. John Curtis (R-UT).  Our friends Dean Scott of Bloomberg and Rainey CEO Sarah Hunt join Curtis.

FINALLY, I was a BIG winner on Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, the final jewel of the Triple Crown.  If you paid attention to my picks in last week’s update, you would have noticed this quote: “my early thinking is a 4-2-3 Box with wheels on 7, 1, 6 to mix it up.”   Well, it turns out that paid pretty well as Essential Quality (2) came from behind to win the 153rd  Belmont Stakes by edging out Hot Rod Charlie (4) down the stretch. Preakness Winner Rombauer (3) and Known Agenda (6) rounded out the box which = $$$$ for your Update host.

I’m using the money to pay for most youngest Olivia’s graduation party!!!  OMG, she graduates from HS tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., so I’ll try not to take any calls on the Supply Chain reports tomorrow morning!!!   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

“All I’m saying is I don’t think our founding fathers anticipated the survival of this democratic experiment to rest in the hands of a man who lives in a house boat.”

Jenna Valle-Riestra Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) new press secretary on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who took a shot at Sen. Manchin on Twitter on Sunday. The target wasn’t hard to discern: Manchin lives on a houseboat, Almost Heaven when in D.C.

Smart….Let’s see if she still has her job next week

ON THE PODCAST

Columbia Podcast Talks with Gina McCarthy on Biden Climate Agenda –  Continuing with conversations from the Center on Global Energy Policy’s recent annual Global Energy Summit, in the latest edition of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Jason Bordoff is joined by Gina McCarthy, National Climate Advisor at the White House to discuss the Biden Administration’s climate agenda.  Jason and Gina talk through the Biden administration’s nationally determined contribution (NDC), the measures the Administration will prioritize to deliver those results, whether it can secure bipartisan support for related infrastructure investments, and how Washington will encourage large-scale deployment of zero-carbon energy and cushion the impact on workers in legacy industries. 

FUN OPINIONS

Manchin Weighs in on Voting Rights – While we don’t often include non-energy-related items, Sen. Joe Manchin’s recent opinion piece in the Charleston Gazette-Mail is a sign he intends not to buckle to pressure on pushing forward on pieces of the Democrats’ agenda he doesn’t agree with.  His take become especially relevant on issues related to climate and Infrastructure.  As he is likely to do on energy/climate/infrastructure issues, Manchin argues the “process can be frustrating and slow. It will force compromises that are not always ideal. But consider the alternative. Do we really want to live in an America where one party can dictate and demand everything and anything it wants, whenever it wants? I have always said, ‘If I can’t go home and explain it, I can’t vote for it.’ And I cannot explain strictly partisan election reform or blowing up the Senate rules to expedite one party’s agenda.”

FROG BLOG

Gas Ban Policies are Bad for Future – In an op-ed in Utility Dive, Dave Schryver, President and CEO of the American Public Gas Association said proponents of gas bans consistently overlook the flaws of their proposals, including the most important reality: the U.S. electric grid cannot meet the energy demands of every American household through renewable energy alone — as we saw when outages in Texas left millions without power and, in cases where residents lacked natural gas access in their homes, without heat. Shortsighted proposals that force total electrification on Americans fail to recognize the essential role natural gas plays in providing efficient, low-emission energy. Gas ban policy proposals also fail to take advantage of the remarkable efficiency of the direct use of natural gas in the home. When used directly for cooking, clothes drying and home and water heating, natural gas has a source-to-site efficiency of 92% — meaning nearly all of the energy contained in the original gas is utilized in appliances. However, when natural gas-fired power plants generate electricity for these same appliances, the efficiency is only 37%.

FUN FACTS

Hydrogen Time:  Carper’s ride in the Mirai on Friday got us thinking about hydrogen facts. 

  • More than 30 public retail hydrogen fueling stations are online in California, with plans to install 100. There are also several stations ready to open up in the Northeast.
  • Hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth
  • A vehicle can travel 300-400 miles on a tank of hydrogen fuel
  • A tank of hydrogen can be refueled in 3-5 minutes.

Air Liquide CEO Mike Graff heading out for a ride In the Toyota Mirai with Senate Environment Committee Chair Tom Carper Friday at Air Liquide’s Innovation Center Delaware.

 

IN THE NEWS

Carper Discusses Drives Hydrogen Car at Air Liquide Facility – Air Liquide welcomed U.S. Senator Tom Carper on Friday to its Innovation Campus Delaware, home to more than 250 research and engineer professionals. Air Liquide employs more than 20,000 U.S. employees. Senate Environment Chairman Carper toured the innovation facility showcasing Air Liquide’s commitment to advancing innovation, before delivering remarks announcing that his legislation, the Clean Hydrogen Production Act, passed the Senate Finance Committee.  To conclude the hydrogen centric event, the Senator and Mike Graff, Chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings Inc., participated in a ride and drive of the Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai.  The Innovation Campus Delaware, a state-of-the-art facility and the anchor of Air Liquide’s research and development activities in the U.S., was inaugurated in 2007. Since its inception, hydrogen has been a key research focus, including the study and optimization of electrolysis, the development of safety protocols for hydrogen refueling of boats and other vehicles, and the development of a membrane technology capable of upgrading biogas for renewable hydrogen production. The facility’s research serves as the catalyst for Air Liquide to continue creating transformative low-carbon fuels and leveraging sustainable technologies and innovations to transition to a clean energy economy.

DOE Earthshots Initiative to Start w Hydrogen, Reach Net-Zero Economy – Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm today launched the DOE’s Energy Earthshots Initiative, to accelerate breakthroughs of more abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy solutions within the decade. The first Energy Earthshot—Hydrogen Shot—seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per kilogram in one decade. Achieving these targets will help America tackle the climate crisis, and more quickly reach the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating good-paying, union jobs and growing the economy.  First up: Hydrogen Shot, which sets an ambitious yet achievable cost target to accelerate innovations and spur demand of clean hydrogen. Clean hydrogen is a game changer. It will help decarbonize high-polluting heavy-duty and industrial sectors, while delivering good-paying clean energy jobs and realizing a net-zero economy by 2050. The Hydrogen Shot establishes a framework and foundation for clean hydrogen deployment in the American Jobs Plan, which includes support for demonstration projects. Industries are beginning to implement clean hydrogen to reduce emissions, but there are still many hurdles to deploying it at scale. Currently, hydrogen from renewable energy costs about $5 per kilogram. By achieving Hydrogen Shot’s 80% cost reduction goal, we can unlock a five-fold increase in demand by increasing clean hydrogen production from pathways such as renewables, nuclear, and thermal conversion.

Advanced Nuclear Reactor to be Built at Former WY Coal Plant – A Bill Gates’ company plans to build a 345MW advanced nuclear reactor on the site of a retiring coal plant. Energy incubator TerraPower founded by Gates will build the plant with Wyoming, DOE and Buffett-owned utility PacifiCorp. The project, which marks only the second advanced reactor planned for the United States, will be funded in part by DOE and the state of Wyoming.  Advanced reactors are seen as critical to the future of the U.S. nuclear power industry since they are expected to be smaller, more efficient and safer than existing nuclear projects. California will retire its last nuclear plant in 2025 when Diablo Canyon closes and the Indian Point nuclear facility in New York was shuttered in April. Plants in New Jersey on the cusp of retirement were bailed out in 2019 by the state, with New Jersey regulators approving another $300 million to support the units in April.

ACP Report: Clean Energy Boom to Create Quality American Jobs – America’s decarbonization has the potential to create 500,000 – 600,000 new jobs for American workers across the solar, wind, and battery storage technologies by 2030, according to the new 2021 Clean Energy Labor Supply report, prepared by BW Research Partnership and released today by the American Clean Power Association (ACP) on the first day of the CLEANPOWER 2021 Virtual Summit. The reports finds that higher-than-average pay and significant union coverage are key aspects of the clean energy employment future over the next decade. According to the report, reaching 50-70% renewable energy generation by 2030 would create 500,000 – 600,000 jobs across the solar, wind, and battery storage industries. The manufacturing, professional service, and construction sectors would see the majority of employment growth, with manufacturing accounting for 38% of job-years, professional services representing 25 percent, and construction at 21%. In particular, wind turbine technicians, solar photovoltaic installers, semiconductor processing technicians, metal fabricators, and electricians will be in high demand to produce and install the renewable energy and storage capacities required. These jobs will be spread across the country, in red states and blue states, offering many American workers above-average wages. There are already more than 415,000 Americans across all 50 states that proudly make up the wind, solar, and energy storage workforce. These careers are some of the fastest growing occupations in the country–wind technicians are the country’s #1 fastest growing role, and solar installers are #3.

FERC Data: Wind, Solar Rolling – According to a review of FERC data by our friends at the SUN DAY Campaign, wind and solar resources provided nearly all (93.84%) of the new electrical generating capacity added in the U.S. during the first four months of 2021. FERC's latest monthly "Energy Infrastructure Update" report (with data through April 30, 2021) reveals that 18 "units" of new wind (3,802-MW) and 131 units of new utility-scale solar (2,702-MW) accounted for most of the capacity added during the first third of this year. Natural gas provided 402-MW, hydropower added 14-MW, oil provided 6-MW, and biomass added 5-MW. All but 1-MW of the new utility-scale capacity reported for the month of April was from wind (659-MW) and solar (147-MW). Utility-scale renewable energy facilities collectively now account for 24.77% of the nation’s total available installed generating capacity [1] and continue to expand their lead over coal (19.28%), nuclear power (8.21%), and oil (3.14%). The generating capacity of just wind is now more than a tenth (10.24%) of the nation's total while wind and solar combined account for 14.96% … and that does not include distributed (e.g., rooftop) solar. [2]  

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

NEI Holds Nuclear Conference – NEI holds its annual Nuclear Energy Assembly this week  The event is the nuclear energy industry’s leading event for dialogue about the future of energy and climate policy, building connections and convening industry decision makers.  Granholm speaks tomorrow.

McCarthy, Kerry to Headline CLEANPOWER Forum – The CLEANPOWER 2021 Forum will be held next week today to Thursday.   CLEANPOWER 2021 is the renewable energy industry’s premier event, bringing together policy leaders, industry experts, and major players together for a week of learning, networking, and innovation.  Speakers will include Gina McCarthy, John Kerry, FERC Chair Rich Glick, Sen. Leader Schumer and Sen. Joni Ernst will all speak. 

Senate Energy to Discuss More Nominees – The Senate Energy Committee will hold a nomination hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to consider the nominations of several energy appointees.  The hearing will consider the nominations of Tracy Stone-Manning to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management; Shalanda Baker to be Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact, Department of Energy; Sam Walsh to be DOE General Counsel and Andrew Light to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs.

POLITICO to Look at Waste, Recycling – Tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., POLITICO hosts a high-level conversation on what it will take to build both a circular economy and a low-carbon future. We will also explore the roles of the private sector and government in building infrastructure for the circular economy. The virtual program will feature an executive conversation between POLITICO Vice President and General Manager Cally Baute and Tetra Pak Sustainability Manager for U.S. & Canada Jordan Fengel.

RFF Forum to Feature Energy Outlook – Tomorrow at Noon, Resources for the Future (RFF) holds a webinar on its “The Global Energy Outlook: Pathways from Paris.” This webinar will coincide with the release of the 2021 Global Energy Outlook—RFF’s annual report that synthesizes global energy market projections and analysis from leading energy organizations, academics, and corporations—and an accompanying interactive web tool. The only such report of its kind, RFF’s 2021 Global Energy Outlook harmonizes analyses from other organizations to allow for a clear understanding and easy comparison of potential future energy markets, climate trajectories, and policy options at global, regional, and national levels.  The event, part of our RFF Live series, will feature an in-depth panel discussion on some of the potential long-term outlooks for energy markets and the global energy system.

Panel to Discuss Decarbonizing Electric Sector – Tomorrow at Noon, the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory holds a symposium on steps to decarbonizing the electric sector. This webinar will explore solutions to affordably, rapidly and reliably decarbonize the electricity sector and discuss necessary steps to develop an informed plan for reaching decarbonization goals, including detailed power system modelling. Experts will also talk through some of the generation solutions necessary to create a customized, diverse mix of technologies by market, including solutions like battery storage for short-term system needs and renewable fuels such as hydrogen to long-term seasonal storage. Panelists include two friends: Holy Cross Energy CEO Bryan Hannegan and Tri-State Generation CEO Duane Highley.  Wärtsilä’s Jussi Heikkinen joins them. 

Homeland Security to Look Security, Climate Risks – The House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness & Communications holds a hearing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on examining climate change: a threat to the homeland. Witnesses include Bill Nye (The Science Guy), Curtis Brown of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, CFR’s Alice Hill and Pamela Williams of the BuildStrong Coalition.

Forum to Look at Climate Bank – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on how a national climate bank could deploy capital at scale to advance climate change solutions. This briefing will explore the climate mitigation and adaptation benefits that would be unlocked by a national climate bank, building upon the experiences of successful green banks across the country. Panelists will discuss how these investments would also create jobs and make climate solutions more affordable, accessible, and equitable.

House Resources to Look at DDT Issues in California – The House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife hold a hearing tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. on DDT dumping off the Southern California Coast.  The hearing will focus on ecological impacts, scientific needs and next steps.

EEI Net-Zero Forum Set – The Edison Electric Institute holds a Net-Zero Forum tomorrow to Thursday to bring together the nation's foremost thought leaders, industry executives, and policymakers for two days of conversation around the transition to clean energy and the road to net zero carbon emissions. Join us for key insights into what this pivotal moment of change means for the electric industry and its customers.  The virtual conference will include Keynotes and breakout sessions focused on broad trends and specialized topics to give a glimpse of where the industry is headed.  Speakers include Senate Energy Chair Joe Manchin, AEP CEO Nick Atkins, DTE CEO Gerry Anderson, Midwest ISO CEO John Bear and SPP head Barbara Sugg, among others. 

Colonial Head to Visit House Homeland Security – The House Homeland Security Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. looking into the ransomware attack that shut down the pipeline for several days and prompted fuel shortages all along the East Coast.  Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount will testify.

Senate Enviro Looks at PFAS – The Senate Environment Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. looking at PFAS and a view from affected citizens and states.

FP Holds Supply Chain Event – On Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., Foreign Policy, with support from BlackSky, will convene a panel of leading experts from the national security, intel, and trade communities to take a critical look at the new frontier of global monitoring and risk management. The event will spotlight emerging threats and persistent vulnerabilities across the global supply chain and explore new tools and technologies that industry leaders hope will strengthen supply chain resilience.

Forum to Look at Decarb, Real Estate – On Wednesday, Dynamo Energy holds a forum on the role of real estate in the energy transition and decarbonization of buildings. The event will feature a conversation with Sara Neff, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Kilroy Realty and Stephanie Greene, Senior Principal and Program Lead for Carbon-Free Buildings at Rocky Mountain Institute.

Forum to Look at AZ Clean Energy Example – In webinar on Wednesday at 1:15 p.m., LightWorks at Arizona State University and the Security and Sustainability Forum convene Arizona economic development, utility managers, and municipal leaders who highly prize their sustainability commitments to discuss how supportive renewable policy in Arizona can be a driver of local economic vitality. Speakers include Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, our friend Kelly Barr of the Salt River Project and several others. 

BCSE Forum Looks at EJ – On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Clean Energy Business Network host the seventh installment of the Powering Forward webinar series, with this episode in partnership with the Grove Climate Group.  This version will look at environmental justice issues in the energy and climate discourse at the local, state, and federal level.  From a clean energy perspective, there is a growing discussion regarding how to best understand, acknowledge, and address the wide-ranging societal dimensions of the clean energy transition -- with EJ issues in mind.

Curtis to Talk Climate – On Thursday at 11:00 a.m. EST, the Rainey Center holds a Fireside Chat on the future of conservative climate policy with Rep. John Curtis (R-UT).  Curtis will be joined by Rainey Center CEO Sarah Hunt and moderator Senior Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg Environment Dean Scott

USEA to Host Grid Forum – On Thursday at 11:00 a.m., the US Energy Assn holds the third in the series of Grid Modernization webinars hosted with USAID's Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI). In this webinar, speakers will review the design objectives of the substation protection, control, and monitoring system and how the benefits of modern microprocessor-based devices contributed to Equatorial Energia's success as an industry leader. Equatorial Energia is a holding company investing in the Brazilian electric energy sector, with business in distribution, transmission, generation, and services segments, serving approximately 20 million people.

SEJ to Look at Investigative Reporting – On Thursday at 1:30 p.m., the Society of Environmental Journalists will hold a forum to hear from leading reporters whose powerful investigations have increased transparency about extractive industries in the Americas. The event features examples of investigations into logging, mining, and fishing and walk away with tips for staying safe while staying true to the story.  Speakers include E&E News reporter Sara Schonhardt, the Boston Globe’s David Abel, Gustavo Faleiros of Rainforest Investigations Network and Karla Mendes of Mongabay.

WCEE Hosts LA Sustainability Officer – On Thursday at 2:00 p.m., the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) holds a conversation between WCEE President Barbara Tyran and the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles, Lauren Faber O'Connor.  Lauren is responsible for driving the implementation of LA’s Green New Deal, a global model for local action to confront the climate crisis. She also works to build collaboration at the international level through C40, a network of 97 of the world's megacities chaired by Mayor Garcetti, and at the national level through Climate Mayors, an organization co-founded by Mayor Garcetti to demonstrate US leadership on climate change issues.

Forum to Look at Climate, Credit –The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies holds a forum on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. featuring Matt Burke, Bennett Institute for Public Policy and University of East Anglia.  Bennett will look at the gap between climate science and real-world financial indicators, to try and simulate the effect of climate change on sovereign credit ratings for 108 countries, creating the world's first climate-adjusted sovereign credit rating.

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. Panelists will discuss what is needed to modernize the transmission network, including developing transmission infrastructure for offshore wind and increasing cooperation between states. The briefing will also cover how the transmission network can be constructed and maintained to maximize ecosystem conservation, respect Tribal lands, and increase the resilience of neighboring communities.

House Climate Committee Looks at Resilience – The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hearing at 12:30 p.m. on Friday featuring mayors of cities on the front lines of the climate crisis.  The hearing will focus on how the federal government can help reduce climate disaster risks in neighborhoods across America, while fostering innovation and community leadership. The hearing will also focus on how to expand access to the tools and resources needed to manage climate risks at the local level, with an eye on environmental justice and ensuring no community is left behind.

Forum to Release Climate Report – On Friday at 1:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center launches a new report “Shifting Gears: Geopolitics of the Global Energy Transition,” by Robert Johnston, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center Senior Fellow and Managing Director for Energy, Climate, and Resource at the Eurasia Group. Shifting Gears examines major geopolitical questions related to the prospect of a peak in oil demand that include the likely redistribution of oil market share between major producers; the potential for failed states or material internal political instability in major oil-producing countries; and the geopolitical impact of peak demand on major oil-consuming nations. The report launch will feature a panel discussion on the key takeaways from the report and a robust discussion of how to mitigate some of the geopolitical risks from peak demand while still rapidly decarbonizing the global economy to meet net-zero goals.  Panelists include OECD’s Håvard Hall and Amy Myers Jaffe of the Tufts’ Fletcher School.

IN THE FUTURE

Brookings to Look at Africa Green Transition – Next Monday June 14th at 9:00 a.m., the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative and the United Nations University’s Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) will co-host the launch of two key publications: the discussion paper “Bridges of Opportunity: Partnering for Africa–Europe Green Development” and the briefing note “Building Forward Better Towards Africa’s Green Transformation: Prospects for Africa-Europe Collaboration.” The discussion will feature prominent experts and policymakers to explore the challenges of pursuing a green transition for Africa and opportunities to encourage such a transition under a strengthened African-European partnership. Panelists will offer insights on regional trends and provide recommendations highlighted in the reports for national governments, regional organizations, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and civil society actors as the continent tackles climate change.

ANS Holds Annual Meeting – The 2021 American Nuclear Society will holds its Virtual Annual Meeting on June 14-16. 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 June 14-16 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 on June 15th and 16th 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 on June 15th to 17th to help identify competitive industrialization business models.   Among the speakers will NREL’s Richard Adams. 

Washington Oil, Gas Policy Forum Set – US Energy Stream holds IN-PERSON its 6th Washington Oil & Gas Forum 2021 on June 16 & 17 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.

FERC OPEN Meeting – June 17th at 10:00 a.m.

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, June 17th.  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 June 17th 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.

EESI Looks at Energy Systems – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing on Friday June 18th 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.

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 to Look at Public Power – On Monday, June 28th 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 28-29th.  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