Energy Update: Week of May 1st

Friends,

What a fun weekend at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday with Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr hosting and President Biden attending. There were a lot of good jokes, some serious takes and the President was on his game.

And before we get started, I am happy to announce Bracewell’s PRG has added former API regulatory lawyer Kyle Spencer to our team of policy experts. Kyle will work on rulemaking comments, Hill engagement and other legislative/policy action.  And if you need somebody for your charity/fundraiser foursome, rumor has it he is a scratch golfer!!! 

This Saturday is a BIG DAY when the 149^th Kentucky Derby runs for the Roses. This year’s race features a crop of three-year-old colts that are evenly matched making it difficult to handicap as there are 8-10 strong win contenders. The favorite is 2022 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champion, Forte. There also is a strong international presence with two intriguing Japanese horses (Derme Sotogake/Mandarin Hero) that could make history if they win. (Foreign horses tend to underperform in the Derby, but we’ll see).  Others to watch: Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, Practical Move and KIngsbarns.  If you are looking for a longer shot, Hit Show and Two Phils are both solids likely in the 20-1 range and Rocket Can and Raising Cain are higher and have shown promise to take as flyer.  PREDICTION:  I love Tapit Trice, and with the best Beyer Speed Figure, Two Phils is sure to be a gamer. Finally, I don’t think Forte wins, but definitely use him in any box/exotic bets because he will be in the mix.

The 2023 Offshore Technology Conference is this week in Houston.  It’s one of the largest offshore industry conferences in the world and has expanded way beyond oil/gas with lots of wind and deep-sea mining discussions. To that end, both Gerard Barron of The Metals Company (Wednesday) and Chris Lee, Tidal Energy CEO (today) both speak on new industries. 

This week, the House is in recess after Republicans won their big debt limit victory and they expect to start looking at how to start finding common ground on permitting. My colleague Liam Donovan and I both had takes over the weekend: mine with Julie Mason and his on The Dispatch.

The hearing schedule this week includes Senate Energy hosting Interior Secretary Haaland tomorrow, Secretary Granholm at Senate Energy/Water Approps on Wednesday (although this may change with Granholm having COVID) as well as EPA’s Regan at Senate EPA/Interior Approps and Senate Energy hosting FERC Commissioners on Thursday.  Despite being out, House Resources Energy panel will hold a field hearing in Minnesota examining the copper mine issue in northern Minnesota, looking at local and national benefits of critical mineral mining there.

Off the Hill, OurEnergyPolicy hosts a webinar Wednesday to discuss the role of biofuels in the nation's energy transition. The panel features DOE’s Reyhaneh Shenassa. There will be plenty to chat about during the panel after EPA on Friday said it would allow the sale of higher-ethanol gasoline, or E15.  On Thursday, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) holds a conversation on current events in Congress including the debt ceiling negotiations, clean energy IRA provisions and permitting reform.

I hoped you watched both Game 7s in last night’s Stanley Cup playoffs… Both Boston (record President’s Cup Season) and Colorado (defending Cup Champs) were bounced out. The First Round ends tonight with NY Rangers-NJ Devils Game 7. Friday is Cinco de Mayo, so get those margarita machines ready for happy hour!!! 

                                                                                                            

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“It’s becoming almost comical: The gap between what European policy makers are saying and what’s happening on the ground is absurd.”

Morten Dyrholm, a senior VP with Denmark-based wind turbine giant Vestas in a Wall Street Journal feature on hurdles facing renewables developers in Europe. (Hat Tip: Ben Geman, Axios Generate)

“Mr. President, you seem to have left some of your classified documents up here on the podium.”

Roy Wood Jr. to President Biden at Saturday Evening’s White House Correspondents Dinner as he started his monologue.

 

ON THE PODCAST

Talking Clean Energy, Debt Limit, GHGs – On Friday afternoon, I joined my friend Julie Mason on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. 124 to discuss the debt limit passage and Its clean energy provisions, EPA’s coming GHG rules for power plants and the latest EPA fuel economy rule that favors EVs.

Liam Talks Debt Limit, Politics – Over the Weekend, my colleague Liam Donovan joined Dispatch Podcast Host Mike Warren to breakdown the strategy behind House leadership: from negotiations with the "Five Families" to Steve Scalise being a “bit player” for McCarthy.

 

FUN OPINIONS

Blas: Get Ready for Lower Fuel Prices – In his column in Bloomberg Opinion, Javier Blas writes additional refining capacity is coming online which should have a calming effect on fuel prices.

He adds it should lower fuel prices and slow inflation. The world is building new refineries and expanding older ones at a speed unseen in nearly two generations. It may sound counterintuitive given efforts to ease the climate emergency, but oil demand continues to grow and, to accommodate that, oil companies are  again investing billions.

 

FROG BLOG

Yale 360: Solar Recycling Could Be Key Success – In a blog post for Yale Environment 360, our friend Jon Hurdle writes as millions of solar panels age out, recyclers hope to cash in. Solar panels have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years, but they contain valuable metals, including silver and copper. With a surge of expired panels expected soon, companies are emerging that seek to recycle the reusable materials and keep the panels out of landfills.

 

FUN FACTS

Global Emissions: A great chart on emissions.

 

 

IN THE NEWS

API, LEPA Report Shows Strengthened Pipeline Safety Performance – The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association (LEPA) today released their 2023-2025 Pipeline Excellence Strategic Plan and 2022 Performance Report, outlining the pipeline industry’s continuing record of safety performance and vision for addressing evolving challenges operators face. This year’s report found that the safety of liquids pipelines increased across several key indicators, even as pipeline mileage and barrels delivered have increased. The 2022 report shows that in the past five years, liquids pipeline safety has increased across several key performance indicators identified by federal and state regulators, industry operators and public safety advocates. Comprehensive safety management systems and robust safety programs, including advanced inspection and leak detection technologies, help operators safely deliver energy to Americans every day. Based on data tracked and maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA):

• Total pipeline incidents decreased 28% over the last 5 years, with 112 fewer incidents in 2022 compared to 2018, and liquids pipeline incidents impacting people or the environment decreased 16%. 
• Operations and maintenance incidents impacting people or the environment declined 52% between 2018 and 2022. In these areas, incidents caused by incorrect operation decreased by 45%, while equipment failure decreased 42%.

Venture Global to Supply LNG to Japan – Venture Global LNG announced a deal to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan's JERA for 20 years. Venture Global will sell 1 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG to JERA, Japan's biggest power generator and one of the world's biggest LNG buyers, from its CP2 LNG project.. CP2 LNG is Venture Global's third project and is expected to start construction later this year. So far, over a third of its nameplate capacity had been sold.

Letter Urges Funding for Transmission -- A letter signed by a multi-sector coalition of over 40 clean energy organizations, environmental groups, developers, manufacturers, labor and consumer groups, and other nonprofits was sent to Congress today urging robust funding for high-capacity transmission deployment and research through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fiscal Year 2024 budget. In the letter, the organizations highlight the abundance of new research, including DOE’s draft Transmission Needs Study, emphasizing the “pressing need for additional electric transmission infrastructure” in nearly all regions of the country. They state that increased funding for the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), Office of Electricity (OE), and Energy Information Administration (EIA) “is critical to drive substantial clean energy deployment, unleash billions in private investment, create thousands of new jobs, deliver low-cost energy to benefit customers, and substantially reduce emissions.” In the letter, the organizations encourage Congress to consider the following:

• Funding for the GDO to support innovative efforts to address planning and permitting challenges to enable a resilient and reliable electricity system;
• Support for GDO to designate National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors on a route-specific, applicant-driven basis;
• Funding for the OE to help ensure our electric grid is resilient to increasingly severe weather, cyber, and physical attacks;
• Robust investment in the Transmission Reliability and Resilience and Applied Grid Transformation Solutions programs;
• Additional funding for the EIA to upgrade its emissions data dashboard.

ACORE Report Looks at Transmission, Grid Operators – As many grid operators evaluate how to adapt their markets for the renewable energy transition, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and Grid Strategies are releasing two white papers today to help guide needed reforms in two of the largest electricity markets in the United States: PJM Interconnection (PJM) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). The companion reports, produced in collaboration with the American Clean Power Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association, address the critical need for PJM, MISO, and other regional grid operators to create a level playing field for all resources. That includes ensuring that energy and ancillary service market rules allow renewable and battery storage resources to provide and be compensated for all of their reliability services, and also removing rules that unintentionally subsidize inflexible resources. The reports offer the following recommendations for reforms that both MISO and PJM can implement:

• Use markets to reduce out-of-market actions and ensure that the market rules do not reward resources for their inflexibility.
• Increase energy market price caps to better reflect the value of reliability and incentivize real-time performance and flexibility.
• Improve market transparency and efficiency by using more direct mechanisms to counter market power.
• Improve transmission utilization both within PJM and MISO, and at seams with neighboring grid operators, to decrease congestion costs, curtailment, and market power.

In addition, the reports recommend steps to reduce over-procurement in PJM’s capacity market to strengthen energy market price signals and suggest reforming MISO’s voluntary capacity market to better incentivize performance and flexibility.

BOEM Announces Gulf of Maine Call for Information – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) last week published the Gulf of Maine’s Call for Information and Nominations which invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. ACP’s Josh Kaplowitz said a robust lease sale in the Gulf of Maine will position the region as a global leader in floating offshore wind manufacturing and deployment. ”Offshore wind can be built in the Gulf of Maine in a manner that will allow this industry, commercial fishing and ocean ecosystems to coexist and thrive.” 

ACORE Report Detail Best Hydrogen Tax Approach for Success – As the Treasury Department designs the guidance that will determine which projects qualify for the 45V clean hydrogen Production Tax Credit (PTC) included in IRA, a new analysis from ACORE and Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3) compares the carbon emissions and production costs associated with the two primary accounting approaches: an “hourly match” requirement versus an “annual match” requirement. The report, Analysis of Hourly & Annual GHG Emissions: Accounting for Hydrogen Production, finds that the annual matching approach leads to lower carbon emissions than hourly matching in 25 out of the 40 scenarios studied. These scenarios were evaluated across four energy markets, with different combinations of additional wind and solar capacity for both 2025 and 2030. For 34 out of the 40 scenarios, the emissions under the annual matching approach were less than the minimum threshold required to receive the full PTC credit. Results from the report's modeling show that annual matching could have a positive climate impact by incentivizing hydrogen producers to operate when electricity is cheap and deliver renewables when electricity is expensive.

 

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

OTC Launches in Houston – The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) will be held in Houston today through Thursday. In 2023, OTC will bring a host of new panels and speakers debating and discussing the pressing topics facing the offshore energy sector. Whether it's oil and gas, wind, hydrogen, or other marine resources, OTC provides a central hub for the best and brightest minds in offshore energy. Session topics range from offshore wind, renewables, carbon capture, and energy transition to drilling, completions, and reservoir engineering. Speakers this year include Metals Company CEO Gerard Barron.

Forum to Look at GHG Fund – The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and the Coalition for Green Capital holds their Solutions Summit tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. focused on building an equitable workforce for the greenhouse gas reduction fund. The series of discussions on the labor implications of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established by the Inflation Reduction Act. Panelists will address perspectives of business and labor groups on wages, training, and recruitment; compliance requirements with federal labor and product standards; and strategies for building an inclusive workforce that aligns with the Justice40 Initiative. During this event, experts will discuss how businesses and organizations can build an inclusive and reliable workforce for the energy transition. Sen Ed Markey is among the speakers.

Senate Energy Hosts Haaland – The Senate Energy Committee holds a hearing tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. on the President's Budget Request for the US Department of the Interior for FY2024.Secreatry Haaland will testify so I would expect some oil/gas fireworks.

Senate Approps Looks at Conservation – The Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on advancing security and prosperity through international conservation.

Senate Banking to Review Flood Insurance – The Senate Banking Committee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program.  The Aim is to improve community resilience.

Wilson to Hold Asia Energy Forum – The Kennan Institute and the International Tax and Investment Center will host a conference at the Wilson Center tomorrow morning to provide a platform for experts, academics and policymakers to discuss the vital issues surrounding the impact of the war in Ukraine on Central Asia’s economic and geopolitical development. This event will consist of two panel discussions that address energy and security. Keynote speakers are Ambassador Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the US and the State Department’s Geoffrey Pyatt.

WRI Looks at GHG Protocol – Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., Worldwatch Institute holds a seminar on the GHG Protocol Standards Update process. The GHG Protocol secretariat will review key themes presented by stakeholders in the recently concluded Scope 2 Guidance survey responses and proposal submissions. In this webinar, the GHG Protocol secretariat will review key themes presented by stakeholders in the recently concluded Scope 2 Guidance survey responses and proposal submissions.

Forum Looks at Energy Resilience – The Clean Energy States Alliance holds a forum tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on the Department of Defense’s clean energy and energy resilience programs and policies. This will provide an introduction for state and local policy makers about DoD’s clean energy & energy resilience policies and programs and explore case studies of DoD’s active partnerships with local governments and utilities to make mutually beneficial resilience investments.

House Resources Field Hearing Looks at Mining Critical Minerals – The House Resources Energy and Mineral Subcommittee will hold a field hearing tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. in Minnesota to assess the local and national benefits of critical mineral mining in the region. Witnesses at the hearing will include representatives from Talon Metals Corp., a geologist from Minnesota-based consulting firm and the owner of the Northwind Lodge, a family-owned resort near Ely. Members expected to attend include Reps. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Larry Bucshon and Greg Pence of Indiana, Mike Collins of Georgia, Russ Fulcher of Idaho and Rob Wittman of Virginia.

NJ Offshore Wind Forum Set for Glassboro – The Steve Sweeney Center for Public Policy holds a conference on offshore wind technology in New Jersey at Rowan University’s Chamberlain Student Center on Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is bringing together top government leaders, industry officials and academics to look at sustainability, emerging markets and policy. Also on Wednesday, New Jersey Republican lawmakers are holding their own independent hearing on whale and dolphin deaths and other wind farm concerns at 9:45 a.m.

Forum Looks at China Biodiversity – The Wilson Center's China Environment Forum holds a discussion on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. looking at China's biodiversity action at home and overseas. At this meeting, speakers will delve into China's efforts to protect biodiversity at home and in its overseas investments.

Senate Budget Looks at Cost of Fossil Fuels – The Senate Budget Committee holds a hearing on the cost of fossil fuels on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Witnesses include Niskanen Center President Ted Gayer, Nicole Deziel of Yale and Heritage’s Diana Furchtgott-Roth.

Senate Approps Hosts DOE – The Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee holds a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. for a review of the FY2024 Budget Request for DOE, including the National Nuclear Security Administration.  Secretary Granholm testifies, alongside NNSA’s Jill Hruby.  THIS MAY BE CHANGED as it was announced this morning that Sect. Granholm has COVID.

Senate Approps Panel Host EPA – The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies will meet Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to review the Biden administration’s proposed budget for EPA for fiscal 2024. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will testify.

Senate Environment Talks Army Corps – The Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. focused on the 2024 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers budget and implementation of Water Resources Development Act of 2022.

OEP Looks at Biofuel Policy – OurEnergyPolicy holds a forum on Wednesday at Noon featuring a discussion on the role biofuels have in the U.S. energy transition, developing sustainable feedstocks, and deploying emerging technologies. Speakers include DOE’s Reyhaneh Shenassa, RFA’s Troy Bredenkamp, Joanne Ivancic of Advanced Biofuels and Montana State’s Dilpreet Bajwa.

Senate Energy Hosts FERC Commissioners – The Senate Energy Committee holds a hearing on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. focused on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC Commissioners testify.

EPRI to Host Hydrogen Series – EPRI and Hydrogen Forward holds its second event that will highlight critical elements in the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure. Over two sessions, EPRI and Hydrogen Forward discusses the roadblocks and opportunities these areas will bring as hydrogen is increasingly being deployed economy-wide. On Thursday at 10:00 a.m., they will look at analyzing the important role of active community engagement in successful infrastructure development by enabling efficient project buildout.

USEA Holds Discussion of Utilities, EVs – The US Energy Assn holds another media forum on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. to discuss Utilities and increased demand from an expansion of EVs. Experts include EEI’s Phil Dion, Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud of ConEdison, Duke Energy’s Lon Huber, Kyle Pynn of Burns & McDonnell and Zpryme’s Erin Autin. Among the media questions include Jen Hiller of the WSJ, Herman Trabish of UDive and Forbes columnist Ken Silverstein.

CRES Leaders Talk Debt, Permit, IRA – On Thursday at 11:30 a.m., Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) holds a conversation on current events in Congress including the debt ceiling negotiations, clean energy IRA provisions and permitting reform.

CATO Holds Enviro Book Forum – The Cato Institute holds a book discussion on Thursday at Noon looking at the book "Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet's Biggest Problems," The event will focus on small, decentralized technologies, like smartphone apps, rather than sweeping top-down government programs. Author Tom Myers will be Joined By our friend Jonathan Adler.

Forum Looks at Carbon Border Adjustment – The Washington International Trade Association and the U.S. Council for International Business hold a virtual discussion on Friday at 10:00 a.m. looking for synergies on carbon border adjustment mechanisms. Panelists will look at efforts at the OECD, G7 and WTO to develop policies that seek to leverage trade to deploy cleaner energy and technology while avoiding unilateralism and counter-productive trade disruptions.

 

IN THE FUTURE

Forum Looks at Climate Finance in Latin America – The Inter-American Dialogue holds a forum next Monday at 11:00 a.m. looking at climate finance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Experts will explore financing solutions to trigger public-private partnerships, technical assistance, climate debt relief schemes, and reformed lending practices from multilateral development banks and international financial institutions.

CSIS Looks at Hydrogen Tax Credit Tiff – The CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program will host a forum next Monday at 1:00 p.m.  on implementation of the 45V Hydrogen Production Tax Credit will define the emissions intensity and cost competitiveness of this emerging resource. This conversation will focus on 45V implementation with experts who are modeling the potential impacts of time-matching, additionality, and deliverability requirements. Anne-Sophie Corbeau (Columbia University), John Larsen (Rhodium Group), and Wilson Ricks (Princeton University) will discuss how 45V could affect production growth, downstream adoption of emerging applications, and economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions.

Forum Looks at Super Pollutants in China – On Tuesday May 9^th at 9:00 a.m., the Woodrow Wilson Center holds a webinar on tackling climate super pollutants in China. Drawing on his recent reporting, Philip McKenna of Inside Climate News will share the mystery of the major drop and rebound of nitrous oxide emissions at adipic acid chemical plants in China. Kate Logan (Asia Society Policy Institute) will explore the relevance of super climate pollutants in rebuilding U.S.-China climate cooperation and how their growing importance is shaping the multilateral climate process and UC Berkeley’s Jiang Lin will discuss the broad policy challenges and promising opportunities for China to regulate and abate climate super pollutants.

Forum on CCS Set -- The Global Carbon Capture & Storage Institute holds a day-long DC Forum on Carbon Capture and Storage on Tuesday May 9^th starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.  The event is an opportunity for policymakers, industry leaders, NGOs, journalists, and financial institutions, to gather and discuss the rise of CCS in the Americas, and its place on the path to net-zero emissions and reaching global climate goals. Keynote Speaker is LA Gov. John Bel Edwards and White House TSTP Sally Benson will join for a Fireside chat.

Forum Looks at Carbon Removal in WV – On Tuesday May 9^th at 1:00 p.m., American University’s Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy holds a webinar on the prospects for carbon dioxide removal in West Virginia.  West Virginia's unique geology, abundant forests, and energy-centric economy provide a propitious environment for the development of a carbon dioxide removal sector.

EPRI Energy/Climate Seminar Set – The Electric Power Research Institute holds its 26^th Annual Energy and Climate Research Seminar on Wednesday May 10^th and Thursday May 11^th.  Grid Deployment Office Director Maria Robinson, Senate Majority Leader LA Tim Ryder, American Forests President and CEO Jad Daley and many others will speak on energy and environmental topics of interest to the U.S. energy sector including climate science understanding, policy perspectives, decarbonization technologies and research priorities.

Energy Forum Features Former Energy Secretary, Now Sempra Head; Gevo CEO – US Energy Stream’s 8^th annual Washington Energy Summit will be on May 10^th -11^th at the Cosmos Club of Washington, DC. Former Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and President of Sempra Infrastructure will be the Industry Keynote Speaker. Sustainable Aviation Fuel maker Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber will also speak. At the Washington Energy Summit, speakers include U.S. Senators, U.S. Congressmen and senior U.S. government officials, together with top energy leaders to provide market intelligence and enable solutions. This year’s topic is: “Shaping the Global Energy Industry Together: How can the United States Government Better Collaborate with Energy Leaders?” Other speakers include Sen. Ted Cruz, Reps. Dan Crenshaw, Vincente Gonzales, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Kelly Armstrong and many more. 

EESI Holds Forum on Farm Bill, Climate Issues – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) holds a briefing on Tuesday May 10^th at 1:30 p.m. on promising win-wins made possible by Farm Bill provisions. During this briefing, panelists will explain how the Farm Bill helps agricultural producers and communities drive down greenhouse gas emissions while also building climate and economic resilience, with discussions of the role of agroforestry, urban agriculture, distributed energy resources, and agricultural research and innovation.

DOE Hold Geothermal Summit – The U.S. Department of Energy holds its Enhanced Geothermal Shot Summit on Thursday May 11^th starting at 10:30 a.m. Federal, state, private sector, science, labor union, and environmental justice representatives will dive into how to achieve the Enhanced Geothermal Shot’s goal - to dramatically reduce the cost of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) by 90%, to $45 per megawatt hour by 2035.

Forum Looks at Science-Based Faith Targets – On Friday May 12^th at 9:00 a.m., the Georgetown Global Cities Initiative and the World Resources Institute holds a webinar on a new report looking at science-based targets for faith. The webinar will explore the future steps necessary to advance a global standard for faith-based organizations (FBOs) to measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement. The discussion will be based on the progress report on the WRI-Georgetown Science-based Targets for Faith project presented during the previous day's private convening with faith-based organizations and leaders. During this meeting, leaders and practitioners in faith-based organizations shared their organizational management practices, methods for collecting energy data, managing energy performance, and setting Science-Based-Targets (SBTs).

BioGas American Set for Chicago – The American Biogas Council holds 2023 BioGas Americas in Chicago at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk on May 15^th to 18^th. The event is the biggest event in the US for biogas/RNG.

Forum to Look at Energy Transition – NYU’s Institute for Policy Integrity holds a forum on Monday May 15^th at 2:00 p.m. on energy insecurity and energy transitions obstacles and opportunities.  Panelists will share takeaways from their research and policy work at the nexus of energy insecurity and energy transitions. After a discussion of how to identify and measure energy insecurity, panelists will share their findings on how the energy security of low-income populations might be affected by different aspects of the energy transition. Panelists will also examine possible solutions, such as energy cost assistance programs and post-crisis opportunities. Finally, panelists will reflect on their research design strategies for ensuring that their research processes and results serve and benefit the communities they are engaging.

Forum Features Chatterjee – On Tuesday May 15^th at Noon, the R St. Institute hold a conversation on reforms that can enable interregional transmission development and cost-effectively bolster energy resilience. Speaker will include former FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee and Electricity Consumers Resource Council CEO Karen Onaran, among others.

POLITICO Energy Summit Set -- POLITICO is holding its 2023 Energy Summit on May 18^th at 12:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C., at The Schuyler. The Forum will dig into clean energy technologies and innovation, including wind energy, solar power and battery technologies as well as the electrification of the transportation sector, while acknowledging the larger political forces that will shape any policy wins. Speakers will include Sen Ed Markey, White House Infrastructure Advisor Mitch Landrieu, Ali Zaidi and several more.

Climate Prep Conference Set – The Climate Change Preparedness Conference 2023 is set for Washington, DC from May 18-20^th. The three-day event unites climate experts, governments official and policymakers, community organizer. youth leaders, environmental professionals and other stakeholders from around the country to focus on adaptive solutions to foster climate resilience. Speakers include DOE’s Aaron Fuller, Tao Wang of the Word Bank, USDA’s Joaquin Altoro and former CEQ Head Nancy Sutley, now of LADWP.

WINDPOWER Set for New Orleans – America’s Clean Power holds Its annual WINDERPOWER Conference in New Orleans May 22-25^th.  The event is the renewable energy industry’s premier event. CLEANPOWER brings together policy leaders, industry experts, and clean energy companies together to grow the industry. CLEANPOWER unites the most knowledgeable minds in clean energy to chart the future of this powerful industry and discuss the opportunities ahead. John Podesta and Sen John Kennedy are Keynote speakers and Our friends Marty Durbin of the Chamber’s GEI and Amy Andryszak of INGAA

USEA Policy Forum Set – On May 25^th, the US Energy Assn holds its annual membership meeting and Policy Forum at the Ronald Reagan Building From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Carbon Pipeline Hearing Set for Iowa – PHMSA provided notice of a public meeting it will hold on CO2 pipeline safety from May 31^st to June 1^st in Des Moines, Iowa. The meeting will “serve as an opportunity for pipeline stakeholders to help inform pipeline safety-related rulemaking decisions and share information surrounding CO2 pipeline safety. Key stakeholders include the public, states, tribal governments, other federal agencies, industry, and international regulators and/or organizations.”

Finance Forum Set for NYC – The ACORE Finance Forum returns to New York City on June 7-8^th. This year, leaders from across the renewable transaction landscape will assess risk mitigation amidst uncertainties regarding IRA implementation, inflation, permitting challenges and transmission constraints. With a great deal of capital ready to flow into the renewable sector, don’t miss this opportunity to learn how experts are navigating the possibilities and growth-driven challenges.