Energy Update: Week of November 4th

Friends,

Hope you were able to enjoy that extra hour of sleep on Saturday night.  I know I did. I also know the folks running in the NYC Marathon yesterday probably enjoyed the extra hour as well. And speaking of NY, congrats to the LA Dodgers (and our #1 Dodger Fan Sammy Roth) for finishing off the Yankees in Game 5. At least, SoCal got to celebrate this year (in 2020 after winning the World Series, they weren’t able to have a parade).

Now for the elections, here we go!!!  Finally, tomorrow is Election Day. I can’t wait for this pre-election day campaign media coverage to end.

The most important even this week is on Wednesday following Election Day when the experts at Bracewell’s Policy Resolution Group hold our widely-followed post-election webinar. We will also have guest speakers including NY Times reporter Lisa Friedman, USEA head and former Trump DOE DepSect Mark Menezes and Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski. PLEASE register for the Bracewell PRG Post-election Webinar here.

A couple of things that I am watching tomorrow:

• Montana’s Jon Tester – Tester has survived a number of close elections in his career, many times by luck and weird third-party problems with his opponents. It seems this time he might be out of luck.  This race is important in the energy space, because if Tester loses (along with Manchin’s departure) the last of the true energy Democrats will be gone.
• Washington NatGas Ballot Initiative – Washington voters will vote on Initiative 2066, which would prevent the state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas or prohibit the use of natural gas in any building.
• Arizona Regulator Races – Three of five seats are up for the Arizona Corporation Commission. A statewide vote and the top three vote-getters each win a seat. There are three Democrats and three Republicans running, and Arizona’s closely contested recent election cycles mean anything could happen.  Currently 4-1 to Republicans (with the lone Democrat not running for reelection), more Democrats on the commission could swing in a more pro–clean energy direction.
• South Dakota Carbon Dioxide Pipelines Regulation – South Dakota MEASURE 021 is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would veto Senate Bill 201 (SB 201). SB 201 provides requirements for regulating carbon dioxide pipelines used in carbon capture and storage systems. SB 201 allows counties to enact a $1 per linear foot surcharge on related pipeline companies. For each county where a carbon dioxide company installs a pipeline, the company must report to the county the linear footage of the carbon dioxide pipeline installed in the county.

Speaking of the election, the European Greens and all the major national Green parties of Europe are calling on Jill Stein to pull out of the presidential race and endorse Harris. “We are clear that Kamala Harris is the only candidate who can block Donald Trump and his anti-democratic, authoritarian policies from the White House,” the Greens warn in a statement. Good thing they sent that Friday before the election. 

Finally, getting lost in the election coverage is COP 29 in Baku.  It starts next Monday. Our friends at the Chamber, BCSE, RMI and many others - including reporter friends like NYT’s Lisa Friedman, WaPo’s Maxine Joselow and Bloomberg’s Jen Dlouhy are already headed over there at the end of this week. Let me know if you are going. 

Call with any questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932                                                                                                                     

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“I interpret the vice president’s shift in her position on fracking as her acknowledgment that this country has a growing demand for energy, and natural gas is an abundant and affordable and reliable energy source in the U.S. that has driven decarbonization.”

Amy Andryszak, President and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) in a column in FORBES.  

ON THE PODCAST

Politics, Politics, Politics – This week on the podcast Politicology+, host Ron Steslow is joined by my Bracewell colleague Liam Donovan and Axios national political reporter Alex Thompson to discuss the huge gap between college-educated women and non-college educated men, what it could mean in the election and moving forward. Then the hosts will turn to how attention has shifted away from the White House after Biden dropped out of the presidential race. Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we dive into why the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission has become a hot-button presidential campaign issue and whether a Harris administration would change their approach to crypto.

Gina McCarthy Talks Clean Energy, Elections – On this week’s Electric Ladies Podcast, former White House National Climate Advisor and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy joins to discuss how everyday Americans, small businesses and communities can seize tax breaks, reduce energy bills, and help shape a sustainable future. Gina also shares advice for navigating careers in these emerging fields.

FUN OPINIONS

Gas Stoves Attacks Persist – In an op-ed on FoxNews Opinion, CEI’s Ben Lieberman says Washington bureaucrats really were targeting gas stoves when CPSC Commissioner said so in 2023 - and they still are today. They are just getting sneakier in how they go about it. Rather than fighting gas stoves head on, the Biden-Harris administration is now focused on going after gas hookups. Needless to say, you can’t use a gas stove if you don’t have natural gas service in your home or apartment, and the feds are using multiple agencies and programs to expand that limitation to as many Americans as possible in the years ahead.

FROG BLOG

Harris Fracking Questions Real – In her column in FORBES, our friend and columnist Dipka Bhambhani writes whether VP Kamala Harris would wholeheartedly support natural gas, including critical pipeline infrastructure to transport that gas for power generation, home heating and export to U.S. allies, is still hazy.

FUN FACTS

Electricity in a Big Player in Primary Energy:  Electricity is only 13% of primary energy! But 38% of primary energy is used for making electricity.

IN THE NEWS

SAFE Announces New Four-Star Retired Military Members to Leadership Council – SAFE’s Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC) has convened for two decades as a peerless, non-partisan coalition of business and retired military leaders committed to advancing energy policies to strengthen the economic and national security of the United States and allied nations. SAFE is proud to announce the addition of the following five new members to the distinguished Council:

• Admiral Craig Faller (ret.)—31^st Commander, U.S. Southern Command
• General Joseph Lengyel (ret.)—28^th Chief, National Guard Bureau
• General Craig McKinley (ret.)—26^th Chief, National Guard Bureau
• General John Michael Murray (ret.)—1^st Commander, U.S. Army Futures Command
• General Thomas Waldhauser (ret.)—4^th Commander, US Africa Command

Hydro Essential to Renewable Energy, Reliable Grid – A recent NHA white paper, “Hydropower at Risk: How Challenges to America’s First Renewable Resource Threaten Grid Reliability and Resilience,” highlights an urgent reality: 40% of the U.S. hydropower fleet is at risk of retiring by 2035 due to licensing delays, inadequate tax support, and market inefficiencies. Without immediate reforms, grid reliability will suffer, and emissions will rise. NHA's whitepaper outlines the unique value of hydropower, its contributions to the grid, and the policy solutions needed to safeguard our clean energy transition.

EPRI Launches Data Center Initiative – EPRI launched the DCFlex, an initiative with Google, Meta, and Nvidia to examine how data centers can support grid reliability. EPRI said the initiative will create five to 10 “flexibility hubs, demonstrating innovative data center and power supplier strategies that enable operational and deployment flexibility, streamline grid integration, and transition backup power solutions to grid assets. Deployment will begin in the first half of 2025 and run through 2027. EPRI discussed development recommendations with the DOE, highlighting the need for collaboration among stakeholders when powering data centers to support the economy.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Election day for 2024 – Tuesday, November 5^th

Bracewell PRG Hosts Election Impacts Webinar – On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. following Tuesday’s election day, the experts at Bracewell’s Policy Resolution Group hold its widely-followed Post election webinar. 

Forum Looks at Carbon Storage Planning – The US Energy Association holds a virtual discussion on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., on "National Energy Technology Laboratory Carbon Storage Planning Inquiry Tool (CS PlanIT)," which provides users with "a one-stop-shop to easily explore, query, and evaluate thousands of data features and attributes from 14+ authoritative sources to support and accelerate carbon storage feasibility assessments and planning efforts."

Forum Looks at China Finance – The Center for Global Development holds a virtual discussion on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. on China's International Climate Finance. The webinar features a deep dive into three recently published papers by the Center for Global Development, E3G/ODI (upcoming), and World Resources Institute (WRI) to provide a comprehensive overview of China's international climate finance landscape and its implications for the NCQG.

USEA Holds Tribal Energy Roundtable – On Thursday at 1:00 p.m., the US Energy Association holds a virtual National Tribal Energy Roundtable discussion on the trail of the chiefs energy corridor, focusing on transmission lines, pipelines and the role that tribes play in shaping infrastructure.

Hudson Hosts North American Energy Forum – On Friday, the Hudson Institute and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute hold a daylong conference with energy and security experts, industry representatives, and policymakers. The forum will discuss how Washington and Ottawa can work together to leverage emerging technologies and North America’s abundant energy resources to build energy security and limit authoritarian states’ influence in global energy markets.

Heatmap Looks at Elections, Impacts on Environment/Energy – The Heatmap will hold a forum on Friday at 11:30 a.m. after the U.S. presidential election to take a breath, take stock, and think through what happens next. Heatmap editors Robinson Meyer and Jillian Goodman will delve into what the results mean for climate and energy policy in the U.S. and around the world.

Forum Looks at Climate Finance – On Friday, the E-Axes Forum, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Brookings Center on Regulation and Markets (CRM) will jointly host a virtual public event to address climate finance and decarbonization. The event will have a panel of policy and academic experts on challenges to scaling climate finance, particularly those related to the coming global energy transition with a focus on emerging and developing market economies.

IN THE FUTURE

VETERAN’S DAY – Monday, November 11^th

COP 29 in Baku – On November 11^th, COP 29 begins in Baku.

Bracewell Environmental Seminar Set for Houston – Bracewell’s Environmental Section holds its Environmental Seminar on Wednesday November 13^th in Houston.

Hickenlooper, Chatterjee Headline Heatmap Forum – Next Wednesday November 13^th at 3:00 p.m., Heatmap holds an exclusive election postgame conversation and happy hour in Washington, D.C. with Senator John Hickenlooper and former FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee. Following this year’s momentous election, Sen. Hickenlooper and former FERC Chairman Chatterjee will join Robinson Meyer and Jael Holzman for an in-depth conversation on what the presidential, congressional, and state results mean for the future of the Inflation Reduction Act, if any new climate policies may be possible under the incoming administration, and if we can expect progress in the effort to move away from fossil fuels.

USEA Looks at Supply Chain – At its next virtual press briefing on Wednesday November 13^th at 11:00 a.m., the US Energy Association will hold a discussion on the issue of supply chain stress for inspection. Maria Pope of Portland General Electric and EEI’s Scott Aaronson are among the panelists.

Forum for Institutional Investors Looks at Politics – On Tuesday November 19^th, AIEN US Chapter Conference on Structured Finance for New Energies will be held in in New York. Bracewell’s Liz McGinley and Dee Martin will be participating in the program conducting a “fireside chat” with James Lucier from Capital Alpha Partners following the keynote topic “US Election Implications on New Energy Investments.”

Forum Looks at Hydrogen – Infocast’s Global Clean Hydrogen: American Production & International Markets Conference will be held in Houston on Wednesday November 20^th.  The event focuses on the development and expansion of clean hydrogen production in the United States and its potential for international markets, bringing together project developers, buyers, financiers, and industry experts to discuss strategies and insights on navigating the global clean hydrogen landscape. Bracewell’s Parker Lee will be moderating the panel on large scale private project development.

Major Hydrogen Conference Set for Houston – On December 4^th, ThomsonReuters Events Energy Live hold a 2024 Hydrogen Conference in Houston. Bracewell’s Tim Urban will be leading a panel discussion on the state of clean hydrogen with panelists including bp’s Tomeka McLeod, Plug Power’s Sanjay Shrestha and Ana Quelhas of EDP. FCHEA CEO Frank Wolak, SoCal Gas expert Neil Navin, Air Liquide’s Laura Parkan and Brett Perlman of the Center For Houston's Future also speak.

DOE Deploy24 Summit Set – Demonstrate Deploy Decarbonize 2024 (Deploy24) is the second annual gathering of decision makers from across the private and public sectors—including senior industry executives, capital allocators, community leaders, and others across the clean energy supply chain—all focused on accelerating the deployment of critical energy and decarbonization technologies and supply chains in the United States. Hosted by DOE, Deploy24 builds this private-public dialogue through a range of unique formats, from keynote addresses to rigorous, off-the-record workshops organized by scalable technology, all with an urgent focus on the immediate opportunities and challenges to accelerating our domestic energy transformation. The Business Council for Sustainable Energy is a sponsor and Gevo CEO Pat Gruber is expected to be among the speakers.

Congressional Energy Forum Set – EnergyStream holds the 5^th Energy Transition Forum 2024 on December 4^th & 5^th at the Cosmos Club of Washington, DC. The Forum brings powerful U.S. Senators and Congressmen from both sides of the aisle, together with top energy executives to explore in-depth the energy strategies and policies to achieve a sustainable, clean, reliable and affordable energy future.