Energy Update: Week of March 2

Friends,

I know tomorrow is Super Tuesday but stop presses and the politics!!!!  I just got some shocking, crazy news just last night…  CERA Week (next week) is CANCELLED. This is like cancelling the Energy industry’s Super Bowl, but not that unexpected given the wide breadth of folks and international delegates/leaders that attend.  See the note explaining the decision. 

After last week’s announcement, Senate Energy legislation is set to start to move as soon as tomorrow.  To that end, the legislation’s outside supporters (ClearPath, Chamber, AGA, NAHB, AHRI, etc) will hold a press briefing TODAY at 11:30 a.m. (RIGHT NOW) featuring Chamber GEI’s Marty Durbin, C2ES President Bob Perciasepe, ClearPath’s Rich Powell and several others.  Call in number is: (877) 746-4263  Access Code: 2311488# 

Speaking of the Energy bill, for those of you watching HFCs, Senator Kennedy (R-LA) is apparently on the cusp of having his bipartisan HFC phase down bill (S. 2754) added to the big energy bill on tap for this week.  Since he has the support of both Sens. Murkowski (R-AK) and Manchin (D-WV), seems the odds might be pretty good for this pro-industry, pro-jobs, pro-environment bill.  Contact me or our friends at AHRI for information.

There are a bunch of budget hearings topped by Energy Secretary Brouillette at Senate Energy and Senate Approps, while EPA Administrator Wheeler heads to House Interior/Energy Approps and Senate Approps hosts Interior Secretary Bernhardt.  House E&C’s Energy panel looks at nuclear’s role in decarbonization tomorrow while Wednesday, the Committee’s Environment panel looks at Plastic recycling and pollution and Senate Energy Hosts IEA’s Fatih Birol on Thursday.

Of course, last week, CEQ held its second NEPA hearing.  This week, BPC who testified at the hearing at Interior in favor of reforms, will hold an event to discuss the changes to NEPA at BPC.  The Chamber’s with Marty Durbin will be among the panelists.  Other events include the Global CCS Institute’s 9^th annual DC Forum tomorrow featuring ClearPath’s Rich Powell, the 2020 ACORE Policy Forum is set for Wednesday at Convene with Garrett Graves and FERC Commissioner Rick Glick, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, LNG Allies and the Global Energy Institute hold an LNG forum on Thursday at the US Chamber of Commerce with Energy Sect Brouillette.  Finally, RFF hosts former Energy Secretary Moniz on Wednesday and holds a discussion Thursday on EIA’s recently released 2020 Annual Energy Outlook. 

Keeping with my New Orleans reports, rural Co-ops head to the Big Easy as NRECA holds its annual conference through Wednesday.  The fun start over the weekend, but it is clear that it will be a bit quieter than it was last week.  Speakers include USDA biofuels lobbyist Steve Censky, CEO Jim Matheson and Roanoke Co-op CEO Curtis Wynn (who has been a leading advocate community solar for co-ops).  And Wynonna Judd & The Big Noise will provide entertainment tomorrow night.

Finally, two great NPR hits this week that I would recommend.  On Friday, MIT’s Jeremy Gregory was on Science Friday to discuss researchers’ work to make concrete more sustainable by using ingredients that would actually trap carbon inside the material.  Then on NPR’s Climate One program (which posted Friday and ran Sunday), my colleague Scott Segal and former Chevron attorney Ted Boultrous discuss whether corporations should be held liable for harmful outcomes like the opioid crisis and climate change.

That’s all for today, call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“This bill is our best chance to modernize our nation’s energy policies in more than 12 years. By working together to pass it into law, we can promote a range of emerging technologies that will help keep energy affordable even as it becomes cleaner and cleaner. Our bill also addresses national needs by taking overdue steps to enhance our cybersecurity, grid security, and mineral security. I’m proud of the bipartisan work we have done and encourage all members of the Senate to work with us to advance it through the legislative process.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

“This legislation is the result of strong bipartisan work with my colleagues on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to make a down payment on emissions-reducing technologies, reassert the United States’ leadership role in global markets, enhance our grid security, and protect consumers. Importantly, this bill will connect energy-producing communities, including in states like West Virginia and Alaska, to new markets and job opportunities while laying the groundwork for the Department of Energy to advance new and necessary critical emissions-reducing technologies.”

Sen. Joe Manchin

ON THE PODCAST

Nevada Political Expert Discusses Results – The latest PRG Pulse episode of Bracewell’s Lobby Shop features Jon Ralston, editor of The Nevada Independent and one of the moderators at last week's democratic debate. Our experts check in with Jon about the debate, how he's analyzing the results of the Nevada caucuses, and what he believes we've learned about the future of the presidential race with Super Tuesday approaching tomorrow.  The episode is live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play Music

Jacobson, Zindler Join Columbia Energy Podcast – In this edition of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Bill Loveless is joined by Ethan Zindler, head of Americas for the research service BNEF, and Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, a coalition of companies and trade associations from the energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy sectors.  The topic is the 8^th edition of the “Sustainable Energy in America Factbook,” which the two organizations publish each year. This latest report chronicles the transformation in energy taking place in the U.S. not only for the year 2019 but also for the last 10 years. It’s full of details regarding the improving energy productivity of the U.S., the increasing competitiveness of renewable energy, the impact of record U.S. gas production on electric power supplies, and the often-overlooked advantages of energy efficiency.  Bill talked with Ethan and Lisa about these developments, and what may lie in store over the next decade or so for gas, renewable energy and energy efficiency, including how sustainable commitments to gas will be given growing concerns over carbon emissions from that fuel.

FUN OPINIONS

Op-Ed: NatGas Has Led to Emissions Reductions – In an op-ed in the Washington Examiner, Dallas-based policy expert Merrill Matthews reminds that increased natural gas consumption helped bring down U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 according to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.  He adds that the public can credit much of this success to the fracking boom, which has made natural gas much more plentiful. Cheap, abundant natural gas has gradually been displacing coal, which emits about twice as much carbon dioxide. A recent Rhodium Group study found that coal-fired power generation dropped by 18% last year, the lowest level since 1975.

FROG BLOG

Forbes: Column Looks at Coal Plant Retirements – A new report in Forbes focuses on Coal plant retirements and looks at whether they will slow over the next few years.  Contributing energy expert Judd Clemente says IEA realizes widespread CCS as a requirement to lower greenhouse gas emissions enough to meet environmental objectives. Thus, environmental groups against CCS are simply against full progress on climate change. I must mention here that they have also become illogically anti-natural gas, the energy source cited by the International Energy Agency as to why the U.S. is cutting CO2 emissions faster than any country in “energy history.” Indeed, the “only wind, only solar” mantra is dangerously naive.

IN THE NEWS

State of Utility Report Released – The 7^th annual Utility Dive State of the Electric Utility Report says renewables and sustainability are top priorities for utilities, but there is room for improvement on cybersecurity, climate resilience and more.  The annual report analyzes responses from over 550 utility and energy retailer professionals around the world across a wide range of issues.  The result is a detailed snapshot of where the sector is today, including priorities and concerns, as well as where it's headed.

STUDY: Fracking Ban Costs Jobs – A new report from the American Petroleum Institute says banning fracking and federal oil and gas leasing could trigger a U.S. recession, leading to a $1.2 trillion reduction in GDP and 7.5 million lost jobs by 2022.  Swing states Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas — all hotbeds for natural gas production, along with Florida would be among the states with the highest job losses, underscoring the political risk of proposals by Democratic presidential candidates to ban fracking and fossil fuel leases on public lands. Those four states, plus California, would lose 3.6 million jobs combined by 2022.  The analysis projects an increase of $618 per year on average in household energy costs, including gasoline, residential natural gas for heating, electricity, and heating oil. Average gasoline prices would be 15% higher, while electricity prices average 20% more per family, per year. Under the fracking and federal leasing bans, the U.S. would import 21% of its total energy by 2030. It would import more than 40% of its oil and petroleum products by that year, including motor gasoline and jet fuel, and nearly 30% of its natural gas.

Murkowski, Manchin Introduce Key Energy Legislation – After a full year of hearings, business meetings, and bipartisan negotiations, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin released the text of their energy innovation package.  The American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA) will modernize domestic energy laws to ensure the United States remains a global energy leader while also strengthening national security, increasing our international competitiveness, and investing in clean energy technologies. The key provisions in the AEIA focus on energy efficiency; renewable energy; energy storage; carbon capture, utilization, and storage; advanced nuclear; industrial and vehicle technologies; the Department of Energy; mineral security, cyber and grid security and modernization; and workforce development.

SUMMARY: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=files.serve&File_id=4BC53A6A-C275-44DE-9BB5-D973702F8F93

SECTION BY SECTION: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=files.serve&File_id=CC266AB2-6E09-4BEE-88E2-BCFC5C87EBF6

FULL TEXT: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=files.serve&File_id=09AF16B7-1920-4C22-96E2-26039A24B55D

Provisions of the Legislation -- Key provisions from the American Energy Innovation Act include:

Advanced nuclear

• Establishes an advanced nuclear research, development, and demonstration moonshot focused on bringing two new American reactor concepts to the commercial marketplace by 2025 and another cutting-edge design by 2035. This focus on demonstrations is essential for our national security as China now has 48 operating reactors, and is currently constructing 10 new reactors. 
• Advances efforts to develop a domestic source of new nuclear fuels, including High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU), needed to power the next generation of American advanced nuclear technologies. 
• Supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor program, a research capability currently only present in Russia, which is needed to accelerate the development of new materials and fuels for advanced reactors.

Energy storage

• Establishes a grid-scale energy storage technology R&D grand challenge at the U.S. Department of Energy with a goal of five or more commercial demonstrations of different technologies by 2025.

Carbon capture

• Launches a new transformational coal and natural gas technology program with the goal of initializing at least five new capture capture demonstration projects by 2025, with no less than two being on natural gas facilities.
• Directs the Department of Energy to advance a new industrial-sector R&D program focused on reducing carbon emissions from non-power industrial sectors.
• Accelerates research, development, and demonstration of new carbon removal, utilization, and storage technologies to advance the carbon dioxide commodity market and complement corporate carbon reduction commitments.

Geothermal

• Advances cutting-edge enhanced geothermal system R&D to accelerate the commercial development of new technologies capable of being deployed across multiple sectors in the United States and abroad, with a goal of at least four demonstrations by 2025.
• Streamlines the geothermal energy exploration permitting process to unlock additional baseload clean energy production while promoting the R&D of cutting-edge enhanced geothermal systems capable of being deployed across the United States and abroad.

Cross cutting innovation

• Promotes innovative clean manufacturing technologies to reduce emissions from the industrial sector and advance American manufacturing global competitiveness.
• Reauthorizes the successful Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) program for five years.

ClearPath’s Powell Calls Effort Monumental – ClearPath executive Rich Powell “This clean energy innovation bill is a monumental move toward decarbonizing our economy,” said Rich Powell, Executive Director of ClearPath Action. “The American Energy Innovation Act will drive down the costs and improve the performance of next generation clean energy technologies. This provides more options for both American and global energy systems to go clean and address the climate challenge.”

AGA Harbert Calls Urges Support for NatGas Infrastructure – The American Gas Association (AGA) praised the Murkowski/Manchin effort.  “Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Ranking Member Joe Manchin have put together a bill full of common-sense provisions that will help address climate change by continuing to take advantage of America’s abundance of clean natural gas and our extensive delivery network. From energy efficiency policies that improve the functionality of our buildings, to measures that further encourage technological innovation that will drive down greenhouse gas emissions, we applaud this bipartisan bill.  We look forward to seeing the American Energy Innovation Act pass on the Senate floor,” said AGA President and CEO Karen Harbert.

AGA, NAHB Urge Preserving Consumer Energy Choice – AGA also joined with the National Association of Home Builders in a letter to promote efforts to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The letter says “in the markets where consumers support sustainability and energy efficiency, programs that promote voluntary, above-code compliance for energy efficiency programs are successful in facilitating adoption of high-performance solutions and the associated benefits. It is imperative that efforts to increase energy efficiency are market-driven and promote consumer choice.  The letter highlights that the committee’s work excludes building code provisions that exacerbate the current housing affordability crisis and limit energy choice to consumers. Any intrusion by the federal government in the code development process would result in overly costly and aggressive energy efficiency requirements that would harm housing affordability and worsen attempts to ban natural gas in homes throughout the country.  All proposals need to be cost-effective and should not jeopardize housing affordability or consumer energy choice.”

BCSE Praises Energy Legislation – The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) commended Murkowski and Manchin (D-WV) for their leadership in advancing energy legislation that will help to keep the clean energy transformation going – fueled by a diverse portfolio of energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy.  BCSE President Lisa Jacobson: “It has been over a decade since meaningful federal energy legislation has been enacted. BCSE will work to ensure that it supports the deployment of clean energy for power generation, energy storage, building efficiency and transportation.”

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Co-Ops Head to NOLA – The National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn (NRECA) holds its annual conference today through Wednesday.  The fun start over the weekend, but it is clear that it will be a bit quieter than it was last week.  Speakers include USDA biofuels lobbyist Steve Censky, CEO Jim Matheson and Roanoke Co-op CEO Curtis Wynn (who has been a leading advocate community solar for co-ops).  And Wynonna Judd & The Big Noise will provide entertainment tomorrow night.

SUPER TUESDAY – Tomorrow it is Super Tuesday in the Democratic Presidential Primary.  State voting include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Democrats Abroad, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.  1,357 of the 3,979 pledged delegates to be awarded to the candidates in the Democratic primaries.

Powell, former DOE Official headline CCS Forum – The Global CCS Institute holds its 9^th annual DC Forum tomorrow. The Forum features stakeholders from across the private sector, the government, and the NGO community to discuss how we supersize the next wave of carbon capture projects. Policy incentives in the United States, such as 45Q and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, are driving dozens of new projects across various sectors including power, industrials, and transportation fuels. Speakers will include former DOE official Julio Freedman (now at Columbia), ClearPath’s Rich Powell, DTE’s Mark Rigby and Louisiana State Energy Officer Jason Lanclos.

Hydro Conference Set for Palm Springs – The CEATI International Hydropower 2020 Conference will be held in Palm Springs, CA tomorrow and Wednesday. The event will focus on the future of the hydropower industry and hydro utilities. Dam owners are searching for new and innovative ways to inspect, maintain, operate, and manage their systems and speakers will discuss new technologies and tools under development in the areas of hydrology, operations and planning, inspecting and maintaining powerhouse equipment, and surveillance and monitoring of dams and civil structures.

NYU, Duke to Host Forum –NYU's Institute for Policy Integrity and Duke University's Nicholas Institute Environmental Policy Solutions are hosting a conference tomorrow at NYU in Washington, D.C., that will focus on the different approaches for carbon pricing in wholesale energy markets.  As states advance their climate policies with ambitious clean energy targets, wholesale market operators are grappling with questions about if and how electricity markets should evolve as a response. Several ISO/RTOs are looking to change their market rules to include carbon pricing, but there is a diversity in approaches.

BPC to Look at NEPA – The Bipartisan Policy Center holds a forum tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. to discuss recent energy infrastructure study by the National Petroleum Council and the important relationship between climate policy and the NEPA process. The study, co-chaired by Williams Companies, called on Congress to address this problem by clarifying the National Environmental Protection Act permit process and, in a first for the NPC, developing a national climate change policy. BPC and over 300 disparate organizations participated in and endorsed the study. Our friend Amy Harder of Axios moderates a panel with the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute President Marty Durbin,

Williams CEO Alan Armstrong and Jason Grumet.

Energy Secretary Heads to Senate Energy on Budget – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing tomorrow on 10:00 a.m. on the President's FY2021 DOE budget request. Secretary Dan Brouillette testifies.   Prior to the meeting, the Committee will vote on FERC nominee James Danly.

House Energy Panel to Look at Nuclear – The House Energy & Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. on advanced nuclear technology's role in a decarbonized future.  Witnesses include NEI’s Maria Korsnick, Armond Cohen of the Clean Air Task Force, Joseph Hezir of the Energy Futures Initiative, former NRC commissioners and ClearPath Board member Jeff Merrifield, NuScale CEO John Hopkins and TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque. 

Atomic Wings Looks at Accelerating Nuclear Fuels – ClearPath and DOE holds another bi-partisan "Atomic Wings Lunch & Learn" on accelerating new nuclear fuels tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in 2044 Rayburn. Special Guests include Rep Chuck Fleischmann and Senate Appropriations staffer Adam DeMella.  Panelists include General Atomics Ron Faibish, DOE’s Andy Griffith, Westinghouse’s Kallie Metzger and Chris Stanek of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

JHU to Host Forum – Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., Johns Hopkins University hosts a forum on state-owned enterprises and climate. Center on Global Energy Policy of Columbia University expert Philippe Benoit will discuss the role of SOEs in driving GHG emissions, examine the effectiveness of market-oriented solutions such as carbon taxes in changing SOE behavior, and explore other options to engage these companies that build off their distinctive features.

Applied Energy Budget Discussed – The House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee holds a hearing at 2:00 p.m. on DOE’s Applied Energy Programs' Budget Requests for FY2021.  DOE witnesses include Dan Simmons, Rita Baranwal, Bruce Walker, Steven Winberg and Alex Gates.

Conference to Look at Russian Gas Issues – The Atlantic Council hosts a forum on tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the current state of the Ukrainian energy sector and impacts on the broader European markets. Andriy Kobolyev, Naftogaz’s CEO, has been one of the top figures negotiating with Gazprom and will discuss the past six years.  Naftogaz has proven to be a capable defender of Ukrainian energy independence. Ukraine’s new government has outlined an ambitious desire for reform, and the country’s top energy company is a key component in the process.

Forum to Look at Infrastructure, SDGs – The Center for Global Development holds a forum tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. featuring Grete Faremo, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).  CGD’s Executive Vice President Amanda Glassman will hold a conversation with Faremo to look how UNOPS works with countries and its role in the UN system, how infrastructure can contribute to the advancement of women, how effective public procurement is key to achieving the SDGs, and the organization’s future direction.

ACORE Policy Forum Set – The 2020 ACORE Policy Forum is set for Wednesday at Convene.  This year, the event will address the most important issues facing the renewable energy industry, such as the implications of the 2019 tax extenders agreement, the prominence of climate in the 2020 election and more. Panelists and keynote speakers will explore a variety of topics within four key themes, including the latest from Congress, Clean Energy Standards, Climate and Power Markets/Transmission.  Keynote conversations will feature Garrett Graves (interviewed by Heather Reams) and FERC Commissioner Rich Glick (interviewed by Larry Eisenstat)

RFF Hosts Moniz – On Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., Resources for the Future (RFF) holds a conversation with former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on global energy and climate policy. He’ll discuss a range of topics, such as ongoing international climate negotiations, his proposal for a “Green Real Deal,” and new and existing technological innovations that could help to mitigate carbon emissions and climate change. Moniz is the founder and CEO of the Energy Futures Initiative, a nonprofit clean energy think tank dedicated to advancing solutions to climate change.

House Funding Panel Looks at EPA Budget – The House Appropriations Interior/Environment Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. looking at the EPA budget request for FY2021.  Administrator Wheeler testifies.

Senate Energy Looks at Invasive Species – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Water and Power Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. looking at the impact of invasive species on Bureau of Reclamation facilities and management of water resources in the West.

Senate Approps Panel Hosts Bernhardt –The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior/Environment hosts Interior Secretary for his first budget appearance this year on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

Resources to Discuss Interior Budget – While Bernhardt is in the Senate, the House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on examining Interior’s spending priorities and the President’s FY 2021 Budget proposal.  Susan Combs, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget at Interior, is scheduled to testify.

Senate Environment to Look at NRC – The Senate Environment Committee holds an oversight hearing on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.  Commissioners will testify.

House Energy Panel to Look at Plastic Recycling – The House Energy & Commerce’s Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change will hold a hearing on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn addressing America's plastic waste challenge.

Forum to Look at Iran, Energy – The Cato Institute holds a panel of distinguished experts on Wednesday at Noon to discuss the Iran crisis, American energy security, and the future of U.S. Middle East strategy.  Speakers will Include University of Notre Dame’s Rosemary Kelanic, Ellen Wald of Transversal Consulting and Joshua Rovner of The American University.

Senate Indian Affairs Committee Looks at Energy Legislation – The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will convene a hearing on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to examine S.2610, to reauthorize certain programs under the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs of the Department of Energy, and S.2891, to require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal Wildlife Corridors.

Senate Approps Panel Probes Energy Budget – On Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development holds a hearing to review of the FY2021 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Energy.  Secretary Brouillette testifies.

Forum to Discuss Environment, Climate – On Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Georgetown, the McCourt Energy & Environment, a graduate student association at Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy, is hosting a panel discussion/debate on the Green New Deal and the role of different policy solutions in addressing the climate crisis. The discussion will be moderated by Zahra Hirji of Buzzfeed News and will feature Charles Hernick of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Nader Sobhani of the Niskanen Center, Greg Carlock of Data for Progress and Hamilton Place Strategies Stratton Kirton.  The panel features professionals across the political spectrum who are working in the energy transition, and have different perspectives on potential pathways for decarbonization, including the Green New Deal and the CLEAN Future Act

Transmission Summit Set – The 23^rd annual Transmission Summit East will be held in Arlington, VA Wednesday to Friday at the Key Bridge Marriott.  The event will bring together regulators, utilities, and transmission experts to explore new approaches to resiliency, technological investment and regional planning, and answer the key questions that will govern future transmission development.  PJM’s Craig Glazer, Georgia PSC Commissioner Tim Echols, MD PSC Commissioner Odogwu Obi Linton and a number of company and ISO speakers are on the agenda. 

OPEC Meeting Starts – The 178^th Meeting of the OPEC Conference starts on Thursday in Vienna.  The 8^th Ministerial starts Friday.

LNG Forum to Discuss Gas Infrastructure – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency, LNG Allies and the Global Energy Institute hold a forum on Thursday at the US Chamber of Commerce’s Hall of Flags supporting U.S. LNG exports through global gas infrastructure development.  Keynote speaker is Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette.  Others speakers include GEI’s Christopher Guith, ClearView’s Kevin Book and a bunch State, Treasury, Commerce and Energy officials.  Also, our friend Dee Bhambhani of the US Energy Association will moderate a panel. 

Chamber to Host Aviation Summit – The U.S. Chamber will convene its annual Aviation Summit 2020 in Washington, DC at the Reagan Trade Center on Thursday.  The event will focus on aviation safety and security, sustainability, and aircraft of tomorrow. 

RFF to Host EIA Forum – Resources for the Future (RFF) holds a forum on Thursday for a discussion on EIA’s recently released 2020 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO). EIA researchers will kick off the event with short presentations on the design and outcomes of the scenarios they modeled. A second panel of experts will then contextualize the modeling results by reviewing broader trends in electricity markets and current policies. This RFF workshop will help to illuminate potential influences as the US electric power sector transitions over time.

Senate Energy Looks at IEA Report – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing on Thursday looking at the energy outlook of the US from the perspective of IEA (International Energy Agency).  IEA Director Fatih Birol testifies.

ITIF Forum, Report Set – On Thursday at 12:00 noon, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Aspen Institute will hold an expert panel exploring the challenge of industrial heat decarbonization.  ITIF will also release the Innovation for a Cool Earth Forum’s Industrial Heat Decarbonization Roadmap. Roughly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from producing heat for industrial processes such as cement, iron and steel, and chemicals production—more than the emissions from cars and planes combined. Decarbonizing industrial heat production will be essential to meeting climate change goals. Speakers include Erin Burns of Carbon 180, former DOE official Julio Friedmann and former State Department Official David Sandalow – both at Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy and Jessie Stolark of the Great Plains Institute.

Wilson Forum Looks at Climate in Rural China – The Woodrow Wilson Center's China Environment Forum holds a discussion on Friday at 9:00 a.m. focused on rural climate action in the US and China. At this meeting, speakers will instead shine a light on the need for rural climate action that helps farming communities become more resilient in the face of worsening flooding and droughts and broader development pressures on land.

Atlantic to Release Energy Report – on Friday at 2:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council holds a discussion on a new report, "A New Energy Strategy for the Western Hemisphere.” The timely report identifies opportunities and challenges to develop the energy potential of the Western Hemisphere.  Speakers include Energy Under Secretary Mark Menezes and former State official David Goldwyn. 

IN THE FUTURE

CANCELLED – CERA Week Set – The annual energy extravaganza CERAWeek 2020 will be held in Houston on March 9-13^th.  Keynote speakers will include DOE’s Dan Brouillette, Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski, Senate Energy ranking member Joe Manchin, EPA’s Andrew Wheeler, IEA’s Fatih Birol and FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee.  Also speaking with be our friends Maryam Brown of SoCal Gas, AGA head Karen Harbert, API’s Mike Sommers and former Energy Sect Moniz, as well as CEOs from BP, Cheniere, Occidental, Shell, Duke Power, TOTAL, CP and Exelon among others.

Clean Energy Biz Group Gets Pushes Clean Energy On Hill – The Clean Energy Business Network will be hosting dozens of businesses who are developing clean energy technologies on Capitol Hill on March 11^th

BCSE Holds Clean Energy Forum – The Business Council for Sustainable Energy holds its 2020 Clean Energy Forum on Thursday March 12^th at the American Gas Association. The event will feature a business meeting to discuss the BCSE's priorities for 2020, expert panels on ESG investment trends and federal appropriations and tax issues, as well as congressional outreach meetings.  The morning will kick off with a networking breakfast and discussion with Clinton Britt, Chief of Staff to Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Climate Change, under the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

RFF to Host Carbon Tax Discussion -- On Friday March 13^th, Resources for the Future (RFF) and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability will host a workshop on carbon taxes and cap-and-trade programs. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy (REEP) symposium authors—RFF Fellow Marc Hafstead, RFF University Fellows Joseph Aldy, Gilbert Metcalf, and Roberton Williams III, and Environmental Defense Fund economists Susanne Brooks and Nathaniel Keohane— will present their work and discuss how to design US carbon taxes to minimize emissions uncertainty.

Forum to Look at Coastal Resilience – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing on Friday March 13^th looking at initiatives that are helping protect Southeast ecosystems and communities from erosion, storms, and other coastal hazards. The briefing will showcase nature-based solutions that can protect human lives and property from extreme weather and flooding while creating habitat for wildlife and supporting various coastal industries. These techniques can also be paired with traditional “gray” infrastructure to meet a greater variety of planning needs. Panelists, including NOAA’s Heidi Stiller, will describe the collaborative process between federal, state, and local stakeholders in collecting, sharing, and acting on scientific data to inform policy decisions around adaptation, thereby helping communities define and achieve their resilience goals.

Solar Conference Set for San Diego – Infocast is holding its Solar + Storage Finance & Investment Summit on March 17^th at the Omni LaCosta Resort in San Diego.  The forum focuses on innovative deals, discuss structures and investment challenges, and assess the opportunities that come with implementation and integration.

Forum to Look at Decarbonizing Power Sector – CSIS is holding the second session in the Climate Solutions Series, Decarbonizing the Electric Power Sector on Tuesday March 17^th at 10:00 a.m. This public discussion will examine the technological potential for reaching net-zero GHG emissions from power generation, policies to drive power sector decarbonization, the challenge of creating low-carbon electric power sectors in developing countries, examples of private sector contributions to power sector decarbonization, and how businesses can increase supply of—and drive demand for—zero-carbon power.  The event will feature Princeton expert Jesse Jenkins, former DOE official Sue Tierney and Todd Moss (Energy for Growth Hub).

CCUS Roadshow Stops in NOLA – USEA, DOE Fossil Energy, and the Southern States Energy Board will host the second workshop of the CCUS Roadshow in New Orleans on Tuesday March 17^th.  Energy stakeholders will assemble to discuss: commercial CCUS deployment; using carbon for industrial processes; tax incentives, policy, regulation, federal and state programs; capturing carbon in geologic storage; and, financing projects. Groups will discuss new areas where captured carbon can be used, such as waste plastics destruction, carbon neutral petrochemical feedstocks, transportation fuels and electricity generation.

S&P Exec to Discuss ESG – The Bipartisan Policy Center will hold a discussion on Thursday March 19^th at 10:00 a.m. looking at what ESG means and the broader impact these metrics have on corporate decisions. Douglas L. Peterson, chief executive officer of S&P Global, will give keynote remarks before we hear from an expert panel of leading voices in the industry.

Forum to Look at Hawaii Resilience – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing on Friday March 20^th at 1:30 p.m. in 385 Russell looking at innovative efforts to finance and implement climate change mitigation and resilience projects. Featuring a panel from Hawaii, the briefing will explore steps the state is taking to reach carbon neutrality and run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Hawaii’s top climate change official will discuss state-wide efforts to lead on climate, and the Executive Director of one of the most robust green banks in the country will speak about its unique features and how it supports companies, communities, and individuals as they work towards Hawaii’s climate goals in an equitable way.  

Energy Sect to Address Innovation Forum – The American Energy Innovation Council will be hosting a briefing on Capitol Hill on Thursday March 26^th with U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to discuss recommendations for accelerating clean energy innovation.

Planet Forward Summit Set – GW’s SMPA holds Its 2020 Planet Forward Summit on April 2-3^rd at the Jack Morton Auditorium, where students and academics, as well as corporate leaders, scientists, journalists focus on how the best environmental change agents use storytelling to transform their audiences from passive listeners to engaged doers.

Storage Forum, Expo Set – The U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA) will host its Annual Conference & Expo, held this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 8^th to 10^th.  The forum will look closely at energy storage to facilitate higher renewable energy, electric transportation, cost savings, or community resilience reasons. 

Offshore Wind Conference Set – The Business Network for Offshore Wind, the leading non-profit advocate for U.S. offshore wind at the state, federal and global levels, will host its 7^th annual International Partnership Forum (IPF) on April 21-24^th in Providence, Rhode Island. The annual IPF conference is the premier event for the offshore wind supply chain, which is now projected to be a $70 billion revenue opportunity through 2030.

Energy Forum Set for CO – The Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, University of Colorado-Boulder, and National Renewable Energy Lab are hosting the 9^th annual 21^st Century Energy Transition Symposium at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Denver on April 28^th and 29^th.  Over 65 speakers (in 20 different sessions) from various expertise and backgrounds covering environmental challenges & solutions through collaboration with industry from multiple sources of energy.  Hear from keynote speakers including Colorado Governor Polis, ARPA-E Director Lane Genatowski, Tri-State CEO Duane Highley and many more.  

CA Conferences Set – The 8^th Annual California Energy Summit is being held on May 6^th to 8^th in the LA Grand Hotel Downtown.  It will feature top regulatory officials, utility and public power leaders, and developers to discuss the state-wide implications of wildfire mitigation measures, incentives that can drive deployment of self-generation and storage to enhance resilience, near-term resource adequacy and long-term SB100 procurement needs of CCAs, public power and IOUs and the expansion of interstate energy trading and transmission buildout needs. 

AEE Holds Eastern Policy Conference – Advanced Energy Economy holds its second annual Eastern Regional policy conference in Annapolis on May 21^st.  The event features business leaders and policymakers exploring legislative and regulatory paths to scaling advanced energy markets in electricity and transportation, in states and nationally.  Speakers will include Alison Cassady of the House Select Climate Committee, PJM’s Susan Riley and Michigan PSC Chair Sally Talberg.