Energy Update: Week of November 11

Friends,

Happy Veterans' Day to the many that have served. Words always seem so insufficient to honor your service and all you do for our freedoms.  Please support corporate, trade association and private programs that aim to get veterans to work in high quality jobs.  NRECA, EEI, API, Southern Company and the Call of Duty Endowment are among the great organizations all doing the necessary and essential work.   Here is a great list of other programs from the Atlantic Council, including the Veterans in Energy that hosts a forum every September. 

While off today, Congress returns this week with budget issues as its focus given the November 22 budget deadline.  There are a number of other issues that also are important, including tax extenders, clean energy issues, the defense authorization and some pension fixes, among others.  

Specifically, the Senate Energy Committee takes up the nomination of Dan Brouillette to be Secretary of Energy on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.  Other hearings include Wednesday’s House Science Committee on the future of science in EPA rulemaking and Senate Environment’s focus on US commercial nuclear reactor performance trends and safety initiatives.  Finally, in addition to Senate Energy Thursday, House Resources focuses on a NOAA report on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and a House Science subpanel looks at geothermal energy.

Other events this week include tomorrow’s forum at USEA with Australia energy expert Robert Pritchard; Wednesday events including ClearPath/DOE’s “Atomic Wings” forum, a C2ES with BP’s Susan Dio and Exelon’s Chris Crane and RealClearPolitics/NMA on minerals featuring Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski; a CAP discussion on Thursday on clean energy and Friday energy economists event on the effect of China tariffs on U.S. energy exports.

There are also a number of other interesting evening events including the FBI Agents Association G-Man dinner and a ConservAmerica Dinner honoring Susan Collins and Cory Gardner on Wednesday, as well as the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 20^th Annual Citizens Awards on Thursday.

NCAA field hockey D I playoffs get underway this week with American U/Fairfield and Stanford/Miami (OH) playing on Wednesday.  And D III teams get into action Wednesday as well.  Finally, after his 1:16 half marathon in October, my son Adam goes for the full marathon distance in Richmond on Saturday trying to hit the Boston qualifier.

That’s all for today, call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

"Let me just tell you, she’s never happy. No matter what we give her: 15%, 12 months, you name it. She’s asking for more. I’m like, Joni, there isn’t enough corn in America to get what you want done. She’s relentless."

President Trump on Sen. Joni Ernst pestering him relentlessly on ethanol.

ON THE PODCAST

Former Chron Columnist Steffy Talks Fracking Book – On this week's edition of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Bill Loveless talks with Loren Steffy, the author of a new book called “George P. Mitchell: Fracking, Sustainability, and an Unorthodox Quest to Save the Planet.” Loren is writer-at-large for Texas Monthly and a former business columnist for the Houston Chronicle. The book is Loren’s latest of three, including one that explored the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.  Of the late George P. Mitchell, Loren says, “not since John D. Rockefeller had one single individual in the energy business made a greater public impact.”  Loveless and Steffy discuss Mitchell, his contributions to fracking, the financial hardships his company endured to bring them about and the extent to which the government assisted those efforts. They also talked about Mitchell’s strong commitment to sustainable development, which sometimes put him at odds with his peers in the gas and oil industry.

FUN OPINIONS

VIDEO: Revolutionary Grid-Scale Energy Storage Technology Explained – ClearPath released a video this week on energy storage. Energy storage is a key piece to solving the clean energy puzzle. Storage technologies benefit each portion of the grid from generation to transmission over long distances to distribution to homes and businesses. Quidnet is one of the most exciting and promising companies in the grid scale energy storage space. Quidnet uses a technology called geomechanical pumped storage, which applies traditional pumped storage techniques by repurposing drilling, well construction, and old fossil fuel assets. They’re able to take advantage of an existing supply chain and well-developed workforce.

FROG BLOG

FORBES: Wildfires Underscore Challenge to Electric Only Policy – A new column in FORBES by energy contributor David Blackmon says the ongoing tragic outbreak of wildfires across the state of California, and the resulting planned electricity blackouts being implemented by public utilities there over the past few weeks, have renewed the ongoing debate about the best ways to meet the state’s - and the nation’s - power needs moving into the future. While electrification would eliminate consumer choice and, as we are seeing in real-time today, increase grid vulnerability, a diversified energy solution that includes natural gas provides a pathway that prioritizes energy affordability and reliability.  In addition to its abundance and affordability, natural gas is also an innovative solution that is becoming more efficient every day in driving down emissions.

IN THE NEWS

ClearPath Deepens Policy Expertise, Announces New Hires – ClearPath announced new additions to their policy team. New hires Niko McMurray joins as Nuclear Program Director, and Cameron Tarry as Policy Fellow, while Cole Simons expands his existing role at ClearPath to include Policy Analyst. McMurrary joins ClearPath from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), where he was a materials engineer focusing on new and advanced nuclear reactors. Tarry was previously a public policy consultant at Dominion Energy and also worked as a research assistant at Washington Policy & Analysis. In addition to her experience in the energy sector, Cameron spent the past year on a Fulbright Fellowship in Kutaisi, Georgia. Simons, who is Chief of Staff to ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell, will take on an additional role as Policy Analyst focusing on electricity markets and later stage research and deployment.

EOM Jumps into Carbon Capture Project – ExxonMobil and FuelCell Energy will be working together to enhance carbonate fuel cell technology for the purpose of capturing carbon dioxide from industrial facilities. This move will help advance carbon capture technologies while reducing costs and enhancing scalability, according to Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company. The agreement, worth up to $60 million, will focus efforts on optimizing the core technology, overall process integration and large-scale deployment of carbon capture solutions. ExxonMobil is exploring options to conduct a pilot test of next-generation fuel cell carbon capture solution at one of its operating sites.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

ABA Hosts Enforcement Conference – The American Bar Association holds a National Enforcement Conference tomorrow at the Reagan Building, focusing on the environment. The program will explore five timely and informative topics including; criminal enforcement; EPA national compliance initiatives; CERCLA enforcement; enforcement reforms and methods; and the role of the courts in enforcement. EPA’s Susan Bodine and DOJ’s Jeffrey Clark will offer the closing Keynote Address.

Forum to Look at Australian Energy Issues – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the US Energy Association holds a forum in partnership with the Energy Policy Institute of Australia with Robert Pritchard.  Prichard is the Executive Director of the Energy Policy Institute of Australia and was Founding Chairman of the Section on Energy and Resources Law of the International Bar Association. Pritchard specializes in International Energy Policy and Strategy and is a frequent speaker and author on both Australian and global energy policy issues.  He will discuss the circumstances in Australia today with relatively high domestic prices for natural gas and electricity; the issues regarding LNG exports; various exports; coal exports; the current and future circumstances on renewables and use of nuclear power.

Forum to Look at Deep Decarbonization – The Global America Business Institute (GABI) holds a forum tomorrow at Noon on US and Korean nuclear capacity required for either country to realistically achieve deep decarbonization. Pragmatic policies in both the U.S. and Korea would not only provide a decarbonization blueprint for other countries, but building upon longstanding bilateral civil nuclear ties could allow other countries to more feasibly replicate this blueprint. Enhanced cooperation in areas such as supply chain integration, advanced reactors, and materials R&D could strengthen the viability of nuclear energy as a contributor to climate mitigation efforts and foster pathways for other countries to practically implement decarbonization strategies using nuclear power. Clean Air Task Force experts Matthew Bowen and Steve Brick speak. 

GW Forum to Look at Climate, Energy Policy – The George Washington International Affairs Society holds a forum tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. featuring Alice Hill, Senior Fellow of Climate Change Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Nina Kelsey, professor of environmental policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.  The event will be an engaging discussion on the growing issues of global energy security and climate change and the steps policymakers around the world need to take to address them.

Murkowski to Headline Minerals Forum – In partnership with National Mining Association and its Minerals Make Life initiative, RealClearPolitics will hold a forum on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. to dive deeply into the public policy questions surrounding the importance of minerals, and how the nation’s manufacturing sector, national defense and even green energy technologies depend on a healthy domestic minerals mining industry and improved access to domestic minerals.  Keynote Speaker will be Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski.

BP, Exelon CEOs Headline Climate Forum – The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) holds a forum on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in the Capitol View Conference Center.  Developed in consultation with leading companies in key sectors, the agenda will outline policies to discuss the climate agenda and what is needed over the coming decade to put the US on the path to net zero emissions by 2050.  The event will feature a discussion with Exelon President and CEO Chris Crane and BP America Chairman and President Susan Dio. A panel of representatives from leading companies will follow, discussing the challenges and opportunities for U.S. businesses in achieving mid-century climate goals.

Senate Enviro Looks at Nuclear Trends – The Senate Environment Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on preserving and expanding nuclear power.  The focus will be on US commercial nuclear reactor performance trends and safety initiatives.  Witnesses will include

House Science to Look at Science in EPA Rulemaking – The House Science Committee holds a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on the future of science in EPA rulemaking.  The hearing will focus on the tug of war between transparency and hindering scientists. 

Collins, Gardner Honored at ConservAmerica Dinner – ConservAmerica holds an awards reception and dinner on Wednesday evening at the Capitol Hill Club to honor Senators Susan Collins and Cory Gardner for their conservation and energy policy leadership as members of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus. 

ClearPath, DOE host Atomic Wings on Mars Mission – DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy is hosting a briefing Wednesday at Noon as part of their Atomic Wings Lunch and Learn series looking at making the Mars Missions a reality.  Speakers include DOE’s Tracey Bishop, Doug Burns of the Idaho National Lab, and Ryan Whitley of the White House’s National Space Council.

Forum to Look at Enviro, Climate Changes in PICs – The Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program will hold a forum on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. to hear from leaders and experts on the multi-dimensional weather, water, and climate-related risks that exist in the Pacific, and how improving and coordinating predictive capabilities to support U.S. decision-making can lead to actionable and effective responses in the region.  Speakers will include former Kiribati President Anote Tong, retired Adm Paul Zukunft and NOAA’s Roger Pulwarty among others.

Senate to Host DOE Nominee – The Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in 366 Dirksen to consider the nomination of Dan Brouillette to be Secretary of the Department of Energy. Brouillette, the agency's deputy secretary, has been tapped to succeed Secretary Rick Perry, who leave DOE on December 1^st. Brouillette was previously approved in August 2017 on a 79–17 vote to become DOE’s Deputy Secretary.

House Science Panel to Look at Hydro, Geothermal – The House Science Subcommittee on Energy will host a hearing on Thursday looking at water and geothermal power, hoping to unearthing the next wave of energy innovation.  Witnesses include DOE’s David Solan, Oregon State’s Dr. Bryson Robertson, Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) Research Professor Joseph Moore, SMU’s Geothermal Laboratory Director Maria Richards and Sander Cohan of Enel Green Power North America.

Forum to Look at Nuclear Fuel Storage – GWU’s Institute for International Science and Technology Policy holds a forum on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the Elliott School of International Affairs for a talk by economist Dr. Geoffrey Rothwell, formerly with the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, on the relationships between sizes and costs of wet/dry and onsite/offsite SNF storage facilities.  No event has highlighted the risks of nuclear waste storage better than the double disaster (tsunami and loss of coolant accident) at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants in Japan in March 2011. 

CAP to Discuss 100% Clean Energy – The Center for American Progress, Environmental Defense Fund, League of Conservation Voters, and Sierra Club hold a discussion Thursday at 12:30 p.m. on how the United States can build a 100 percent clean future. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Joe Neguse (D-CO), and Paul Tonko (D-NY) will join CAP Senior Vice President Christy Goldfuss to discuss pathways the federal government can take to build a 100 percent clean future. The second panel will feature advocates and state leaders focused on a discussion of progress and lessons learned at the state level.

US Chamber Honors Citizens – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is celebrating the 20^th Annual Citizens Awards on Thursday in Washington DC.  The event is a special milestone that reflects almost two decades of some of the most strategic and innovative corporate citizenship programs from businesses, chambers, and associations of all sizes. The Chamber Foundation will be announcing the winners at the Citizens Awards gala in the evening.  Every day, the private sector serves as a powerful force for good in communities across the U.S. and in countries around the world. Since 2000, the Citizens Awards have highlighted how businesses are helping solve today's greatest challenges through innovation, expertise, efficiency, capital, and collaboration. From philanthropy to shared value to corporate social responsibility—the Citizens Awards honors the partnerships and organizations that leverage their resources, expertise, and talent to make a positive impact.  See the 8 categories and nominees here.

Forum to Feature Women in Energy – The Energy and Environmental Law Forum of the Women's Bar Association of D.C. and ELI and the D.C. Bar Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Community will host a forum on Thursday evening featuring women leading innovation in climate policy.  The event features NOAA’s Monica Medina, NBC4 meteorologist Amelia Draper and C2ES’s Jennifer Huang.

Forum to Look at Growing Role of Renewables – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Clean Energy and Technology Staff Association (CETSA) will hold a briefing Friday at 2:00 p.m. on the state of play for renewable energy and energy storage technology in the United States. Renewable energy technologies now account for a substantial portion of the U.S. energy portfolio. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, renewable energy generated 17% of total energy in 2018, and projections indicate this percentage will continue to grow. This briefing will provide an overview of innovations in renewable energy and energy storage, not only in solar and wind power, but also in geothermal power and sustainable biomass. Briefing panelists will share first-hand knowledge from federal agencies and industry to provide the most up-to-date information on the role of renewable energy in the country's energy mix. ACORE's Bill Parsons.

Energy Economists’ Panel to Discuss China, Trade Issues – The US Energy Economists of the National Capital Area will hold a panel on the effect of China tariffs on U.S. energy exports on Friday at Noon at Carmines. The trade war promised by the Trump Administration between China and the United States is well underway. Until 2018, exports of U.S. energy products to China had been rising steadily. Those quantities have declined in the last 18 months. An expert panel will discuss the near-term future of Chinese purchases of crude oil, methanol, LNG, NGLs and refined products.  Panelists include Gregory Dolan of the Methanol Institute, API economist Dean Foreman and CSIS’s Jane Nakano.  Argus Media editor Haik Gugarats moderates. 

IN THE FUTURE

JHU to Hosts Africa Solar Discussion – The Johns Hopkins University will hold a forum next Monday at 12:30 p.m. to discuss mini-grids and their role for solar in Africa.   The focus of this presentation will be independent mini-grids, which have recently become much more economically viable. The discussion will also be about the World Bank’s concept of workable mini-grids. While the final World Bank report will not be available until January 2020, the main ideas are available here. The World Bank is now ready to implement this concept on a large scale.

NARUC Meetings Set – The 2019 NARUC Annual Meeting and Education Conference will convene state and national utility regulators, federal and state policymakers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, informed experts, and other engaged stakeholders in San Antonio next week at the Grand Hyatt. During the four-day conference, general and parallel session panel discussions will cover a range of issues across the energy, telecommunications, water, and cybersecurity sectors.  Speakers include NRG’s Travis Kavulla, AGA’s Karen Harbert, WSJ’s Russell Gold, NEI’s Maria Korsnic, SEIA’s Katherine Gensler, AWEA’s Susan Sloan and many more.  

POLITICO/Pew Forum to Look at Flooding, Disasters – POLITICO and Pew Charities host a forum on Tuesday, November 19^th at the Washington Court Hotel.  The event will be a deep-dive conversation on how to improve resiliency, mitigation and relief efforts around flooding disasters.

Forum to Look at Energy Transition – On Wednesday November 20^th at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Energy & National Security Program will host Sverre Alvik to discuss DNV GL's Energy Transition Outlook 2019.  DNV GL recently issued the third edition of its Energy Transition Outlook, which provides a “best estimate forecast” indicating a rapid transition in global and regional energy systems towards a 2.5° future. Sverre Alvik will discuss the underlying assumptions of the study and the rapid transition that is predicted over the next three decades, including a particular focus on North America. More specifically, he will discuss the forecasted penetration of electric vehicles and changes in oil demand, the prospects for renewable energy and electrification, as well as the outlook for technologies like hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Forum to Look at Climate Action – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center & America’s Pledge hold a public discussion on Wednesday November 20^th at 9:30 a.m. looking at the status of sub-national climate action in the United States and across the world, featuring leading policy experts from several organizations working across multiple sectors and geographies. This discussion will feature leading policy experts from several organizations working to analyze and communicate the impact of this growing sub-national effort. Climate Central Ben Strauss will keynote. 

Wilson to Look at Flooding – The Wilson Center will hold a presentation on Wednesday November 20^th at 2:00 p.m. to present a study and their implications for future humanitarian assistance, economic prosperity, adaptation and resilience initiatives, and global security.

Forum to Look at Green New Deal Debate Tenor – The American Interest holds a Better Angels Debate focusing on the Green New Deal on Wednesday November 20^th at 5:30 p.m. The goal of a Better Angels Debate is not to “win” the argument. Rather, it is a highly structured conversation in which a group of people listen carefully and meaningfully engage with each other’s ideas on a difficult issue.

RFF to Look at Carbon Pricing – Resources for the Future (RFF) recently hosted a conversation on the many federal carbon pricing bills that have been introduced in the US this year - but the US is only one of many jurisdictions where carbon pricing takes center stage in climate policy discussions.  On Thursday November 21^st at 9:00 a.m., it will hold a review of the latest trends in carbon pricing worldwide, including reflections on recent developments in major economies, such as China, Germany, and Canada.  The session will open with a brief overview of the World Bank’s State and Trends of Carbon Pricing report, followed by geography-specific updates and a brief panel discussion.

EESI to Discuss Deep Decarbonization – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosts a briefing on Friday, Npovember 22^nd to look at key information and recommendations from the report, Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States. Legal Pathways is based on two reports by the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project that explain technical and policy approaches to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. This 80x50 target and similarly aggressive carbon abatement goals are often referred to as deep decarbonization, as they require systemic changes to the energy economy.  Briefing panelists, including editors and contributing authors to the report, will discuss how the report can be useful to Congressional offices crafting climate change policies.  The report covers a range of topics, from technological innovations and carbon pricing to modernizing the transportation and building sectors. Legal Pathways reviews all forms of renewable energy as well as energy transmission, distribution, and storage.  Columbia’s Michael Gerrard is among the speakers.

Thanksgiving – November 28^th

BioEnergy Conference to be in Baltimore – The 15th World Bioenergy Congress and Expo will be Held in Baltimore On December 2^nd and 3^rd focusing on renewable energy issues.

AGU Celebrates 100 years at Meeting in SF – The American Geophysical Union marks its Centennial in 2019 by returning to San Francisco, the home of the AGU Fall Meeting for more than 40 years on December 9-13.  A diverse community will convene at the newly renovated Moscone Center to explore and develop research.

Grid Forum Set – The GridWise Alliance and Clean Edge hold the 3^rd annual gridCONNEXT 2019 in Washington, DC on December 10-12 at The Liaison Hotel.  The event will bring together technology, policy, utility, and business leaders to explore the most important topics impacting the electric utility industry. Speakers will include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and former FERC Commissioner Nora Mead Brownell.  The full agenda is now available online.