Energy Update: Week of September 14

Friends,

Sorry I am a little slow today as I was distracted by the Biden wildfire/climate speech (which I predicted earlier in July would/should be a monthly occurrence for him) and this morning’s announcement by EPA denying retroactive small refiner waivers to small refiners that have been harmed by the broken RFS program.  

Before we go any further, it is important to start today with sad news from last week: the sudden passing of our friend Ted Halstead of the Climate Leadership Council in Spain during a hiking accident.  Halstead founded and led a pair of groups that pushed conservatives and big companies to back a carbon tax.  While we didn’t always agree, Halstead was a climate policy pioneer and visionary. As CLC said in its statement, with his irrepressible optimism, he inspired not only his peers, staff and friends but also a younger generation of climate activists, whom he energized to work towards positive change.

It was a good sports weekend with most colleges and the NFL launching the COVID-impacted football season.  But I was captivated by both US Open championships, where Naomi Osaka took the Women’s title on Saturday and Dominic Thiem took the men’s title yesterday.  Both matches were compelling and well-played despite the absence of fans, especially the dramatic 5^th set in Sunday’s match.

Congress gets back into full swing this week with expected votes, including one on noncontroversial legislation meant to promote the use of electric vehicles.  And after last week’s agreement on HFCs, we also expect a scramble for energy legislation to re-emerge.  In fact, NAM led a broad group calling for action on the legislation (CAN SEND COPY OF THAT LETTER IF YOU WANT IT). The big hearing will be Wednesday when Senate Energy hosts FERC nominees Allison Clements and Mark Christie. Also Wednesday, the Senate Environment Committee hears from water rule stakeholders and the House Energy & Commerce Environment panel will also hold a hearing on advancing low-carbon technology in the built environment.  And given the wildfire challenges currently on-going in the West, on Wednesday afternoon a Senate Energy panel also looks at legislation focused on a more aggressive approach to managing forests for wildfire.

The International Energy Agency will release its September Oil Market Report tomorrow in an event at MIT.  And the Society of Enviro Journalists starts its multi-session “virtual” annual conference on Wednesday with a panel of western Governors to discuss about the future of salmon, rivers, dams… and the country.  Then Thursday, SEJ holds several “virtual tours” of nuclear issues at the Idaho National Lab and ecosystems and conservation in Idaho’s high divide.  SEJ will conduct several other panels on elections and other issues on September 23^rd and 30^th. 

Finally, our friends at the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) are hosting their first ever virtual benefit concert as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this week on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.  They are teaming up with Denver-based, nationally acclaimed artist Mike Massé who will perform some of the best classic rock songs of all time.  The event will be fun and an easy way to support children and families fighting cancer.  Click here to learn more about the event and how you can tune in.

Call with questions, stay safe & healthy.  Stay tuned here for our latest COVID-19 Updates.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“Fortunately, with the ingenuity and innovation of American industry, the next generation of climate-friendly HFC replacements are already being made in this country and sold throughout the world. It’s time we build on those investments and phase down these potent greenhouse gases out of our economy. With this bipartisan agreement, we can and we will. This amendment would spur billions of dollars of economic growth in domestic manufacturing and create tens of thousands of new jobs, all while helping our planet avoid half a degree Celsius in global warming. At a time when we could all use some good news, this is great news for our economy and our planet. Let’s get it done.”

Sen. Tom Carper announcing his agreement with Sens Barrasso and Kennedy to move forward on HFC legislation that previously held up Senate Energy Legislation. 

ON THE PODCAST

Former FERC Commissioner LaFleur Discusses CA Blackouts – In this edition of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Bill Loveless reached out to Cheryl LaFleur, a former FERC chair, for her take on the blackouts, which she wrote about in an op-ed in “State of the Planet,” an online blog at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. They talk about what caused the blackouts during the weekend of August 14, when an extreme heat wave blanketed California and other western states, as well as how they compared to the last such occurrences during the California energy crisis of 2001. In short, LaFleur says, the problem isn’t California’s solar and wind systems, which operated just as they were supposed to do, but rather the state’s failure to make sure there were other energy resources to meet peak demands for electricity – especially for air conditioning to cope with the heat – when the sun wasn’t shining and the wind wasn’t blowing. Adding to the difficulty is California’s preference to control its own power market rather than participate in a regional market, she says. They also discuss that as well as the political fall-out from the blackouts, with critics of the state’s climate policies claiming those measures risk the reliability of the California grid, while supporters of those policies saying they’re as necessary as ever to combat climate change.

RFF Podcast Talks Energy with Duke Power Exec – On this episode of RFF’s Resources Radio, host Daniel Raimi talks with Tim Latimer, the cofounder and chief executive officer of Fervo Energy, a geothermal energy developer. Latimer makes clear how geothermal energy—while comprising only a tiny portion of America’s total current energy use—could be an essential part of future decarbonization efforts. But despite the ubiquity of hot rocks across the Earth and the relative success of geothermal energy in places as disparate as California and Kenya, Latimer also cautions that technological innovations will be necessary to reduce both the environmental impacts and the costs.

FUN OPINIONS

WSJ: Wildfire Power Eclipse – In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, the board expresses concerns for those impacted by wildfires in California, highlighting the need for active forest management, as .  At the same time, they write it also exposes the weaknesses of green-only energy policies.  The smoke and ash have created a solar-power eclipse in California that is raising the risk of more electric-power blackouts. State regulators in recent years have been ordering shutdowns of nuclear and natural-gas plants that can provide power around the clock and ramp up quickly when demand surges or other electricity sources wane.  The problem is that, in thinking about the climate 25 years from now, California’s politicians aren’t thinking at all about how to keep the lights on today.

FROG BLOG

Harder Line Looks at Biden Climate Approach – Amy Harder’s recent Harder Line Column in Axios this week focuses on Joe Biden’s approach to climate and how it has become by far the most aggressive plan to address climate change in U.S. presidential history. Amy says his path reflects the convergence of science, energy and activism trends, but while the election is focused more on other issues, Biden’s plan will significantly shape future efforts.  While detailing the rise of the youth climate movement, Harder also cites challenges such as California’s current reliability problems.  “These blackouts are due, at least in part, to the state's poor handling of an increase of wind and solar energy, experts say. That's because other energy sources need to be available to jump in since it's not always windy or sunny.”

IN THE NEWS

Senate HFC Deal Struck – A groups of bipartisan Senators on Thursday announced an agreement to authorize a 15-year phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons, greenhouse gases found in refrigeration and air conditioning. Senate Environment Chair John Barrasso, Ranking Member Tom Carper and John Kennedy agreed to change an amendment offered last winter to S. 2657, the American Energy Innovation Act.

What is in the Deal – The amendment requires EPA to implement an 85% phase down of the production and consumption of HFCs, so they reach approximately 15% of their 2011-2013 average annual levels by 2036. Under the agreement, the revised amendment will also:

• Ensure there are sufficient supplies of HFCs for six, Congressionally-designated essential uses of HFCs that currently have no substitute chemicals, including defense sprays, medical inhalers, semiconductor manufacturing, and mission-critical military uses;
• Preempt state and local governments from regulating HFCs for those Congressionally-designated essential uses for 5 years (unless extended by EPA to a maximum of 10 years if there remains no substitute chemical for a use);
• Provide protection for consumers by ensuring that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) acceleration of the 15-year phasedown timeline cannot move faster than technological capacity.
• Maintain the 85 percent phase-down of HFCs, avoiding up to half a degree Celsius of global warming while creating an additional 150,000 direct and indirect U.S. jobs through the expansion of domestic manufacturing of HFC alternative technologies; and,
• Improve the trade imbalance in chemicals and equipment by $12.5 billion and increase manufacturing output by close to $39 billion over the next seven years.

AHRI, Alliance Support Plan – The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy today expressed strong support for a bipartisan amendment.  Enactment of the Barrasso-Carper-Kennedy amendment would settle the uncertain regulatory landscape facing the U.S. HVACR industry by phasing down a class of HFC refrigerants and allowing for a market- and consumer-friendly transition to new and better performing refrigerants and related products and equipment.

“This amendment brings us one step closer to implementing an HFC phasedown and reaping the substantial economic benefits associated with this transition to new refrigerant technologies,” said AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek. “The amendment will accomplish our industry’s refrigerant objectives while protecting consumers and providing significant economic and environmental benefits, and we are grateful to this bipartisan group of Senate leaders for their assistance and foresight.”

Energy Legislation Likely to Move – Due to the deal, Senate Energy legislation that was held up in March will likely see a revival. On March 9^th, the Senate blocked the American Energy Innovation Act after voting against the cloture motion, which failed by a vote of 47-44. More than 70 organizations across the energy sector are urging congressional leaders to pass the legislation in a letter Friday, saying the legislation represents “one of the most consequential legislative initiatives for modernizing our nation's energy policies” since the 2007 energy law more than a decade ago.  CAN SEND COPY OF LETTER IF YOU WANT IT, let me know.

BP, Equinor Announce Offshore Wind Partnership – BP agreed to buy a 50 percent stake in two U.S. offshore wind power projects from Equinor. The deal involves the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind assets and is expected to close early next year. Equinor will remain the operator in the development, construction and operations phase for its offshore wind projects. Equinor and BP will jointly consider future opportunities in the US, both for bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind (critical to development in California).  As the partnership develops, both companies hope to expand this cooperation further in a market that is forecast to grow to between 600 and 800 gigawatts (GW) globally by 2050.

Trump Expands E15 for Ethanol, Corn – The EPA announced the administration will let E10 pumps (the ones currently pumping gas w/a 10% ethanol blend) be used for E15.  In a phone call Saturday with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, President Trump said he had signed an order allowing the ethanol industry to use 15% ethanol blends in 10% blend pumps. Trump said the decision would save the ethanol industry hundreds of millions of dollars in savings on pump conversions.  Then this morning, EPA denied retroactive small refiner exemptions.  

Refiners: No Thanks to SRE Deal, Handout – To deal with those issues, EPA officials are also said to be developing a plan to offset the potential economic damage of denying dozens of refineries waivers from biofuel-usage mandates: giving them cash payouts. Refiners said the plan is ill-conceived that does nothing to help the majority of refinery workers that benefited from the discipline in RIN credit prices attributable to the SRE program. This plan is bad for the refining industry, its workers, and consumers - all of whom the President has promised to protect. EPA has failed to identify either legal authority or available funds to support direct payments, leading most refiners to doubt such relief will materialize. 

“EPA has turned a blind eye to merchant refineries and their workers in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas—where the effects of recent spikes in RINs prices have inflicted the most damage.  Merchant refiners currently face some of the highest expenditures for RINs in a decade; at the close of business on Friday, September 11, RINs prices averaged 227% higher than their price on January 1st 2020. Seven refineries have permanently closed in the past year alone, leaving tens of thousands of lost jobs with consequent impacts on communities, families and small businesses.

RFS mismanagement and cash payments are certainly no solution to the refining industry’s current struggles.  Instead, EPA should advance mechanisms that control RINs prices under existing legal authority—and at no cost to the Federal Treasury. EPA should also resist efforts to reallocate RINs obligations, particularly those predicated on future SREs that now appear never to be granted.  The President promised to take care of refinery workers on numerous occasions. It is now time to honor those promises.”

Refiner trade assn AFPM gave EPA a pretty hard punch in the face with its statement:

“The notion that this Administration is “following the rule of law” through its latest betrayal of U.S. refinery workers is laughable. We hope the President and Administrator Wheeler feel a sense of responsibility when RFS compliance costs become even more untenable for refineries of all sizes. The legacy of this Administration’s handling of RFS will be fewer union refining jobs, facility closures, reduced U.S. refining capacity, and increased imports of foreign biodiesel.

“Telling ethanol interests everything they want to hear in a press release is not going to increase the amount of ethanol that gasoline can absorb or do anything to help farmers and ethanol producers. EPA knows this. And now they need to answer how they plan to correct the 2020 RFS volumes artificially inflated because of small refinery exemptions that will no longer be granted and how they will protect consumers and U.S. energy security by ensuring 2021 standards are achievable.”

NEPA Rule Takes Effect – New rules on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act take effect today after a federal judge declined to block the changes on Friday, The CEQ rule streamlines requirements and speeds up deadlines that federal agencies must follow to study the environmental impacts of permitted infrastructure and other major work. A judge ruled Friday the environmental groups challenging the rule did not make the requisite "clear showing" that they are likely to win on the merits to secure a preliminary injunction.

Report: Minorities Spend More on Energy – The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy issued a new report that says communities of color spend significantly more on utilities than white people, with Black, Hispanic and Native American households spending 43% more, 20% more and 45% more, respectively. Low-income households spend three times a share of their total income on energy than others, the report said, making them particularly vulnerable to utility shutoffs.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

AWEA’s September Conferences Go Virtual – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced that the Wind Resource & Project Energy Assessment Conference and Wind Project Siting and Environmental Conference will be held virtually this September. AWEA is focused on reconstructing these events to create a valuable and successful online experience. Participants will have available live presentations, on-demand sessions, one on one networking, and shared social experiences.

Bloomberg Green Festival Set – The Bloomberg Green Virtual Festival will be held this week  The event will feature leading voices working at the edge of change to foster solutions-oriented conversations.  The five-day festival will feature a cross section of visionaries from business, design, culture, food, technology, science and entertainment in a smart mix of panels, presentations, fireside chats, and interactive demonstrations.  The Green Festival will be a true thought leadership experience operating at the crossroads of sustainability, design, culture, food, technology, science, politics and entertainment.  Speakers include former EPA head Gina McCarthy.

Forum to Look at DOE Fossil Program – The US Energy Association holds a virtual discussion today at 2:00 p.m. on DOE-FE's Office of Clean Coal and Carbon Management's Strategic Vision through 2024. This strategy envisions new opportunities for modular, highly-efficient coal plants to produce electricity with near-zero CO2 emissions for seamless integration with renewables on the modern grid. The strategy represents a rethinking of coal and coal resources to create a diverse set of valuable products and generate cleaner hydrogen for industry. Technologies developed to capture and utilize carbon from coal can also be applied to natural gas, biomass, and industrial sources of carbon to achieve carbon-neutral or net-negative emissions.  DOE’s Lou Hrkman leads a god of DOE speakers. 

Biofuels Summit Set – Growth Energy holds its Biofuels Summit this week starting today, continuing with virtual Hill visits tomorrow through Thursday. 

UNM Forum Looks at Biodiversity – The U of New Mexico Biodiversity Webinar Series—Fall 2020 holds a webinar today at 3:00 p.m. focused on the Species in Peril project at UNM in partnership with Sen Tom Udall, Rep. Deb Haaland, New Mexico BioPark Society, and the Southwest Environmental Center.  They will also be joined by NatGeo’s Enric Sala.

CHP Leaders Meet – The Combined Heat and Power Alliance, the leading national voice for the deployment of combined heat and power (CHP) and waste heat to power (WHP), is hosting the National Summit on CHP tomorrow to Thursday. The Summit will convene a diverse group of stakeholders, including industry experts, end users and potential hosts, government leaders, policymakers, utilities, climate advocates, and other members of the clean energy community. It will be an opportunity to showcase the many benefits of CHP including reduced emissions, resilience and reliability, and economic competitiveness. The conference will be particularly focused on CHP’s role in decarbonization for a low-carbon future.  

Leaders to Address Energy Conference – The Energy Thought Summit 2020 will be held virtually tomorrow to Thursday.  Speakers will include CEOs from CPS Energy, Exelon Utilities, PSEG and Austin Energy.

LNG Forum to Look at Indo-Pacific Region – The US Energy Assn holds a forum tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. on creating favorable investment climates and economic conditions for natural gas in the Indo-Pacific. As regional energy demand continues to grow over the next 10 years, the share of LNG demand is expected to nearly double.  Meeting this demand growth will require $80 billion in LNG infrastructure investment in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India combined.  The webinar will discuss the steps that the South and Southeast Asian energy sectors and policymakers should take to create a promising investment climate and the necessary economic conditions for natural gas development. Our friend Charles Riedl of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas is among the speakers.

WCEE Event to Talk Election – The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment holds a forum tomorrow at 8:30 A.M. where WCEE Board Member Loretta Prencipe will hold a conversation with E&E News Reporter Adam Aton about energy and environmental issues in an election year.  Few industries see more rapid evolution today than energy, where constant strides are being taken to improve our ability to power society while mitigating climate change. Presented in partnership with the E&E News, this discussion will focus on how energy and environment continue to define and polarize politics in this critical election year. 

MIT to Host IEA – The MIT Energy Initiative hosts an event tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.  The event will provide IEA’s Outlook for global energy and climate trends post-COVID-19.  Speaking of IEA, leaders will also release their monthly Oil Market Report in September 15^th The OMR is the exclusive source for official government statistics from all OECD countries, as well as selected non-OECD countries, together with both historical datasets and supply-and-demand forecasts for the year ahead.  Featuring tables, graphs and statistics, the OMR provides all the data necessary to perform ad-hoc analysis and track oil market developments and to identify trends in production, consumption, refining, inventories in OECD countries and prices for both crude and products.

Brookings Looks at Utility Bill Affordability – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program will convene a discussion examining the challenges around affordability and exploring solutions that will bring relief to household budgets. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown will provide keynote remarks on innovative ways the city is providing relief to households struggling with utility costs. Two panel conversations will follow to break down how utility costs can be tracked and measured and explore tech-based solutions designed to achieve greater affordability for households in need of financial support.

CSIS to Look at Decarb – Tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) holds its fifth session in the Climate Solutions Series, looking at decarbonizing the built environment.  This online event will examine emissions from the buildings sector and the opportunities and challenges for its decarbonization.  Clay Nesler (Johnson Controls) will give an overview of the buildings sector, the sources of emissions, and provide the perspective of private-sector companies working to develop low- and zero-carbon solutions.  Debbie Weyl (World Resources Institute) will share how opportunities and challenges to decarbonization differ around the world.  Amy Cortese (New Buildings Institute) will then discuss the domestic environment for zero-carbon buildings in the U.S. and share some case studies of successes. The session will close with a panel discussion on the policy and technological aspects of the decarbonization of buildings

WRI Forum to Look at Climate Challenges – Tomorrow, the World Resources Institute holds a webinar to learn more about the Science Based Targets initiative’s work to enable companies to set net-zero targets in line with a 1.5°C future, including a new paper laying out the foundations for credible, science-based net-zero targets for the private sector. The event will take a deep dive into the scientific context and main findings of the paper, learn about our ongoing work to develop a framework for corporate net-zero targets, and have an opportunity to ask questions directly to experts.

RFF Forum to Look at Geothermal – Resources for the Future holds a discussion tomorrow at Noon on the uses of geothermal energy/enhanced geothermal systems in both direct heating and electricity generation. Geothermal energy expert and Cornell University professor Todd Cowen will delve into the state of geothermal technology, the challenges that currently exist, and recent policy drivers impacting geothermal energy. RFF Senior Fellow and Future of Power Initiative Director Karen Palmer will then moderate a Q&A session.

Forum to Look at Climate, Elections – Third Way and U of Michigan hold a forum on September 15^th at Noon to look at climate and path to zero emissions. The event brings together leading climate advocates, philanthropists, labor leaders, elected officials, academics, and media from across the Midwest and the nation. Our goal: foster a dynamic conversation focused on how to move forward with ambitious climate action at a time when the nation is also grappling with the pandemic, economic crisis, and resurgent demands for racial justice. Stacey Abrams will keynote. 

Forum to Look at Bio Solutions for GHGs – The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation holds a webinar tomorrow at Noon on gene editing to provide biological solutions for curbing GHGs. ITIF will  present a new report on gene-edited solutions for climate change and a panel discussion on the implications of these technologies.

DOE to Commemorate Biomass Law – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board is hosting the virtual Bioeconomy Initiative Forum tomorrow and Wednesday that commemorates the 20^th anniversary of the Biomass Research and Development Act. This interactive and public forum is designed to solicit stakeholder input and share the Bioeconomy Initiative’s progress, including accomplishments and plans for the BR&D Board’s Interagency Working Groups since the release of The Bioeconomy Initiative: Implementation Framework.

Forum Features EPA’s Benevento – Following this morning’s conversation with EPA Administrator Wheeler, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies holds a virtual discussion tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. with Associate Deputy EPA Administrator Doug Benevento.

Forum to Look at Military Energy Logistics – The Atlantic Council holds a webinar tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. on operational energy across the Atlantic with US Military and NATO Perspectives focusing on streamlining energy logistics between military partners.

DOE Webinar to Look at Resilience – The DOE’s Better Buildings Program holds a webinar tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to focus on building resilient communities by getting State and local perspectives. This session will explore how different state and local governments are developing and planning their communities to improve energy efficiency and bolster resilience. Panelists will share how they use federal and local funds, tools, and public-private partnerships to support energy resilience projects. Panelists will also share real-world examples and best practices for building resilient communities.  Speakers include Will Lauwers of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Hillsboro, Oregon official Peter Brandom and Megan Levy of Wisconsin’s Office of Energy Innovation

USEA to Look at Geothermal in Africa – The U.S. Energy Association (USEA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) holds its second installment of the Geothermal Industrial Park webinar series presented by the US-East Africa Geothermal Partnership (EAGP) at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.  Baldvin Björn Haraldsson – Founding Partner at BBA//Fjeldco and Antoine Lochet, Counsel at BBA//Fjeldco will discuss the Legal aspects and Challenges of geothermal industrial parks. The presenters will discuss legal issues and challenges encountered in geothermal activities, especially in projects involving direct and/or cascade use of geothermal resources.

Forum to Look at India Coal – The Johns Hopkins SAIS Program will hold a forum on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. economic uncertainties and a just transition for India’s coal mining sector. Although coal mining will play an important role in India for many years to come, the sector’s growth prospects are limited and planning for a just transition should start as early as possible according to speaker Srestha Banerjee, currently leading natural resource management and climate justice initiatives at the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST), a New Delhi based environmental research and advocacy organization.

FERC Nominees Head to Senate Energy – The Senate Energy Committee will host FERC nominees Allison Clements and Mark Christie to become FERC commissioners on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

Senate Environment to Hear from Water Law Stakeholders – The Senate Environment Committee will hold a full committee hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to hear from stakeholders on the navigable waters protection rule under the Clean Water Act. Witnesses will include farmer Ray Gaesser, Fletcher Davis Co CEO Doug Davis and New Mexico Environment Department Water Protection Division expert Rebecca Roose.

House Enviro Panel Look at Low-Carbon Techs in Buildings – The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will hold a remote hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. via Cisco Webex on opportunities for an equitable, low-carbon recovery.

WRI to Talk Nature w NatGeo – On Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., the World Resources Institute hosts a discussion between WRI President and CEO Andrew Steer and Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer-in-residence and leading conservationist on his brand new book The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild. They will dive deep into the enormous risks to human health posed by our relationship with nature and why saving the earth’s wild places can help save humanity.

Web Event to Look at US Coal Transition – EESI holds a forum on Wednesday September 16^th at Noon to look at energy transition in coal country.  Coal-producing communities around the country have already been experiencing economic turmoil from mine layoffs or closures due to precipitous declines in the demand for coal. These communities are among the most vulnerable to further transitions away from carbon-intensive energy sources and face particular challenges retraining their coal workforce.  Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who introduced the Marshall Plan for Coal Country Act this July, will provide introductory remarks.

Panel to Look at Ocean Observations – The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hold a virtual workshop on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. on sustaining ocean observations. This event will bring together this diverse groups of stakeholders of ocean observations from multiple sectors. This workshop will explore how adoption of a collective impact organization framework could be undertaken, to help overcome existing barriers to sustained ocean observations.

Senate Energy to Look at Wildfire Management Legislation – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands, Forests and Mining Subcommittee holds a legislative hearing on 15 bills on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.  Most are focused on wildfire and forest management issues. See the LIST of bills here.

SEJ Launches – The Society of Enviro Journalists starts its multi-session annual conference on Wednesday with a panel of western Governors to discuss about the future of salmon, rivers, dams… and the country.  Then Thursday, SEJ holds several “virtual tours” of nuclear issues at the Idaho National Lab and ecosystems and conservation in Idaho’s high divide.  SEJ will conduct several other panels on elections and other issues on September 23^rd and 30^th.  I will be on the September 30^th panel with former Interior official Jim Lyons and Dem politico Jen Palmieri (both fellow Annapolis-area residents) to dig deep into election politics and the environment. 

USEA Holds Advanced Energy Forum – On Thursday morning, USEA holds in second annual Advanced Energy Technology Forum.  The event will explore technological innovation in the energy sector and focuses on research and development in the corporate and government sectors, including national labs and universities.  Speakers include Gas Technology Initiative CEO David Carroll and EPRI President Arshad Mansoor, among many others.

Series on Cybersecurity Continues – On Thursday at 9:30 a.m., the US Energy Assn and US AID holds its the eighth in the series of webinars on Digitalization and Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector hosted by E3.  Given the complexity of business processes and the wide variety of cyber assets used in the energy sector, there is a long list of cybersecurity standards that address security requirements, security controls, resilience strategies, and technologies. In this two-part webinar series our presenters will introduce standards, commonly known as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework in the US. The framework, complemented by NERC CIPs Standards, is an important first step for cyber professionals to use when assessing and improving their cyber environments.

Webcast to Look at Antarctica – The Woodrow Wilson Center's Polar Institute holds a webcast on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. focused on protecting Antarctica in the postponed 'Super Year of Nature.' At this joint Wilson Center/Pew Charitable Trusts webinar, Lewis Pugh, an endurance swimmer and UN Patron of the Ocean who pioneers swims in the most vulnerable ecosystems on the earth, and José María Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, will discuss the imperative of protecting these unique ocean habitats and a path forward for the three marine protected area proposals.

Forum to Look at Innovation – The Great Plains Institute and World Resources Institute holds a forum on Friday at 10:30 a.m. to hear how Congress can spur economic activity in the U.S. industrial sector, helping to create and maintain jobs in the near-term, while putting American industry on a long-term path to deep emissions reductions, high-wage job retention and creation, technology leadership and economic competitiveness. The webinar is being hosted on behalf of the Industrial Innovation Initiative, an ambitious coalition that brings together key industrial and power companies, environmental organizations, and state officials from Midwestern and Gulf Coast states, which GPI and WRI co-convene. Participants will discuss their recently released economic recovery recommendations for Congress.

House Panel Looks at Diversity, Inclusion at Interior – The House Natural Resources Oversight Subcommittee holds a hearing Thursday at 2:00 p.m. on examining the barriers and Solutions to diversity, equity and inclusion at Interior.

ELI Forum Looks at Biofuels – On Friday at Noon, the Environmental Law Institute holds a forum on advanced biofuels. While once heralded by environmentalists as an innovative carbon neutral energy source, biofuels have since come under scrutiny in the past decade. Concerns stemming from food security, deforestation and land use, the carbon footprint over the life cycle, vehicle modification, and more rendered this once-prized fuel as less desirable in the eyes of some environmentalists.  Leading experts to explore these question like practical/policy Challenges, past experiences and COVID impacts on industry as they dive into the next generation of biofuels.  Speakers include NRDC’s Luke Tonachel and POET’s Shailesh Sahay, among others.

IN THE FUTURE

National Clean Energy Week Set – From September 21^st to 25^th, National Clean Energy Week will be held.  NCEW is the annual week-long celebration of clean energy innovation and help solve the world’s most pressing challenges in nuclear, solar, wind, wave, hydropower, geothermal, natural gas, biomass, carbon capture, storage, and waste-to-energy technologies. By going virtual, the NCEW flagship Public Policy Symposium is expanding beyond Washington DC into every home and business in America. Through programming all week long, hear directly from Republican and Democratic policymakers and top speakers in clean energy investment and innovation. 

UN Meeting, Climate Week NYC – As the UN Meets “virtually” (usually in New York) to hold its International Conference on Sustainable Development and discuss climate, there will be numerous events in NYC on climate during September 21^st to 27^th 

Virtual Atlantic Festival Set – The Atlantic Festival will be held virtually on September 21^st to 24^th to examine the magnitude of the events of 2020, who we are as a nation, and what we might become. The Atlantic’s marquee festival will bring brave thinking and bold ideas to life with four days of can’t-miss conversations, evening headliners, and more. Hillary Clinton and Dr. Anthony Fauci lead a parade of key speakers. 

Forum to Look at Smart Buildings – Guidehouse hosts an EE Global forum next Monday at 10:00 a.m. featuring experts from the New York Power Authority, DOE and the Rocky Mountain Institute in live panel discussion on the role Grid Interactive Efficient buildings are playing in this new era of uncertainty and the disruption tied to climate change events. We are seeing the importance of importance of Grid Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBS) and how they help utilities ensure the balanced, flexible supply and demand of high levels of renewables and decarbonize the electricity system, resulting in resilient cities and communities.  The panel will explore key topics and highlight best practices including the role of “smart buildings” as part of the critical infrastructure for managing disruption and the importance of buildings that can be responsive assets. The team will also share insight into emerging opportunities as the smart buildings market matures and evolves from smart building systems to networked building assets.

BP Energy Outlook Set – Next Monday at 11:30 a.m., CSIS will host BP group chief economist Spencer Dale in a presentation of BP’s “2020 Energy Outlook” which explores the forces shaping the energy transition over the next 30 years. Following his presentation, Spencer will chat with Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS Energy), who will lead a moderated Q&A with the audience.

WCEE Forum to Talk to Enviva – The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) for a virtual discussion with Dr. Jen Jenkins, vice president and chief sustainability officer of Enviva, to hear how her company is helping power companies reduce their reliance on coal and fight climate change around the world.  Enviva is the world’s largest producer of sustainable wood pellets, which provide a reliable, dispatchable, carbon neutral alternative to fossil fuels. Dr. Jenkins will address and discuss the scientific basis for using bioenergy to mitigate climate change, Enviva’s implementation and deployment of its responsible sourcing policies and procedures, as well as how Enviva defines “good” vs. “bad” biomass.

Coal Transpo Group Meeting Set for Denver – The National Coal Transportation Assn will hold its fall conference both on site in Denver and virtually for those you are unable to attend on September 22^nd and 23^rd.  Speakers include DOE’s Lou Hrkman and several others.  I will also make an energy/election year presentation. 

Forum to Look at Innovation – The Global CCS Institute hosts a Climate Week Forum on Wednesday September 22^nd at 9:00 a.m.  The event features a discussion with Institute CEO Brad Page, economist Lord Nicholas Stern and policy expert Jason Bordoff, in addition to remarks by Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski.  Key findings of a climate report co-authored by the Global CCS Institute and Columbia University – titled “Net-Zero and Geospheric Return: Thinking about 2030” – will be discussed by climate policy and CCS experts, Alex Zapantis and Julio Friedmann. Then, for a closer look at the impacts of climate policy on the energy sector, Axios’ Amy Harder will moderate a conversation with industry leaders including CARB Chair Mary Nichols, Air Products CEO Seifi Ghasemi, Drax CEO Will Gardiner, Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation economist Leila Benali and Gassnova CEO Trude Sundset.  Closing remarks will be delivered by Sir Alex Halliday of Columbia University’s Earth Institute.

Forum to Focus on Climate, National Security – Next Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., the American Security Project holds a discussion as a part of Climate Week 2020 that will feature Alice Hill, Council of Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, USN (Ret.) for a conversation with American Security Project COO Andrew Holland on the threats climate change poses to US national security.

Third Way Series Continues – Third Way will continue its series on paths to zero on Tuesday September 22 at Noon. This event, subtitled “Innovation”, brings together leading climate advocates, philanthropists, labor leaders, elected officials, academics, and media from across the Midwest and the nation. Our goal: foster a dynamic conversation focused on how to move forward with ambitious climate action at a time when the nation is also grappling with the pandemic, economic crisis, and resurgent demands for racial justice. 

NYT Hosts Cities, Carbon Forum – The New York Times hosts a forum on Tuesday September 22^nd at 1:30 p.m. looking at carbon zero cities. 

BCSE, EE Global Hold Next Forum on Clean Energy Challenges – The Business Council for Sustainable Energy and EE Global will hold the next forum in their clean energy series on September 23^rd at 10:00 a.m. to focus on meeting the trio of challenges posed by COVID-19, economic recovery and climate change. This event explores the power of existing clean energy and energy efficiency technologies and expertise. During the first session, experts will look at how energy efficiency plays a key role in economic recovery across the globe – from lessons learned from the Great Recession in 2009, to how energy efficiency helps build resilient societies, stimulates investment, enables a pathway to net-zero and can immediately put people back to work. During the second half of the event, clean energy executives will discuss how to tackle these challenges vis-vis the deployment of clean energy solutions, smart public policy and project design, and strategic deployment of procurement, finance, and technologies.

Energy Economists Talk CCS, Canadian Projects – The US Energy Economists will hold a forum Wednesday September 23^rd at 11:30 a.m. on innovation and emerging developments in Canadian carbon capture and storage. Representatives from three Canadian companies at the forefront of this innovation – CarbonCure, Carbon Upcycling and Carbon Engineering – will discuss their operations, their activities in the United States, and where they see carbon capture technologies headed in terms of further commercial deployment.

Forum to Look at Trillions Trees, Timber Solutions – EESI holds a forum on Wednesday September 23^rd at Noon to look at mass timber and opportunities to diversify the American economy and lower emissions while providing steady, family-sustaining employment for a skilled workforce. Panelists will discuss the environmental and workforce benefits of mass timber, from manufacturing to construction. Rep. Bruce Westerman, forester and sponsor of the Trillion Trees Act, will provide opening remarks. Tyler Freres, Vice President of Freres Lumber Co., Inc. will discuss the burgeoning mass timber manufacturing sector, its implications for U.S. environmental goals and the American workforce, and the policies currently helping mass timber innovation and manufacturing.

EIA to Release Outlook Report – EIA will release its International Energy Outlook on September 24^th.

EU Energy Transition Discussion Set – On Thursday September 24^th at Noon, the Women’s Energy Network holds a lunchtime chat with Carole Mathieu, the head of Head of EU Policies, Center for Energy & Climate, at the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri). Her research areas primarily cover climate change policies and the transformation of energy systems, European energy policy and security of gas supply.

Forum to Look at Minorities, Clean Energy – UPenn’s Kleinman Energy Center will hold a forum on Thursday September 24^th at Noon to look at access clean and reliable energy and overcoming racial disparities.  This panel brings together practitioners and researchers to discuss how we can more equitably distribute the benefits that advances in energy policy and technology have brought to some, but not to all. 

Forum to Look at Clean Energy Innovation – On Thursday September 24^th at 1:00 p.m., the Clean Capitalist Leadership Council holds a discussion explore promising opportunities for cross-border policy innovation and collaboration. The conversation will engage experts from a wide range of US and international private foundations, universities and free market friendly think tanks. In this webinar, Rod Richardson and Jigar Shah will kick off the dialog with an overview of next generation free market policy for clean energy, in the context of COVID recovery.

Cato Book Event to Feature Shellenberger – The Cato Institute holds a forum on Thursday September 24^th at 4:30 p.m. on environmental alarmism.  The event will focus on Michael Shellenberger’s new book.  In his best‐selling book, Shellenberger examines the rise of apocalyptic environmentalism and shows how parts of the environmental movement have become mired in misunderstanding and partisanship. He also gives reasons to oppose a despairing outlook and makes a strong case for rational optimism that humanity will be able to rise to the occasion and effectively tackle environmental problems such as climate change. The panel will feature Shellenberger with comments by Clemson’s Reed Watson and Cato’s Chelsea Follett.  

BU Forum Looks at Local Climate Issues – On Friday September 25^th at 11:00 a.m., BU’s Institute for Sustainable Energy will hold an on-line event will look at a synthesis of expertise and analysis of local climate-action options and current research.  The event will address: Why local climate action needs more urgency, not less. How the pandemic response creates opportunities and risks for local climate action. How socially vulnerable populations can benefit from purposeful responses to the pandemic and climate change.

NPC Virtual Newsmaker with Jane Goodall – The National Press Club will host renowned primatologist and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall on Friday, September 25^th at 2:00 p.m.  Goodall will join NPC President Michael Freedman for a live-streamed Headliners conversation about the state of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic and the on-going threats caused by climate change.

Forum to Look at Low Carbon, Small Biz – EESI holds a forum on Wednesday September 30^th at Noon to look at the challenges faced by small businesses in low-carbon sectors, where federal policies such as the CARES Act worked—or did not work—to alleviate those challenges, and suggestions for the road ahead. Leticia Colon de Mejias, the owner of Energy Efficiencies Solutions and the Policy Co-Chair for the Building Performance Association, will discuss how she is working to address one of the foremost challenges in the energy efficiency industry—a trained workforce. Stuart Davies, Chief Executive Officer of the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), will share his experience as a small business leader in the marine renewable energy sector, which is poised to grow with investments in the research, development, and deployment of these innovative technologies. All speakers will describe how their work has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.