Friends,
Hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day, taking some time to celebrate the important moms in our lives. I spent the entire afternoon at DC101’s Kerfuffle with Stacey, listening to a bunch of groups she loves. I did get to hear Weezer, so that was awesome. In fact, today, while you took your car to work, I took my BOARD…
And great news for science folks…Kára McCullough, the Miss District of Columbia became Miss USA 2017 on Sunday night in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old winner is a scientist and technical reviewer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Congress continues its push toward the Memorial Day break that signals the unofficial start of summer. This week, there are a lot of committee hearings including Elaine Chao before Senate EPW on infrastructure, but the biggest is the Senate Energy Confirmation hearing of David Bernhardt to be deputy at Interior. As well, the quick turnaround by the Committee leadership also bodes well for a quick hearing on the new FERC nominees Robert Powelson and Neal Chatterjee. Speaking of Powelson, he will NOT address the NatGas Roundtable tomorrow at Noon, but will be replaced by New York Commissioner Diane X. Burman.
The Chamber also has a busy week with an event tomorrow morning with experts like IHS’s Dan Yergin discussing financial disclosure on climate issues moderated by Chamber Energy head Karen Harbert. On Wednesday, ACCF will hold a forum at the Newseum on energy policy in the 115th Congress featuring Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski, ClearPath’s Jay Faison and Alaska coop exec Meera Kohler.
Tomorrow, Clean Edge will be releasing its 8th Annual U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index. The Index offers current and historical data on all 50 states and the 50 largest metro regions. Expect to see discussions of state expansion of wind power, discussion of cities renewable efforts, clean energy jobs and much more.
Finally, Saturday is Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore, the second jewel in the Triple Crown. Derby winner Always Dreaming is expected to remain the favorite after his strong performance at Churchill and many of his key rivals have not made the trip to Baltimore. Full analysis below, but I really like Classic Empire in this race to edge out Always Dreaming. Keep both in the trifecta box with Multiplier or Conquest Mo Money.
Next week, we expect the budget to be announced on May 22nd so stay tuned…Call with questions…
Best,
Frank Maisano
(202) 828-5864
(202) 997-5932
FRANKLY SPOKEN
“We’re heartened by this trade deal for its potential to increase Chinese access to American LNG. We have had extensive negotiations with the Chinese over the last month. We have shipped LNG to 20 other countries around the globe, and are in talks to ship to more.”
Cheniere spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder following Thursday’s trade agreement with China to increase trade access for some U.S. companies to China, which is expected to include LNG exports.
PREAKNESS PREVIEW
The Pimlico Racecourse is in Baltimore and hosts both colts and geldings over a distance of 9.5 furlongs or 1 3/16 miles. It is the shortest of the Triple Crown Races. Because it is shorter, the track is more firm with slightly tighter turns and the field almost always is smaller, pacesetting horses often can just power out of the gate and run a clean race like Always Dreaming did in the Derby. The Preakness favors the fastest horses. While long shots do deliver a big upset from time to time, we tend to see the favorites perform the best at Pimlico.
The Preakness Stakes attracts more spectators than any other US race, other than the Kentucky Derby. The race was first run in the 1870s. Traditionally, the winner of the race wears a garland of yellow flowers, called Black-Eyed Susans. The purse is around $1.5 million. Post time is 6:45 p.m. and the Preakness is the 8th race of 9 on Saturday. Post Draw is Wednesday.
Derby Re-Runs – Derby winner Always Dreaming is expected to remain the favorite after his strong performance at Churchill and many of his key rivals have not made the trip to Baltimore.
There will also likely be a much smaller field. The Preakness often has the smallest field of the trio of races because the two-week turnaround can be brutal, and many teams decide to give their horses rest for the longest of the races in the Belmont. Only three horses ran in both the 2016 Derby and the Preakness. Last year, after Nyquist bested Exaggerator in the Derby, Exaggerator returned the favor in Baltimore. This gives Lookin at Lee hope that he may run down AD, but a fast, shorter track and good weather might make Classic Empire the real challenger. He had a rough trip in the 20-horse field, getting bounced around by McCracken and Irish War Cry, yet he still showed pretty well on sloppy track, McCraken and Irish faded in the stretch. He also was impacted by most bettors wagering him down just prior to post time. Very little went right for Classic Empire in the Derby, so don’t be too discouraged with his 4th place finish.
Hence and Gunnerva also run again and are potential sleepers, but both underperformed in Louisville. One of these might be good for the superfecta or trifecta box because they both have potential.
Who’s New – There will be a number of fresh horses that all have the advantage of rest. Of the newbies, Cloud Computing enters the Preakness with only three career starts, but has displayed talent from the outset, winning his career debut by almost 2 lengths despite a poor start. He has also been strong in his two other stakes tries has been training very well at Belmont Park.
Multiplier is fast and was strong in the Illinois Derby giving him the pre-race lowest odds among the new horses in the field, but limited racing and nothing as a 2-year makes him an unknown.
New Mexico-bred Conquest Mo Money had a strong effort in the April 15 Arkansas Derby, in which he contested the pace from the outset and almost held off Classic Empire at the end. Because he like to push the pace he’ll be a major player in the Preakness, giving AD more pace at the outset.
Royal Mo was another stakes winner that should have also forced a faster early pace, but he sustained an injury yesterday and is now out of the field.
Senior Investment and Term Of Art are the other longer short all with pre-race odds of 16-1 to 25-1.
Don’t Look for Sleepers Here – These longer-shot horses will be tempting, but you should keep in mind that long shots have not performed very well in past Preakness Stakes, most likely because of the shorter distance.
PICK: Stay with favorites… I like Classic Empire to get revenge over a close Always Dreaming. I’ll box them with Mo Money or Multiplier. For the Super, I’d add Gunnerva to that mix… Good Luck.
IN THE NEWS
Bodine to Head EPA Enforcement – President Trump plans to nominate Susan Bodine, chief counsel on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, to be EPA’s assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance. Bodine is the latest EPW staffer with ties to Sen. Inhofe to land at EPA. Bodine also served as assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (now the Office of Land and Emergency Management) during the last three years of the George W. Bush administration as the Senate-confirmed. My colleague Scott Segal said “Susan Bodine is a skilled professional and an accomplished lawyer in and out of government service. Her time running the waste office at EPA during the George W Bush Administration was productive and competent. Her stints as a counsel in both the House and Senate have given her the kind of perspective that comes from effective oversight of the EPA. Susan is a great pick, particularly if the Administration is contemplating any changes in the priorities at OECA.”
Cheniere Talks LNG with China – On Friday, Cheniere Energy said it has had extensive negotiations with China about increasing U.S. liquefied natural gas exports. It follows a new agreement with China – announced Thursday by the President – to increase trade access for some U.S. companies to China, which is expected to include LNG exports. Cheniere is currently the only company able to export large cargoes of LNG from the continental United States, giving it a leg up now to ink long-term contracts with China, the world’s largest growth market for gas.
SEIA Opposes Steep Import Tariffs – The Solar Energy Industries Assn is opposing a petition to the ITC by Suniva to impose import tariffs on solar cells and modules. SEIA and other petition critics say the higher prices would wreak havoc on solar electricity project economics. SEIA’s letter says granting the petition would put 260,000 jobs at risk. See the letter and a bunch of documents on the case here.
RFS Volumes Head to OMB – On Thursday, EPA forwarded its proposed 2018 biofuels requirements to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review. The agency will need the rule back by early June if it is to release a final rule by the Nov. 30 deadline. Our friend Eric Wolff at POLITICO reports that the mandate would stick with the statutory level that requires blending of 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuel, usually corn-based ethanol.
US Oil Rig Count Rises for 17th Straight Week – Baker Hughes said late last week that the U.S. rig count grew for the 17th consecutive week, increasing to a total to 712. That’s the highest level since the week of April 17, 2015. The increase extended the longest stretch of rig additions in six years, illustrating that drillers are finding efficient ways to ramp up production in a lower oil-price environment. The Baker Hughes Rig Counts are an important business barometer for the drilling industry and its suppliers. When drilling rigs are active they consume products and services produced by the oil service industry. The active rig count acts as a leading indicator of demand for products used in drilling, completing, producing and processing hydrocarbons.
Tillerson Signs Arctic Agreement – On Thursday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed a joint statement with seven other foreign ministers at the Arctic Council that calls for action to reduce greenhouse gases and cited the Paris climate change agreement. The agreement is important given the current deliberations in the White House regarding the status of the Paris agreement. The Fairbanks Declaration of 2017, also signed by Russia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, says the Arctic Council members note “the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on climate change and its implementation,” and reiterates “the need for global action to reduce both long-lived greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants,” while it reaffirms “the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the need for their realization by 2030.”
USWAG Asked for Review of Coal Ash Rule – The Utility Solid Waste Activities Group petitioned EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Friday to reconsider “specific portions” of the agency’s regulation governing coal ash. The petition argues aspects of the rule warrant changes due to legislation passed last year that included changes to permitting and enforcement provisions, and also asks the agency to put a legal challenge on ice while it reconsiders those aspects of the rulemaking.
ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
BPC Forum Looks at Power Sector – This morning at 10:30 a.m., the Bipartisan Policy Center held a discussion on how digitization can improve the efficiency and performance of the power sector across the entire value chain, from electricity production to transmission and distribution. Experts will discuss the benefits of digitization, as well as the policy challenged it faces. Speakers will include GE Power’s Steve Bolze, Exelon’s Chris Crane, NYPA’s Gil Quiniones and BPC President Jason Grumet.
Cities Water Summit Set – Invest4Resilience will host the Great Water Cities Summit 2017 forum today in New York at the Marriott Marquis for leaders from Wall Street and cities officials to share their vision, experience and expertise in how they are investing in their communities and making them more resilient. They will discuss how investments in physical and financial assets, as well as human resources, are the key to sustainable growth and a resilient future.
Interior to Host NavGen Listening Sessions – The Interior Department kicks off four listening sessions this week across Arizona to gather input on what to do about the Navajo Generating Station. Today, the Arizona Mining Association hosts a rally in Phoenix to support of the continued operation of the plant. The four utility owners announced back in February that they would end their three-quarter stake in the plant by the end of 2019.
Chamber to Discuss Financial Disclosure – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy and Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness host a forum tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. on financial markets and the role of disclosure, sustainability and the importance of materiality. The event follows a report from the Financial Stability Board calling on companies to disclose climate-related risks and will include findings from a new report by IHS Markit entitled “Climate-related Financial Risk and the Oil and Gas Sector.” Speakers include IHS Markit’s Daniel Yergin and Antonia Bullard, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School Assistant Professor J.W. Verret. The Chamber’s Karen Harbert (Energy Institute) and Brian O’Shea (Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness) will also speak.
Forum to Look at Energy Emergency Preparedness in States –Today in 334 Cannon at 12:30 p.m., the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) will hold a briefing about the key role played by the 56 governor-designated State and Territory Energy Officials, other state agencies, the private sector, and DOE. In this briefing, NASEO and state energy directors will discuss the concept of energy assurance-as well as key mitigation actions-and how State Energy Offices partner with state and local agencies and the private sector to rebuild after a natural disaster, prepare for future emergencies, and improve resiliency with energy efficiency and renewable energy. The speakers for this forum are NASEO head David Terry, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment Kylah McNabb and Kelley Smith Burk of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Clean Edge to Release Clean Tech Index – Clean Edge will be releasing its 8th annual U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index tomorrow. The Index offers current and historical data on all 50 states and the 50 largest metro regions. Expect to see discussions of state expansion of wind power, discussion of cities renewable efforts, clean energy jobs and much more.
WAPA to Host Jeep Presentation – Tomorrow at Osteria Morini (near Nationials Park), the Washington Automotive Press Association will host Jeep® for the introduction of its latest and highly anticipated compact-SUV: the all-new 2017 Jeep Compass. Compass expands the Jeep brand’s global vehicle lineup as it will be built in four countries for consumers around the world. As the most capable compact-SUV ever, the all-new 2017 Jeep Compass features legendary Jeep 4×4 capability, a sophisticated design that evokes the premium side of the Jeep family, outstanding on-road dynamics, fuel-efficient powertrains, and a host of advanced safety and technology features.
CHANGE – Powelson NOT Addressing NatGas Roundtable – The Natural Gas Roundtable will not host Pennsylvania PUC Commissioner and newly nominated FERC Commissioner Robert F. Powelson tomorrow at noon as the guest speaker at its next luncheon. Instead, he will be replaced by New York Commissioner Diane X. Burman.
Webinar to Look at Power, Voltage Issues – Power Magazine hosts a webinar tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. focused on “A New Paradigm Opens: Replacing Low-Voltage, Low-Power Drives with Medium-Voltage Solutions“. The webinar is designed to review the potential benefits and concerns of using either low-voltage or medium-voltage equipment in low-power applications. Industry expert Karl Heideck will discuss the impact medium-voltage and low-voltage equipment will have on your plant, your plant’s power grid, and motor. If you can’t attend the live session, the recording will be available to everyone that registers. All participants will receive a certificate of completion after viewing the webinar.
Forum to Look at Gen IV Nuclear Reactors – Tomorrow at Noon, the Global America Business Institute (GABI) is hosting a roundtable on molten salt reactor (MSR) technology, a Generation-IV concept that has received renewed interest in recent years from a number of advanced nuclear firms, developers, and innovators in North America. MSR technology was extensively researched in the 1960s by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), with the research work culminating in the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) test reactor, constructed in 1964 and operated until 1969. Resurgent attention on MSRs has been driven by the design’s potential for high inherent safety, efficiency, reliability, flexibility, cost-competitiveness, and proliferation resistance. MSRs can also reduce the environmental impact of nuclear waste, and can be utilized to “burn” long-lived radioactive elements in spent nuclear fuel from conventional reactors, reducing the necessary time frame of geologic containment. The theoretical advantages of MSRs have led several start-ups in the U.S. and Canada to pursue funding and investment for research, development, and ultimate commercialization of their respective MSR designs. The discussion on MSRs will be led by Mr. Ed Pheil (Founder and Chief Technology Officer) and Dr. Youssef Ballout (President) of Elysium Industries, a Boston-based advanced nuclear energy firm presently researching and developing its own molten salt reactor design.
Chao, Others head to Senate Environment to Look at Infrastructure – The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. on leveraging Federal funding and innovative solutions for infrastructure. Witnesses Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority director Tim Gatz and Aubrey Layne Jr., secretary of transportation for Virginia, among others. They will continue the hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. looking at the road forward for infrastructure with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Forum to Look at Investment Opportunities in Changing Climate – Tomorrow at 6:30 p.m., the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, D.C. will host a panel discussion to explore the current state of investment in fields such as energy, environment, and resource efficiency. Additionally, the speakers will discuss what financial, technical, and policy innovations are needed in order to continue to grow investment in the clean and resilient economy of the future. This event will kick-off an ongoing series of programs and roundtables on sustainability-oriented business opportunities and initiatives. The panel discussion will feature The Nature Conservancy President & CEO Mark Tercek, JPMorgan Chase Global Head of Sustainable Finance Matt Arnold and Hannon Armstrong President & CEO Jeff Eckel.
Hopper, Others Headline Solar Summit in AZ – Greentech Media hosts its 10th annual Solar Summit 2017 on Wednesday and Thursday in Scottsdale, AZ. Our friend Abby Hopper of SEIA will be among the speakers.
House Resources Reviews Rigs to Reefs Program – The House Resources Committee’s Energy Subcommittee will hold a hearing on reviewing recent state successes with the Rigs to Reefs Program. Witnesses will include David Bump, vice president of drilling, completions and facilities at W&T Offshore Inc.; Frank Rusco, director of natural resources and environment at the Government Accountability Office; Dale Shively, leader of the artificial reef program at the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; and Greg Stunz, director of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Faison, Murkowski Featured in ACCF Forum – The American Council on Council Formation will hold a forum on Wednesday at the Newseum on energy policy in the 115th Congress. Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski, ClearPath’s Jay Faison and Alaska coop exec Meera Kohler will discuss energy strategies aimed at innovation and production, rather than regulation. The panel will be moderated by POLITICO Deputy Energy Editor Nick Juliano.
Hearing to Look at South American Energy – The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will convene a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on energy opportunities in South America. The issue of energy in the region is a huge opportunity for advancing U.S. interests, creating jobs, and realizing economic growth. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru all have significant oil or natural gas production. Chile also hosts the world’s second-largest lithium reserves. These abundant resources coupled with recent regulatory reforms have created an opening for greater U.S. energy collaboration with countries in South America. This hearing will focus on ways our country can increase our energy engagement to benefit U.S. and regional interests. Witnesses include Jorge Pinon of the University of Texas at Austin, Lisa Viscidi, Director of Energy, Climate Change, and Extractive Industries Program at the Inter-American Dialogue and Jason Bordoff, Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Climate Reality Project Forum Look sat Carbon Pricing – The Climate Reality Project hosts a panel on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. looking at carbon pricing.
Heritage to Host Forum on Climate Impact on Poor – The Heritage Foundation hosts forum Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. featuring the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation’s latest documentary, Convicted: How Climate Alarmism Harms the World’s Poor (working title). As the sequel to Where the Grass is Greener: Biblical Stewardship vs. Climate Alarmism, Convicted delves into the deadly impacts of climate alarmism on people in developing countries, and what Biblical Stewardship requires of us: “To seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” The event will discuss why top experts risk their jobs, funding, and public reputations to oppose the politicization of science and the use of scientific theories to push social, economic, and political agendas. The science is not settled, watch Convicted: How Climate Alarmism Harms the World’s Poor to know more.
Senate Energy Holds Interior Deputy Hearing – The Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of David Bernhardt to be deputy Interior secretary Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Bernhardt served at Interior during the Bush administration in the agency’s third-highest post, and most recently chaired the natural resources practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. Bernhardt also served on President Donald Trump’s Interior Department transition team.
Resources to Discuss Western Power, Water Issues – The House Natural Resources Committee’s panel on Water, Power and Oceans will hold a hearing on Thursday focused on water rights and western power issues. It will focus on the “Western Area Power Administration Transparency Act;” and the “Water Rights Protection Act. Witnesses include South Bend, Ind mayor Pete Buttigieg, Hattiesburg, Miss. mayor Johnny DuPree, Hamilton County, Ohio commissioner Todd Portune, Ohio EPA director Craig Butler, William Spearman of WE3 Consultants and NRDC’s Lawrence Levine.
House Approps Panel Looks at AVs – The House Transportation Approps Panel will hold a hearing Thursday at 10:00 p.m. on how to fit in new transportation technologies like self-driving cars and drones into existing government expenses. Witnesses include Rand’s Nidhi Kalra, Mykel Kochenderfer of the Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets CEO David Strickland and Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
CSIS to Host Book Talk by SEJer Lisa Palmer – On Thursday at 4:00 p.m., the Center for Strategic & International Studies will host a book forum for our SEJ friend Lisa Palmer as she continues the launch of her new book, Hot, Hungry Planet. Palmer shares what she has learned from her research and reporting. She focuses on three key concepts that support food security and resilience in a changing world: social, educational, and agricultural advances; land use and technical actions by farmers; and policy nudges that have the greatest potential for reducing adverse environmental impacts of agriculture while providing more food. Palmer will be joined by experts on global food security for a panel discussion and will take questions from the audience.
Energy Economist to Hear From Schlumberger Exec – On Friday, May 19th at 12:00 p.m., the National Capital Chapter of the US Assn of Energy Economists will host a forum on shale and tight oil with Schlumberger exec Robert Kleinberg. The geography of the earth has changed radically over its history. Some of those changes are responsible for the accumulations of oil and gas we find today. Using the principles of organic geochemistry, Robert will show how the collision of continents hundreds of millions of years ago created the great Devonian and Mississippian shale plays: Marcellus, Fayetteville, Woodford, and Barnett.
CA to Hold Public Hearing on Retail Electricity Choice – The CPUC and the California Energy Commission will hold a joint en banc hearing on Friday in Sacramento with Commissioners of both agencies attending to discuss the changing state of retail electric choice in California.
IN THE FUTURE
WINDPOWER Set for Anaheim – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the national trade association that represents the interests of America’s wind energy industry, will hold its annual WINDPOWER 2017 Forum in Anaheim on May 22nd to 25th. Cali Senate President Kevin de León, the California Senate’s most powerful member and legislative champion of the state’s hallmark 50% renewable energy standard law passed in 2015, will provide a keynote address at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, directly preceding AWEA’s Industry Leaders Panel – the marquee General Session panel at WINDPOWER. The discussion will feature Tristan Grimbert, President and CEO of EDF Renewable Energy and incoming Board Chair of AWEA; Pete McCabe, Vice President, Onshore Wind, GE Renewable Energy; Karen Lane, CFO, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Onshore Americas; and Greg Wolf, CEO of Leeward Renewable Energy. This year’s panel will cover implementation of wind energy into the 2020s, opportunities in tax reform, emerging political issues, and more.
CSIS to Host Oil, LNG Balance Discussion – The CSIS Energy and National Security Program is hosting Fereidun Fesharaki, Founder and Chairman of FGE on Tuesday May 23rd at 10:00 a.m. for a presentation and discussion on the current state of global oil and gas markets, one balancing as the other appears to tip toward imbalance. Oil markets are struggling to reach a balance, and with robust demand growth and continued OPEC cutbacks, a balance might be reached in the 2017/2018 period. LNG markets are facing a prolonged period of imbalance, perhaps through about 2023, before a balance can be reached. While many advocate new U.S. LNG projects, around 50% of the projects currently under construction have still not been sold to end users. Fesharaki’s work is recognized worldwide for pioneering oil and gas market analysis since the early 1980s. Born in Iran, he received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Surrey in England. He then completed a visiting fellowship at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He joined the East West Center in 1979, where he led the Energy program for two decades. FGE offices are spread around the world in 8 locations with heavy emphasis on Asia and the Middle East.
Forum to Look at Biogas – The American Biogas Council (ABC), the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (CRNG) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) will host a briefing on Tuesday May 23rd looking at the untapped energy in domestic wastes. Waste streams-including manure, agricultural waste, waste water, food scraps and landfill gases-can be converted to biogas and upgraded to renewable natural gas (RNG) for electricity, pipeline injection, or vehicle use, while also providing valuable products such as fertilizer and compost. Currently, most waste streams represent a missed opportunity. State waste resources are diverse and numerous. The event will address the potential resources in their states, as well as economic and job opportunities, and policy drivers. The speakers for this forum are American Biogas Council exec Patrick Serfass, Lauren Toretta of CH4 Biogas, Grant Zimmerman of ampCNG, Avant Energy’s Brian Meek and others.
NatGas Summit Set – The 2017 RNG Summit Industry, Policy & Regulatory Forum will be held on Tuesday May 23rd at the American Gas Assn. Organized by the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) and the American Biogas Council (ABC), in collaboration with Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica), the summit will be attended by companies throughout the renewable natural gas, biogas, and natural gas vehicles industries, as well as participants from various energy, environmental, and renewable energy organizations. Bioenergy Technologies Office Technology Manager David Babson will be speaking at the summit on the U.S. Department of Energy’s work related to renewable natural gas and biogas. The 2017 RNG Summit will focus on how 2017 is shaping up to impact the present and future of the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry. The event will feature an afternoon of gaining insight into the current state of the U.S. RNG and biogas industries. Attendees will gain access to timely updates on central regulatory and policy discussions on issues impacting RNG. Speakers include executives of companies in the waste, fuels, and transportation industries who will highlight the importance of developing and using RNG from North America’s vast supply of organic feedstocks.
Mexico Gas Summit Set – The 3rd Mexico Gas Summit will be held in San Antonio, Texas at the St. Anthony hotel on May 24th and 25th. Organized by Industry Exchange, this oil and gas event brings together internationally recognized industry speakers, investors, government officials, and C level executives from the energy, infrastructure, and transportation industries. The geographic scope for the event will cover Mexico as a region with a strong focus on the opportunities associated with Gulf Coast onshore oil and gas exploration and production, midstream infrastructure, gas commercialization and the recent opening of the refined fuels market.
Shaheen, Forum to Launch Russian Gas Paper – The Atlantic Council and the Free Russia Foundation will launch of a new Atlantic Council policy paper, The Kremlin’s Gas Games in Europe: Implications for Policy Makers on Wednesday, May 24th at 2:00 p.m. in 216 Hart. In The Kremlin’s Gas Games in Europe, Ilya Zaslavskiy presents policy recommendations for US and European policy makers as the European Union negotiates Gazprom’s latest pipeline project, Nord Stream 2. Examining previous Gazprom pipeline projects, the author argues that while Gazprom presents itself as an independent competitive firm, it has a consistent track record of acting as an arm of the Kremlin’s foreign and economic policy. Nord Stream 2, Mr. Zaslavskiy concludes, will present a major challenge to European law and EU principles and jeopardize the security interests of the United States and its European allies. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen delivers the keynote Address, followed by a panel with CSIS expert Edward Chow and AC’s Bud Coote. Our friend Emily Meredith, Deputy Bureau Chief of Energy Intelligence, will moderate.
Grid Infrastructure Event Set – WIRES in conjunction with the House Grid Innovation Caucus, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the GridWise Alliance, and EESI will host a WIRES University seminar on Thursday May 25th that explores an oft-neglected the high voltage electric transmission grid. This whole-day session explains the grid’s importance as an enabler of markets and new technology as the economy becomes more thoroughly electrified. Our grid must also adapt to a distributed energy future which calls for a smarter and more flexible network. This session delves into the details of why modernizing our high-voltage grid infrastructure is more critical than ever, given the age of the nation’s transmission facilities, the fundamental changes occurring in electric generation, and the demands on the system. Expansion and upgrade of the grid will make it more resilient and deliver increased economic, environmental, and consumer benefits in the range of $50 billion annually. Speakers, including leaders from Congress, regulatory agencies, industry, and think tanks, will examine what challenges need to be overcome to upgrade our transmission system. Policymakers and regulators play a critical role in our nation’s energy infrastructure, and there is much room for improved coordination and planning. A full agenda is forthcoming. Panels will address grid modernization, transmission’s role as a strategic asset and an enabler, regulatory and financial challenges, and the role that the wired network plays in the distributed energy environment, clean energy, and in tech innovation environments.
Forum to Look at Vietnam Climate Issues – The PISA-ASEAN Roundtable Series on Climate-Smart Development and Chino Cienega Foundation hosts a forum Thursday at GWU’s Elliott School. As one of the country’s most vulnerable to climate change, the Vietnamese government has been forthright in addressing the issue through public media. Having worked with youth and local communities on environmental advocacy, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Ly will share her views on public understanding of climate change and its implications.
Forum to Look at Infrastructure – The Hudson Institute will host a timely conversation on June 8 at Noon about the importance of modernizing America’s infrastructure to spur sustained economic growth and job creation and improve the quality of life for all Americans. U.S. Senator John Boozman will offer his perspective in opening remarks drawing on his experiences serving on the Committee on the Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. A panel discussion will follow the senator’s remarks featuring the Aubrey Layne, Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation;, former Federal Transit Administration chief counsel David Horner; former senior deputy mayor and COO of Indianapolis under Mayor Steve Goldsmith Skip Stitt, author of Hudson’s recent report Infrastructure Spending and Public-Private Partnerships and Jennifer Aument, a commissioner for the Virginia Port Authority and Group General Manager, North America at Transubran.
Security Experts to Address Methanol Policy Forum – The Methanol Institute will hold its Methanol Policy Forum on June 13th at the National Press Club. The Forum will include a special luncheon discussion: Energy Security through Fuel Choice, which features a conversation with the U.S. Energy Security Council experts like former National Security Advisor Robert C. McFarlane, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former President of Shell Oil Company John Hofmeister, former White House Counsel and Ambassador to the EU C. Boyden Gray and former Louisiana Senator and Senate Energy Bennett Johnston. Our friend Joe Cannon and other will speak on panels as well.
EIA Energy Conference Set – The 2017 EIA Energy Conference is scheduled for June 26-27 in Washington, DC.
Global Security Forum Set – The Center for a New American Security hosts its 2017 Annual Conference in partnership with The Washington Post on Wednesday, June 28th at The Mayflower Hotel. This year’s conference will bring together U.S. national security policymakers and experts to highlight major divides and identify potential bipartisan solutions. CNAS is an independent and nonpartisan research institution that develops strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense policies.
Congressional Renewable Expo Set – The 20th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum will be held on Tuesday, July 11th from at 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In Rayburn.