Energy Update: Week of March 23

Friends,

Hope you are staying well and healthy.  I about to write that it is looking more and more like the summer Olympics scheduled to begin July 24^th may be in jeopardy, but let me break the news with USA Today’s Christine Brennan who just wrote that IOC sources have told her they will be postponed.  And with peak blossom this week for DC’s cherry blossoms, there has been too many visitors, forcing the Mayor to close the area to foot and bike traffic.  Unlucky, because they are really beautiful this year for whatever reason. 

Lots going on in DC even while most of the place is shut in.  We have been providing daily legislative updates and I have included the latest available (late last night) below in a special section which includes a roundup of agency activities.  You can also see them all on the Bracewell website here.

Please let me know if you want to stay up to speed with these daily updates and I will add you to my list. 

Today the House, Senate and White House (led by Treasury Sect Mnuchin) are engaged, attempting to hammer out a deal that will get millions of dollars of relief to workers, families, businesses and others impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and its economic fallout.  Votes ONGOING NOW in Senate and Dem Senate leader Schumer is saying they are very close to a deal, meanwhile Speaker Pelosi says she’ll unveil a new bill at 2:00 p.m. Here is her summary. I expect we will have another full report later this afternoon, so let me know if you want to receive them or follow PRG on Twitter @policyrez or me at @fvmaisano.

In addition to expanding clean energy initiatives, another item Speaker Pelosi mentions is climate resilience. According to MIT CSHub, spending on resilience reduces the financial and human toll of disasters. In New Orleans, for instance, CSHub researchers found that investments in resilience can pay off after two years. With this upcoming stimulus, Congress can revitalize America’s economy and its infrastructure. But to achieve this, it needs to not just invest but to also rethink how it administers that investment. To learn more, MIT CSHub’s Executive Director Jeremy Gregory (jgregory@mit.edu) is always available or watch MIT’s latest video.

Also, our friend Amy Harder of Axios has a great column today that focuses on how the coronavirus is upending the energy/environment world as we know it, as well as changing how we consume energy and address climate change.

Other key action this week includes the potential decision on whether EPA will appeal the incorrectly-ruled 10^th Circuit decision (it is already being appealed by small refiners impacted) on RFS small refinery exemptions.  After more back and forth the corn advocacy has pressed hard for more giveaways, using the woes of the Coronavirus as another reason to ask for more, even though SREs have not had any impact on ethanol production or demand according to EIA stats, Ag economists like Scott Irwin at U of Illinois and industry market analysists.  Refiners say the Administration recently declared refineries to be essential infrastructure, and it has the legal ability to address RFS compliance costs.  The President has long recognized the importance of refining assets and promised to protect the union workers that operate them in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and elsewhere.

And tomorrow’s planned Senate Environment hearing on HFCs has been transmogrified into basically a public hearing where groups will submit testimony.  AHRI, individual HVACR manufacturing companies and other stakeholders will all be providing comments.  More on this tomorrow and Wednesday. 

There are a number of webinars going on this week, but I wanted to draw your attention to one tomorrow from ConservAmerica and the Federalist Society at 1:00 p.m. on updating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The dial-in is: 888-752-3232.

Finally, I know this doesn’t match his executive orders to suspend in-person dining and closing gyms, but Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB 1934, pro-balanced energy legislation that prevents local natural gas bans on Friday.  The legislation passed the Senate 29-2 and the State House 87-8 and follows Arizona and several other states. 

That’s all for today, call with questions, stay safe & healthy and remember to sign up for our COVID-19 updates.  Wells Bayou took the Louisiana Derby with no fans there on Saturday, but with the Kentucky Derby postponed, who knows what that means…

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“As providers of critical resources and infrastructure, our industry recognizes our indispensable role in responding to this crisis for as long it takes our communities to recover. We will continue to help customers who may be experiencing health or economic challenges, and this commitment by EEI’s membership ensures that our customers will maintain access to reliable energy during this public health emergency.”

EEI Chairman Chris Crane, CEO and President of Exelon

ON THE PODCAST

EPIC Podcast Talks with Catanzaro – Having served in several senior energy and environmental policy positions in the House of Representatives, Senate, EPA, and the White House—including most recently as special assistant to President Trump on energy and environmental issues—Michael Catanzaro knows both energy policy and the complicated politics behind it. The Atlantic’s Rob Meyer, a journalism fellow at EPIC, recently interviewed Catanzaro about how a potential Biden administration might think about climate and energy policy, what to look for in a second Trump administration, and what steps Congress could take on these issues.

FUN OPINIONS

FORTUNE: API Head Says Tariffs Would Hurt – API head Mike Sommers penned an op-ed in FORTUNE over the weekend that says interventions like protectionist trade measures are not the answer to the industry’s woes.  “It is not surprising that some global energy players are threatened by American energy leadership and have actively tried to prevent its progress. Russia and other nations’ push to increase global energy supply despite lower demand in the short term is a reaction to America’s new paradigm as a global energy superpower. This is a challenging situation, compounded by the impact of the coronavirus, but interventions like protectionist trade measures are not the answer.  As a nation and industry, we have weathered complicated periods before. The natural gas and oil industry will stay steady as problem solvers focused on providing safe, reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy to overcome immediate and future challenges.”

FORTUNE: Big Oil Betting Big on CCUS – Our friend Jeff Ball, former WSJ energy reporter has a new piece in FORTUNE that looks at industry efforts that are betting big on “carbon capture” technology that sucks greenhouse gases out of smokestacks and the air to help industry remake itself. To get the Details, Ball visited the Permian Basin of Texas to see if capturing carbon dioxide and storing it underground is a no-brainer according to the new calculus of a changing climate.  Both articles are part of a Fortune Special Report: Business Faces the Climate Crisis.

FROG BLOG

Expert: Saudi Arabia’s Oil Price War Is Backfiring – In a piece for Oilprice.com, expert Tsvetana Paraskova says Saudi Arabia and Russia must have anticipated an oil price crash when they broke up their three-year-long bromance to push up oil prices.  Two weeks later and nearly 4 million bpd of total promised additional oil supply to the market next month, and Riyadh and Moscow are now counting the cost and trying to adjust government spending.  Analysts argue that Russia is in a better fiscal, financial, and political leadership position than Saudi Arabia to win the oil price war. Yet, there will undoubtedly be economic pain for both sides in this war, which is already claiming the first collateral victims—U.S. shale, Canada’s oil industry, and the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector. It’s now a game between Saudi Arabia and Russia of who will blink first, and in this game, the Saudis seem to have overestimated their fiscal buffers and underestimated the coronavirus-hit enormous demand destruction.

Covid Update

Bracewell is doing a daily update of inside intelligence and information offering insights into the legislative process surrounding emergency COVID activity in Congress.  It is a useful daily tool that has provided REAL-TIME, inside access to the process.  Many of our team members are sending this around so please let me know if you want me to add you to my list.  You can also see them here: https://bracewell.com/content/covid-19

Policy Resolution Group COVID-19 Legislative Update from March 22, 2020

The State of Play

Senate Democrats have blocked a procedural motion to continue to the bill that would carry the Senate's Phase Three CARES Act legislation.

• ○ The vote failed 47-47, with all Democrats opposed.
• ○ Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) switched his vote to oppose the motion, allowing him to call up the vote again immediately at a time of his choosing.
• ○ Bottom Line: Talks will continue through the night, and the market is watching warily. There will be tremendous pressure on Congress to show progress early on Monday. The key issues dividing the parties (described below) will drive these discussions.

How we got here:

• The party leaders from the House and Senate, referred to as the “Four Corners,” emerged from their meeting in McConnell’s Capitol Hill office this morning without a deal.
  • Deal or no deal, public rhetoric remained cordial, and by all accounts negotiations continue in good faith.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) struck a more defiant tone, declaring the sides “apart,” and indicating her intentions for her caucus to release a COVID-19 relief package of their own, to be finalized today.
  • In reality, the sides are very close, and this is likely sabre rattling by a savvy Speaker looking to maximize her leverage and wring every possible concession out of the Senate, knowing well that her members will have to vote for whatever the Senate sends over.
• The procedural vote originally slated for 3pm slipped to 6pm as the chamber was thrown into chaos by the announcement that McConnell’s junior colleague, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), tested positive for COVID-19.
  • The loss jeopardizes Republicans’ ability to command a majority on their own. With Paul out, and Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Rick Scott (R-FL) self-quarantining, they can only muster 49 votes without help, requiring Democrats to pick up the 11-vote cloture slack.
  • While counter-intuitive, the delay should be seen as good news. If the sides weren’t so close, McConnell would have forced Senate Democrats to vote against the package and let the chips fall where they may.
    • But pushing forward with a doomed vote at 6pm shows they are nearing the end of fruitful negotiations.
  • The news of Paul’s diagnosis hit Capitol Hill hard. The Senator was actively working in the Senate, engaged closely with numerous members and staff, and used various facilities from the gym to the pool. The development increases the urgency for Congress to vote and get out of town for the foreseeable future.
• As discussed yesterday, today’s vote was just a procedural one to proceed to the shell vehicle, H.R. 748.
  • This was not a vote on the contents of the CARES Act per se, but on whether to continue the process.
  • Democratic support is also required for the final procedural hurdle, cloture to end debate, by which point the final text would be added as an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  • A deal in principle would allow haggling over the particulars while providing a bridge to a formal agreement on the final product.
• The House remains the hidden hand.
  • Emergence of Speaker Pelosi as a key player serves as a reminder that the House still must pass whatever the Senate comes up with.
  • The House stands in recess subject to the ruling of the chair, but it remains an open question as to whether members would even return to Washington given COVID-19 concerns and recent member-level exposure.
    • Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated that the House would be adjusting voting procedures and that “all options” would be discussed.
    • Hypothetical options include unanimous consent (a la Phase Two), or remote voting.
      • Unanimous consent is hard to envision on a ~$2 trillion bill; remote voting is unprecedented and would require a rule change.

Key Issues to Watch

• Bottom line: What do Democrats want? What will get them to yes?
  • Conversations continue over a number of outstanding items.
  • The deal is nearly at hand, but everyone needs to save face. Think USMCA.
    • Possible areas: “bailout” fixes; dialing up unemployment benefits; token tweaks to paid leave
  • Negotiations over “bailout” restrictions and limits to Treasury discretion continue.
    • Notable lack of restrictions or conditions on access to the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF). The current version of the bill includes mild limits on executive compensation and waivable restrictions on stock buybacks during the duration of the loan.
      • Additional restrictions or conditions on ESF access are an easy and obvious “win” for Democrats to take and for McConnell to give.
        • Democrats have criticized the draft as a “$500 billion corporate slush fund.”
        • Democrats can claim credit for closing the various loopholes.
      • Expect Democrats to demand numerous stipulations including but not limited to:
        • Limiting executive compensation
        • Preventing stock buybacks
        • Ensuring employee retention
        • Beefing up transparency measures
        • Checking the wide discretion of Treasury Secretary
• Leave and Sick Time Benefits. Expanding leave and sick time benefits are a common refrain from Democrats, and a consistent flashpoint throughout negotiations, but having just reluctantly swallowed a paid leave bill from the House, Senate Republicans do not feel the need to reopen this issue. The labor provisions from the original CARES Act draft remain, but could easily fall out as a token giveaway. Notably, the effort to expand the Phase Two mandate to larger (500+) employers lost steam in this round of negotiations.

Notable Changes in GOP “Compromise” Product

• Small Business Interruption Loans.
  • The fund has now grown to $350 billion from the original $300 billion.
  • Covered expenses eligible for forgiveness have expanded beyond payroll to also include rent/mortgage, debt obligations, and utilities.
  • Size cap loosened to allow businesses with under 500 employees “per physical location” in certain industries.
• Exchange Stabilization Fund.
  • Airline assistance remains the same at $58 billion, but funding for other affected industries has nearly tripled to $425 billion, with an additional $17 billion for national security and defense.
• Business Tax Provisions. The GOP-written “compromise” version of the CARES Act released on Sunday morning largely left the business tax provisions in place, with the exception of three items (detailed below). We expect the remaining changes, which would all be important means by which companies could generate immediate cash flow, to be easily incorporated into the final bill.
  • What’s OUT.
    • Delay of estimated tax payments for corporations. The impact of this provisions’ exclusion is less acute given Treasury’s decision to postpone tax filing deadline until July 15. A delay of estimated tax payments for corporations could also possibly be done through further administration action.
    • Installments not to prevent credit or refund overpayments or increase estimated taxes. Overpayments related to installments of repatriation toll charge under Section 965 will not be refunded. This is viewed as a technical error in TCJA, which remains a political sticking point.
    • Downward attribution. This is another TCJA technical correction with opposition from Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR).
  • What Remains IN.
    • Delay of payment of employer payroll taxes. Payment would be due over the course of two years with half due 12/31/21 and the balance due 12/31/22.
    • Modification for net operating losses (NOL). This provision would allow five-year carryback for 2018, 2019, and 2020 tax years, respectively.
    • Modification of limitation on losses for taxpayers other than corporations. The 80 percent carryback limitation would be lifted for pass-through entities to harmonize with corporate NOL treatment for 2018, 2019, and 2020.
    • Modification of credit for prior year minimum tax liability of corporations. This would accelerate the ability of companies to recover AMT credits in the form of refunds.
    • Modification of limitation on business interest. This would loosen the limitation on interest deduction to 50 percent of EBITDA for 2019 and 2020.
    • Technical amendments regarding qualified improvement property (QIP). This fix to the so-called “retail glitch” would unlock $15 billion in liquidity for QIP expenses incurred by hard-hit sectors like restaurants, hotels, and retail, among others.
  • Conspicuous omissions
    • Despite lip service from Democrats in both chambers, and aggressive advocacy from industry groups and climate activists, there are no renewable energy tax credits in the bill.
    • Worth noting: The four Senate “task forces” deputized by Leader McConnell did not include an energy group.
      • Any real pressure for inclusion would likely have to come from the House.
      • Lone energy-related provisions include a suspension of aviation excise taxes (including jet fuel) related to the airline relief package, and a $3 billion appropriation for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

Federal Agency Responses to COVID-19

Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Last update March 17, 2020

• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced new contacts to encourage communication with USDA to help feed kids and ensure the United States food supply chain remains strong in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• A USDA employee in the National Capital Region (NCR) tested positive for COVID19, which resulted in a partial shutdown of USDA offices. Employees in the NCR beginning as of March 16 teleworking is available. Read a news article covering the closing here.

 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Last update March 11, 2020

• EPA Administrator Wheeler issued a statement President Trump’s Coronavirus Address on March 11, 2020. He stated:
• “At EPA, we continue to monitor this evolving situation and communicate regularly with our employees, and the American people. Last week we published a list of EPA approved disinfectants, and earlier this week we notified registrants of disinfectants that due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the agency is expediting the review of submission from companies requesting to add Emerging Viral Pathogens claims to their already registered surface disinfectant labels. This action will help move these disinfectants to the market more quickly, without diminishing the scope of the review to ensure safety and quality of the product. By prioritizing these reviews, we are ensuring that Americans will have access to all approved and market available surface disinfectant products.”
• EPA has authorized voluntary telework for all agency employees across the nation or the next four weeks, effective March 16. Read the news update here.

 

Department of Education – Last updated March 20, 2020

• Department of Education suspended federal student loan payments and waives interest during the national emergency.
• “All borrowers with federally held student loans will automatically have their interest rates set to 0% for a period of at least 60 days. In addition, each of these borrowers will have the option to suspend their payments for at least two months to allow them greater flexibility during the national emergency. This will allow borrowers to temporarily stop their payments without worrying about accruing interest.” Read the statement here.

 

Department of Energy (DOE) – Last update March 20, 2020

• DOE has not made any changes to its standard operating procedures at this time, as telework programs are in place for authorized employees. Read the statement here.

 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – Last update March 19, 2020

• FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee issued a number of responses following the pandemic including a new point of contact for all industry inquires. Read the statement here.
• He named Caroline Wozniak as the Commission’s point of contact for all industry inquiries related to impacts of their COVID-19 preparations and responses on their FERC-jurisdictional activities, and can be reached at PandemicLiaison@ferc.gov.
• The Office of the Secretary has issued a notice for extension of time to provide more flexibility on deadlines for certain required filings that are due on or before May 1, 2020. Those filings include non-statutory items required by the Commission such as compliance filings and responses to deficiency letters, and rulemaking comments, as well as forms required by the Commission, except for FERC Form No. 6. The deadline extension also will apply to filings required by entities’ tariffs or rate schedules.
• FERC’s Office of Enforcement is postponing all previously scheduled audit site visits and investigative testimony.
• Technical conferences scheduled through May 2020 will be conducted via conference call or WebEx, or postponed. Schedules will be posted to the FERC.gov calendar.
• Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Carmen Cintron has postponed one hearing scheduled to start April 7 and will make case-specific calls on other hearings as their start dates approach. ALJ settlement conferences will continue via conference call.

 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – Last update March 19, 2020

• The FDIC is coordinating efforts with federal financial institution regulators and state regulators to encourage financial institutions to meet the financial needs of customers and members affected by the coronavirus. Note that financial institutions should work constructively with borrowers and other customers in affected communities.
• FDIC issued a Joint Statement on CRA Consideration for Activities in Response to the COVID-19 to provide favorable consideration of certain retail banking services, retail lending activities, and community development activities related to this national emergency. Read the statement here.

 

National Park Service – Last update March 20, 2020

• The NPS has announced that it is modifying operations until further notice for facilities and programs that cannot adhere to this guidance.
• Additionally, parks in Florida, Utah, Georgia, Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Iowa and Hawaii are to be closed. “Park superintendents are empowered to modify their operations, including closing facilities and canceling programs, to address the spread of the coronavirus.” 
• See the official statement here.

 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)    - Last update March 17, 2020

• OMB released a memorandum for heads of departments and agencies urging "maximum telework flexibilities" (including mandatory telework, if necessary), to federal employees in the National Capital Region amid the coronavirus.
• OMB has also recommended to “leverage existing materials and content relating to authoritative information on COVID-19, share status of Federal actions on and provide communications in line with the National Response Framework”...an…”Consider streamlining regulations and approval processes for critical services, including issuing general waivers policies and delegating decision-making where appropriate.” Read the full statement here.

 

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Last update March 18, 2020

• U.S. Treasury Department and IRS issued guidance allowing all individual and other non-corporate tax filers to defer up to $1 million of federal income tax (including self-employment tax) payments due on April 15, 2020, until July 15, 2020, without penalties or interest.  The guidance also allows corporate taxpayers a similar deferment of up to $10 million of federal income tax payments that would be due on April 15, 2020, until July 15, 2020, without penalties or interest.  This guidance does not change the April 15 filing deadline.
• The IRS also issued guidance on high deductible health plans and expenses related to COVID-19.

 

Department of Treasury – Last update March 20, 2020

• The Treasury Department is supporting American workers and businesses who are impacted by the coronavirus. In February, Secretary Mnuchin was appointed to the President’s Coronavirus Task Force, where he meets daily with the Vice President and our nation’s top health officials. 

 

Small Business Administration (SBA) - Last update March 19, 2020

• The SBA announced that small business owners in the following designated states are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to COVID-19: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. 
• SBA is also offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus. SBA will issue an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration which offers up to $2 million in assistance for a small business.  Read the full statement here. 

 

IN THE NEWS

EFI, NASEO Release 2020 US Energy/Employment Report – The Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) today published the 2020 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (USEER), the fifth annual in-depth survey of the U.S. labor force and skills trends in five energy sectors across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The survey found that the U.S. Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors currently employ 6.8 million workers, and added 120,300 new jobs in 2019, over 7 percent of all newly created jobs nationwide.  The USEER tracks employment trends in Fuels; Electric Power Generation; Transmission, Distribution, and Storage; Energy Efficiency; and Motor Vehicles.  EFI, the think tank led by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz, and NASEO, which represents the 56 governor-designated State and Territory energy officials, have produced the USEER since 2018. The U.S. Department of Energy produced the first two editions. The full USEER, Executive Summary, State Fact Sheets, and a recorded webinar with key takeaways from the report will be available for download at www.USenergyjobs.org.

Refiners Ask EPA to Waive Summer Blend Requirement – AFPM’s Chet Thompson and API’s Mike Sommers both have urged the Administration and EPA to waive requirements to switch to summer fuels. API also sent a letter that sought the Transportation Department's approval to lift hours of service limits and non-essential inspections, and requested the Interior Department drop some auditing and reporting requirements, as well as leasing considerations.

DOE Filling SPR – After President Donald Trump directed the purchase of barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the Department of Energy is following through on his pledge and confirmed that it will buy 30 million barrels from producers as oil prices continue to fluctuate. The DOE plans to hold additional sales - maybe as soon as two or three months from now - and is preparing to ask Congress for $3 billion to fill its reserves entirely. On Thursday, U.S. crude had its biggest-ever one-day price jump, with West Texas Intermediate futures rising 24 percent, though they are still down almost 60 percent this year. The price surge came amid news that the Trump administration plans on buying oil for the SPR and reports that Trump may intervene in the Saudi-Russian oil price war.

Electric Utilities Taking Essential Status, Promising No Shutoffs – The U.S. electric industry may request that essential staff members live on-site at their facilities if the coronavirus pandemic worsens, according to industry trade groups and electric cooperatives. Staff at power plants and control centers have been stockpiling beds, blankets and food in preparation for the potential plan. Electric utilities, Munis and rural Co-ops have also said they will not cut off power if customers don’t pay bills on time during the crisis.  EEI President Tom Kuhn said last week that all EEI member companies are suspending electricity disconnects for non-payment nationwide. Many companies already have made this commitment in their local service territories.  Kuhn: “This crisis will create significant financial hardships for many Americans, and we know that now, as always, ensuring access to reliable electricity is essential to the health and safety of all our customers. To help reduce the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable, EEI members are committed to working collectively with our state public utility commissions to appropriately suspend power shut-offs for non-payment.”  The LA Times Sammy Roth has a good story from last week on utilities’ efforts to keep the lights on during the pandemic HERE.

Water Utilities Promise No Shutoffs As Well – During the coronavirus pandemic, more than 100 public utilities in 34 states have pledged to halt the practice of cutting off water to homes that fail to pay their bills. Regular hand-washing is among the most effective ways to stall the spread of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Auto Makers Shut Until Next Week – The three major Detroit automakers - Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV - agreed to United Auto Workers' demands to shut down all North American plants as a safeguard against the coronavirus pandemic. All three companies will halt production at least through next Monday.

Carroll Joins ClearPath – Maggie Carroll has joined conservative clean-energy group ClearPath as chief of staff to Executive Director Rich Powell. She previously worked at the Aspen Institute Energy & Environment Program.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED HAVE POSTPONED OR ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

Wall Street Green Event Set – POSTPONED UNTIL OCT 19 – The 19^th annual Wall Street Green Summit will be held at the Princeton Club in NYC is the longest running and most comprehensive sustainable finance event in the industry. It will be held on Monday March 23, 2020 in New York. Launched in 2002 by Peter Fusaro, the Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the leading practitioners in sustainability. 

Economic Groups Holds Coronavirus Webinar – The National Association for Business Economics holds webinar today at 3:00 p.m. on coronavirus’ economic impacts. Participants include Mark Finley, a fellow in energy and global oil and Rice’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies.

Webinar to Focus on Climate Bank – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the Coalition for Green Capital holds a webinar on the National Climate Bank Act (H.R. 5416, S. 2057), which would create and capitalize a new non-profit investment fund to mobilize $1 trillion of private investment that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Webinar Focused on NEPA – ConservAmerica and the Federalist Society are co-hosting a 90-minute teleconference discussion tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on updating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The dial-in is: 888-752-3232. You can register here.  The discussion will provide background on CEQ’s proposal and contrasting views on the White House’s proposed NEPA reform and modernization.  Speakers will include Hoover’s Richard Esptein, GWU Law’s Robert Glicksman, former CEQ officials Mario Loyola and Tim Male. ConservAmerica’s Brent Fewell will moderate.

EnergyX Forum Rescheduled – The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Energy Technology InnovationXLab; CarbonX Summit in Pittsburgh scheduled for today and tomorrow WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL JULY.

Webinar to Look at State Torts – The Center for Progressive Reform holds a webinar tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. on holding the fossil fuel industry accountable through state tort law.

EPA Deadline to File RFS Appeal – TOMORROW, EPA will hit the delayed deadline to file an appeal to the 10^th circuit’s ruling in RFS case.  Reports are that they will not appeal but not apply it nationwide.  Seems like a bad strategy but this is ethanol and the RFS so little often will make sense.

WRI Looks at Paris Commitments – The World Resources Institute hosts webinar on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. progress in the power sector since Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) were developed under the Paris climate agreement. Speakers in IEA’s Brent Wanner, WRI’s Noemie Leprince-Ringuet and others from NDC Partnership and UNDP.

Senate Enviro to Hold HFC Legislative Hearing – The Senate Environment Committee will conduct an information-gathering process on HFC phasedown legislation, S. 2754, American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2019” on Wednesday. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. and run to 4:00 p.m. where the Committee will electronically accept written testimony from any interested party regarding S. 2754, American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2019.   Then, on Wednesday, April 15^th, the Committee will electronically accept written questions for the record from Members of the Committee who wish to ask a submitting party questions and finally on Wednesday, April 29^th, the Committee will electronically accept written responses to questions for the record from submitting parties who received questions from Members.

Webinar to Look at Oil, Gas in South America – The Inter-American Dialogue holds webinar on Wednesday at Noon co-hosted with the National Capital Area Chapter of the United States Association for Energy Economics (NCAC-USAEE) that will focus on how political developments are likely to impact the oil and gas picture in South America’s smaller and emerging producers. Total’s Geoffrey Dietz, USEEE’s David Givens and Energy Intelligence Research Director TJ Conway are among the speakers.

Webinar: How Coronavirus Is Impacting Consumer Habits, Confidence, Trust in Institution – Morning Consult has been monitoring the fallout of the coronavirus on public sentiment since the beginning of the year. Tomorrow at Noon, they will gather their analysts and journalists for a webinar analyzing how the coronavirus is changing consumer habits and what that means for businesses, the economy and institutions.

Forum to Look at Trees, Climate – The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment holds a webinar on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. whether planting trees helps to address climate change. An international initiative to prevent deforestation and restore forests has sparked interest in how land use and forestry can be a part of a portfolio of climate solutions. Leading experts will discuss the opportunities and challenges for protecting and expanding forests to capture and offset carbon emissions in the United States and globally.

C2ES Looks at Electric Trucks – The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions holds webinar Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. on electrifying medium- and heavy-duty trucking and potential for climate pollution reductions. Electric trucks are already on the road.  Fleet owners and managers now have a new cost of ownership tool and two reports that highlight potential solutions to adoption barriers and share insights from companies that have piloted electric truck projects. This webinar will review these new reports and explore options for lowering adoption costs, the supply chain importance of electrifying medium- and heavy-duty trucking, and the potential for climate pollution reductions in the largest emitting sector of the U.S. economy.

California to Look at Long-Term Climate Policy – CALSTART 2030 holds an online policy summit Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 a.m. EST on transforming transportation with discussions on decarbonization, electric vehicles, and other issues. CARB head Mary Nichols is among the speakers.

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

WRI to Look at Water Systems in US, Mexico – The World Resources Institute holds a webinar on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. discussing efforts with businesses to develop a database on public water management in the U.S. and Mexico. Currently, businesses have access to robust information on physical water risk through resources such as the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas — but there is no similar resource to assess the conditions around public water management. This project seeks to fill in this information gap, to allow businesses to better screen for water management conditions in their operations and in their supply chains. Project partners are crowdsourcing responses from industrial water users in the U.S. and Mexico to develop this database. This geospatial dataset on water management will be used to improve business responses to shared water challenges and to improve public policy, aiming to reduce water risks for all users.

NREL Discuss Clean Energy Tech – Representatives from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other groups discuss clean energy technical solutions for power sector resilience in webinar on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.  Clean energy technical solutions can enhance resilience across the grid system to help provide more reliable and resilient power to end users. Power system resilience experts in this webinar will discuss more about cutting-edge technologies and approaches that can enable countries to better prepare for and address threats to the power system.

Solar Webinar Set – On Thursday at 10:00 a.m., the Solar Power Finance & Investment Summit holds a "What's New" segment update on federal policies and legal and tax issues that are in play in deals and before Congress, the IRS, Treasury, and the courts plus other news.

IN THE FUTURE

Planet Forward Summit Set – RESCHEDULED FOR OCT 8-10 – 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.

Brownell, Jenkins Lead Power Markets Webinar – Power Markets Today is hosting a webinar on April 8^th at 2:00 p.m. focused on how power markets are evolving in the coming years.  The transformation of the industry is a key part of this, and many are arguing that wholesale markets could help with that transition more than they have already.  Speakers include our friend/expert Jesse Jenkins of Princeton, former FERC Commissioner Nora Mead Brownell and others.

Storage Forum, Expo Set – RESCHEDULED TO  AUGUST 26-28 – 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 NOW ONLINE.  They will reschedule the in-person meeting in Providence, Rhode Island for August 18-21. 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.

USEA Holds Annual Meeting, Forum – The US Energy Assn holds its annual meeting and Public Policy Forum on Tuesday April 28^th in the Ronald Reagan Trade Center.  The event brings together USEA members and energy stakeholders, including Administration officials, thought leaders, lawmakers, diplomats and journalists to discuss the latest energy policy developments, share industry updates, and celebrate the achievements of the United States Energy Award and United States Energy Volunteer Award

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. 

DC Oil/Gas Forum Set – The 6^th Washington Oil & Gas Forum 2020 is set for June 10^th and 11^th at The Cosmos Club in Washington, DC.  The US leads global oil and natural gas production. U.S. shale revolution has reshaped the energy landscape in the United States and globally. The American Energy Revolution has delivered massive economic, environmental and geopolitical benefits. Today, the United States is the world’s top oil and gas producer and a leading energy exporter. The Washington Oil & Gas Forum is the foremost innovative and exclusive force for engaging oil and gas leaders in collaborative activities to shape the American and global oil and gas agendas.  Speakers include FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee, Sen Cruz, Reps. Randy Weber, Mike McCaul and Bruce Westerman.