Energy Update: Week of March 9

Friends,

The oil markets have taken us for a ride over the weekend and coronavirus is taking the markets along with it this morning…  I have to say, this year’s CERAWeek, which was scheduled for this week and recently cancelled, would have been probably one of the most interesting in years.  And it is always a bad day when the incredible music festival SXSW is cancelled.  While we all need to be prepared, let’s talk more positive: Cherry Blossom Peak has been announced!!!! The National Park Service said peak bloom dates for D.C.'s cherry blossom trees will be March 27-30.  It is a great time in DC (even though it messes up traffic).  See WTOP's complete guide to all things cherry blossoms. 

And start eyeing up those NCAA March Madness picks.  We are only a week away from Selection Sunday, but before the field of 68 is set, teams are earning automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. The first of those automatic bids were handed out Saturday and three more tickets were punched to The Big Dance on yesterday, including Utah State’s stunning win over highly-ranked San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference.  Also Belmont is in after outlasting Murray State in another classic edition of their rivalry in the Ohio Valley Conference.  Other qualifiers include Winthrop (Big South), Bradley (Missouri Valley) and a second-straight bid for Liberty (ASUN). And on the women’s side, kudos to 6^th-ranked UMd Terps who won the Big Ten over the weekend. More facts on picking winners next week.

So much going on in DC…The Energy bill hits the floor today when cloture is invoked around 5:30 leading to an expected final vote by Wednesday.  I have a full summary of the energy bill below so read down.  We are also providing regular update on social media so follow @fvmaisano and/or @PolicyRez.  And late last week, the White House did another 180 on small refinery exemptions in the RFS, this time leaning back to union workers at refineries.  The final call happens soon, after EPA asked for a 15-day extension to file the papers to appeal the 10^th circuit case…at least for now.

And while the Senate decides whether HFCs will be in its Energy Legislation, on Thursday the House E&C Enviro subpanel will mark up a first version of its companion legislation.  Other important hearings this week include a number of budget hearings starting with Interior’s David Bernhardt visiting Senate Energy tomorrow and then House Interior/Environment on Wednesday. Others include Army Corps (both House/Senate Approps) and Interior’s sub agencies. Also Wednesday, Senate Environment hears EPA nominee Doug Benevento and two NRC nominees and House Mil-Con-Veterans panel holds a hearing PFAS exposure on service-members with our friend Scott Faber of EWG testifying. 

Other events include the Business Council for Sustainable Energy’s 2020 Clean Energy Forum on Thursday (closed to media, but expect updates and keep your eyes peeled for a new Chair announcement with the retirement of our friend and long-time Johnson Controls exec Mark Wagner) and RFF’s Friday Carbon Tax workshop.  As well, the Tennessee House is expected to take up a balanced energy resolution passed recently by its state Senate 29-2 this week and Colorado just introduced one as well.

It is a crazy week: Super Tuesday Part II, Friday the 13^th and the ides of March on Sunday, so keep your eye on Michigan, but don’t head to Crystal Lake Camp and watch your back if your name is Julius and have any friends named Brutus.  That’s all for today, call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“As the power sector relies more and more on natural gas and renewable sources for power generation, infrastructure must keep pace with this growth.”

NETL Director Brian Anderson in a statement discussing a new study that examines the near-term economic and reliability costs associated with expanding the natural gas generation network.

ON THE PODCAST

Graves Visits Columbia Energy Podcast – Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) the ranking member of the Select Committee on Climate Change, joined Columbia University’s podcast, the Columbia Energy Exchange, hosted by Bill Loveless. Among other things, Graves talks about the carbon capture bills he, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, and others rolled out last week as the first phase of the House Republicans climate change plan. The bills promote more research on carbon-capture technologies and uses for carbon, and make permanent a tax break for companies that use the technology. It’s a mix of old and new policy ideas, some of which already enjoy bipartisan support.

PRG Political Experts Look at Dem Presidential Race – On this week’s PRG Pulse episode of The Lobby Shop, our political experts take a look at the surprising shakeout of Super Tuesday and Warren’s decision to step down.  Now that we're in a two-man race, what can we expect as primaries continue?  You can check it out here and it is live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play Music.

FUN OPINIONS

Heritage Hammers USDA on Biofuels – Heritage Foundation energy analyst Nick Loris hammered USDA in a new commentary saying the US’s biofuels’ addiction to preferential treatment has economically harmed households and businesses.  Loris also says that environmentally, the story isn’t much better. Eager to take advantage of the increasing volumes of government-mandated corn, farmers converted more than 1.5 million acres of grassland, forests and wetlands to cropland when the production quotas kicked into gear.

New Poll: “Clean Energy Innovation” Very Popular With Voters -- Wondering what constituents in states think of clean energy innovation? ClearPath launched a new nationwide poll this week, with data for every state and every Congressional District.  A 3,000 person nationwide survey conducted by Echelon Insights shows respondents across the country, including in some of the most conservative parts, believe clean energy innovation is a better path than government regulation.  Clean Energy Poll Highlights include:

• 89% believe it is possible for the U.S. to develop cleaner energy sources that can also provide more affordable energy.

• 87% believe clean energy is an issue that Republicans in Congress SHOULD care about, only 50% believe they do.
• 58% say that instead of regulation, they believe more innovation and better technology that lets us reduce carbon emissions is the best way to fight climate change.

FROG BLOG

WM Experts: Offshore Wind to Attract More Than $200B 2020-2025 – In a blog post on GTM, Wood Mackenzie experts Søren Lassen and Mhairidh Evans write in a new report that more than $200 billion in capex will be deployed in offshore wind between 2020 and 2025. They argue the gap between capital expenditures into offshore upstream oil and gas and offshore wind will shrink rapidly over the next five years. While the oil and gas sector remains the largest component of the offshore supply chain, they expect the offshore wind market to become more attractive for traditional oil and gas players.

RFF Answers 45Q CCS Questions – A new blog post from Resources for the Future (RFF) addresses how the IRS plans to administer its 45Q program. RFF’s Jay Bartlett and Alan Krupnick look at the IRS guidance and whether it is doing enough to balance flexibility and stimulus with fiscal responsibility and environmental benefits in their new series: “45Q&A.” After Congress first enhanced the 45Q program in February 2018 to incentivize new CCUS projects, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released guidance documents that outline how the program will be implemented. Bartlett and Krupnick summarize their assessment of this new guidance and plan to publish a series of articles analyzing the implications, ambiguities, and future opportunities of 45Q as more guidance is released.

IN THE NEWS

Energy Legislation Ready To Go – The Senate Energy Bill moves forward starting today.  Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on the underlying bill last Thursday.  This will lead to a cloture vote at 5:30 today, likely teeing up a final vote for some time Wednesday morning.

Substitute Amendment – Sens. Murkowski and Manchin filed a modified substitute amendment to S. 2657 that contains the text of 18 amendments—nine from Senators on each side of the aisle—that have been filed during this week’s floor debate. 

Amendments – A list of amendments incorporated into the substitute amendment—some of which were modified—can be found here. For the full text of the currently pending substitute amendment, click here.

Other More Controversial Amendments – The Senate is poised to vote tomorrow on an amendment from Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) aiming to strengthen model building codes, but negotiations continue on other possible amendments to the bill.  In addition, on the HFC Phasedown, Sen. John Kennedy threatened to block the entire bill if his bipartisan proposal was prevented from getting a vote.  Kennedy has been working closely with Sen. Carper, who told reporters he'd begun discussions with Senate EPW Chair John Barrasso on a possible compromise on their bipartisan amendment. Barrasso has previously called for preemption language that would prevent states from setting HFC requirements that are stricter than federal standards and Carper said the possible preemption model in the 2016 revisions to the TSCA could be a model for resolving the issue.  Carper did express doubt as to whether it could come together before tomorrow.  The final decision on whether to permit votes on the HFC amendment and a separate one on clean energy tax credits must be made today.

FreedomWorks “John Kerry Moment” – FreedomWorks sent a letter to Senate leaders opposing the HFC phasedown.  Unfortunately, they already joined a letter from 3 conservative groups in 2018 supporting an HFC Phasedown.  So FreedomWorks was FOR the HFC phasedown before they were AGAINST it. When called out on its John Kerry, "moment", FW blamed it on an ex-staffer that left last year.  That’s a proud moment.

Overall Broad Support – The bill now addresses priorities from nearly 70 members of the Senate and has received support from more than 200 groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Alaska Power Association, the Bipartisan Policy Center, The Nature Conservancy, ClearPath, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the American Public Power Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the American Wind Energy Association, Third Way, the National Mining Association, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Corps Network, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

DOE: Additional Gas Capacity, Baseload Generation 'Critical' to Maintaining Reliability – A new analysis from DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) says that  additional natural gas pipeline capacity and baseload generation units are "critical" to maintaining grid reliability and affordable electricity in the Eastern Interconnection during extreme weather events.  According to the NETL report, a "conservative" analysis shows investment in new pipeline capacity of more than $1 billion is needed to maintain reliability, though dual-fueled plants can partially relieve peak demand. NETL's report examines the near-term economic and reliability costs associated with expanding the natural gas generation network. The analysis concludes dual-fueled plants can partially relieve peak demand for natural gas, "but it will be difficult to maintain adequate fuel availability to meet that demand when more coal and nuclear resources are lost."

EIA: Wind Largest Source of Renewables – Wind has surpassed hydropower as the top renewable energy source according to a new report from EIA, making it the most used renewable energy source in the country. Annual wind generation reached about 300 million megawatt-hours last year, about 26 million MWh more than what was produced by hydroelectricity. Wind capacity added 10 gigawatts in 2019, its second-biggest growth year. Analysts say the PTC for wind — which was set to expire last year before Congress extended it — helped drive new wind capacity.

Georgia Power orders first fuel load for Vogtle Unit 4 – Georgia Power has ordered the first nuclear fuel load for Vogtle Unit 4, completing the initial fuel order needed to operate newly-designed reactors. It is the final order for the initial startup of America's first new nuclear reactors in 30 years, and the project now approximately 84% complete. Consisting of 157 fuel assemblies with each measuring 14 feet tall, the fuel will eventually be loaded into the reactor vessels to support startup once the reactors begin operating. After the initial fueling, approximately one third of the total fuel assemblies will be replaced during each refueling outage after the units begin operating, similar to the process used at existing Vogtle units 1 & 2.  In addition, workers have successfully installed 10 of the 16 shield building courses of panels that surround the Unit 4 containment vessel. The shield building is a unique feature of the AP1000 reactor design for Vogtle 3 & 4, providing an additional layer of safety around the containment vessel and nuclear reactor to protect the structure from any potential impacts.  Vogtle 3 & 4 is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia with more than 9,000 workers currently on site, and more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

CANCELLED – CERA Week Set – The annual energy extravaganza CERAWeek 2020 has been CANCELLED. 

Super Tuesday, Part II – Tomorrow there are presidential Primary votes in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington and Idaho.

Forum to Look at Net-Zero Buildings – The U.S. Green Building Council holds its first event of the NCR's 2020 Net Zero Educational Series tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.  Speakers Joshua Galloway of New Ecology and Ben Roush of FSi Consulting Engineers will break down the basic concepts and principals behind net-zero building, and speak on their lessons learned over many net-zero projects. They will speak to the high-level economics of building a net-zero building, and how to build an affordable net zero building. They will give a high level overview of green rating systems, and take a deep dive on a few projects. Discussion will follow the presentation.

House Approps Hears From Members – The House Appropriations Interior-Environment Subcommittee holds it Member Day hearing tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.  It is the day the panel hears member requests for Project funding.

Senate Energy, House Approps Hear from Interior Secretary – The Senate Energy Committee will hold a full committee hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to examine the President’s budget request for the Department of the Interior for Fiscal Year 2021.  Secretary David Bernhardt will testify.  Bernhardt will also visit House Approps Interior/Environment panel on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

Resources Looks at Interior Sub Agencies Priorities – The House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on examining the policies and priorities of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. 

Energy Approps Panels to Host Army Corps – The House Appropriations Energy-Water Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in 2362-B Rayburn on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation budget requests for FY 2021, Then Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., Senate Approps Energy/Water panel hears from the same crew on its proposed budget estimates and justification.

NAS hosts Lecture on Ocean Plastics – The National Academy of Sciences holds its Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. on ocean plastic and scientists' view.  Dr. Chelsea Rochman has been researching those questions for more than a decade and she will describe the science behind plastic debris and explores some of the policies attempting to limit plastic pollution in our global oceans.

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 Wednesday.

Senate Enviro Hears from EPA, NRC Nominees – The Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to look at the pending nominations of Douglas Benevento to be the Deputy Administrator of EPA as well as David Wright and Chris Hanson to be members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

House Resources Marks Up – On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., House Natural Resources Committee holds a markup on 11 bills. 

Approps Panel to Look at PFAS – The House Appropriations Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. the impact of PFAS exposure on service members. Our friend Scott Faber of EWG and DoD’s Maureen Sullivan testify. 

APRA-E, EM, Science Get Budget Hearing – The House Approps Energy-Water panel holds a hearing Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. on DOE’s FY 2021 budget request for Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy, Office of Science and Environmental Management. 

Ocean Forum Set – The Consortium for Ocean Leadership holds its annual Public Policy Forum, Ascending from the Summit: Transforming U.S. Ocean Science & Technology Partnerships, on Thursday at the Reserve Officers Assn.  The event seeks to report-out from and build upon last November's joint OSTP-CEQ White House Summit on Partnerships in Ocean Science and Technology. Expanding beyond the scope of the White House Summit, speakers will offer their perspectives on critical ocean science topics during four panel discussions, honing in on what partnerships we need to explore the ocean, characterize ocean life, protect coastal health and safety, and sustain ocean observations. Throughout these four discussion topics, panelists’ insight, combined with robust audience participation to take the next steps and apply these partnerships towards strengthening our national and homeland security, growing our blue economy and ensuring the health of the ocean.

BCSE Holds Clean Energy Forum – The Business Council for Sustainable Energy holds its 2020 Clean Energy Forum on Thursday 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. The event is closed to press, but I suspect President Lisa Jacobson would be happy to discuss some of their findings and 2020 direction.

House Science Marks Up – The House Science Energy Subcommittee holds a markup on four bills on Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

House Oversight Looks at Climate Inaction – The House Oversight and Reform’s environment panel holds a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday that explores future impacts of federal inaction on climate change.

Forum to Look at Climate Workforce – The Boston University Federal Relations program holds a luncheon briefing Thursday in 385 Russell on building the next generation climate workforce.  The event will focus on innovative solutions from around the country and focus on how universities and communities are addressing climate change through solutions-oriented graduate education and workforce training.

GW Forum Looks at European Energy Security – The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs holds a discussion on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. on Europe and Eurasia's quest for better energy security and independence.  Part of the discussion will address why it matters to America. U.S. Agency for International Development Dr. Steven S. Burns and Bill Polen, Senior Director at the United States Energy Association will speak.

RFF to Host Carbon Tax Discussion -- On Friday, 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 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.

IN THE FUTURE

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.

Forum to Look at Waste, Circular Economy – The American Biogas Council (ABC) and EESI hold a briefing on Wednesday March 18^th at 2:00 p.m. in 2168 Rayburn looking at the critical role biogas systems play in our circular economy. The circular economy replaces conventional “take, make, waste” industrial models with “repurpose, reuse and recycle.” This eliminates waste and pollution and creates new economic activity responsibly with the mantra “there is no waste, only wasted material.” Briefing attendees will hear a variety of stories on how the biogas industry is supporting our circular economy by recycling materials into useful products, plus learn about the economic opportunities and challenges limiting growth of this important industry.  Speakers will Include WM’s Randy Beck, Tom Murray of VGS and Biogas Council head Patrick Serfass.

Forum Set to Discuss Compliance Monitoring – The Compliance and Enforcement Committee of the Energy Bar Association presents the 2020 Enforcers and Defenders Forum on Wednesday March 18^th at The George Washington University Law School. The Defenders panel will address the development and implementation of internal compliance and monitoring programs designed to ensure compliance with regulatory and company standards, with a focus on internal detection techniques and mechanisms, and will include representatives from Calpine, the Intercontinental Exchange, and Tenaska. The Forum also will present its popular Enforcers Panel with key representatives from the FERC, CFTC, PHMSA and ReliabilityFirst Corporation, addressing relevant enforcement and compliance issues for 2019 and other timely topics.

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 Set to Discuss Water – POLITICO hosts a forum in Denver on Thursday March 19^th that will feature a conversation on the policies and legislation needed at the state, regional and federal levels to meet the water needs of Western states and secure long-term solutions. Water is becoming increasingly scarce in the United States, particularly in the West. In the Colorado River basin demand already outstrips supply, and climate change could worsen the situation. In recent years the seven basin states have taken a collaborative approach to solving the region's water problems, but there's still a long way to go.

Forum Looks at Upstream Oil Politics in So America – On Friday, March 20^th at 12:00 p.m., the Inter-American Dialogue hosts a Petroleum & Politics Lunch for a discussion focused on how political developments will affect the upstream oil and gas picture in South America’s smaller and emerging producers.  Political developments have changed the outlook in many of South America’s smaller and emerging oil and gas producers.

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.  

Wall Street Green Event Set – The 19^th annual Wall Street Green Summit will be held at the Princeton Club in NYC on Monday March 23^rd 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. 

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.

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.