Energy Update: Week of September 22

Friends,

L’Shana Tova! Tomorrow begins the Jewish high holidays, the end of the new year and time for atonement. Also, welcome to Climate Week! I am headed up to NYC to attend events today, tomorrow and Wednesday.  It will be interesting to see industry and other stakeholder responses to climate issues as the Trump Administration continue place no priority on it. I have added a bunch of Climate Week events below that I found interesting. There is so much happening.  I will be at API/ClearPath and BCSE today, an early morning Gevo aviation fuels event at our Bracewell NY office, the Chamber’s morning circular economy event, a couple Axios House events and then Semafor’s evening event with Brookfield Renewables. Finally, I will be at the NY Times Climate Forward event in the morning on Wednesday. DOE Secretary Chris Wright is expected to speak at the Climate Forward event in the afternoon.

Not much happening in Congress this week because of Jewish holidays. They are dancing with a government shutdown, set for October 1^st, and this time it looks like Senate Democrats are the stumbling block after rejecting the House-passed 7-week CR. Another point of added contention is that many provisions of the current extension of the farm bill will expire as well (some run to the end of the calendar year), setting up some potential market chaos.

At the White House, after returning from Arizona for Charlie Kirk’s funeral, the President heads to New York to address to the UN General Assembly tomorrow. These are always interesting and tend to be packed with the typical Trumpian rhetorical punch. EPA also faces a deadline tomorrow for comments on its Endangerment finding plan. Look for a lot of differing comments from all stakeholders.

Despite a slower DC week and Climate Week in NY, there are a couple of good events in town. The Atlantic Council holds its virtual 2025 Nuclear Energy Policy Summit tomorrow and Wednesday.  The R Street Institute holds a discussion tomorrow on preparing for energy load growth, while Heritage addresses a similar topic on Thursday. The RNG Coalition is in Nashville Wednesday and Thursday and USEA holds a discussion on utilities and wildfires on Wednesday.

The Ryder Cup starts on Thursday from Bethpage Black in New York. Always a great format and always really intense play. Of added intrigue: President Trump will be there on Friday to watch.

Finally, congrats to our friends at Axios – Chuck McCutcheon, Ben Geman and now Amy Harder (who returns to Axios) – who launched the new version of its energy newsletter, calling it Axios Future of Energy. Check it out. Hope to see you in NYC. Call with questions.

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932                                                                           

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“We’re moving to a place — and we’re not there yet — to no longer use Russian enriched uranium.”

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright to Bloomberg News Monday in Vienna, where he’s attended IAEA’s annual general conference.

ON THE PODCAST

National Security Expert Undercuts Admin Offshore Wind Risk Issues – In this week’s USEA Power Sector Podcast, retired U.S. Navy Commander and author Kirk Lippold, who holds multiple Naval decorations and awards, answered questions by journalist Herman K. Trabish about how regulatory uncertainty created by recent Trump administration actions stopping offshore wind development could drive offshore wind and U.S. national security seriously off course.

API’s Sommers Talks Permitting, State of Industry on POLITICO Podcast – On this week’s POLITICO Energy podcast, host Josh Siegel interviews API head Mike Sommers who discusses Trump 2.0 and how reaching a permitting reform deal requires renewables on the table. They discuss industry policy wins on tax cuts, regulatory rollbacks, and expanded lease sales, but also hits on short-term challenges like low prices, layoffs, tariffs and climate lawsuits.

FUN OPINIONS

Leadership on Refrigerants is Essential to Compete with China – In an op-ed for The National Interest, AHRI’s Steve Yurek and  refrigerant expert Kevin Fay write America’s refrigerant industry, backed by the AIM Act, is driving innovation and job growth while reducing costs and boosting US competitiveness in advanced cooling technologies. Backtracking would hand over our American innovation future to others. We know what that looks like. Until President Trump signed the AIM Act, foreign manufacturers had been exploiting regulatory gaps and dumping outdated systems into US markets. With the AIM Act, President Trump gave America a shield against that foreign-based threat.

FROG BLOG

WSJ Editorial: California Softens on Energy/Climate – In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes California’s war on fossil fuels is backfiring in spectacular fashion, as gasoline prices, imports of foreign oil and CO2 emissions all increase. The response in Sacramento? Allow more oil drilling and dirtier blends of gasoline in the state, so the WSJ writers ask: What happened to the climate emergency? Apparently it was overridden by politics and energy reality.

FUN FACTS

Share of Electricity Production from Nuclear: US and European Nuclear is expected to grow, while it will drop in Russia and the UK.  

IN THE NEWS

Long-time DOJ Deputy Assistant AG Joins Bracewell Environment team – Long-Time DOJ attorney Seth Barsky has joined Bracewell’s environment, lands and resources department as a partner in the Washington, DC office. Barsky joins after a distinguished career with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), where he served for over three decades and held senior roles within the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), most recently as Deputy Assistant Attorney General (DAAG). Barsky is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities on species protection laws. He also has deep experience in administrative law and litigation, including overseeing the defense of challenges to numerous high-profile rulemakings and supervising the litigation that culminated in the Supreme Court’s watershed decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. Barsky is the second partner to join Bracewell’s environment, lands and resources department this month, following the arrival last week of Shailesh Sahay, a biofuels expert who was in-house counsel at Poet with extensive experience in liquid fuels, environmental credits, decarbonization strategies and carbon capture,

Thacker DOE Loan Potentially at Risk – A report from our friend Tom Catenacci of the Free Beacon says America’s largest lithium project in jeopardy after DOE loan officials questioned its ability to compete with China. Thacker Pass mine, which has been identified as a national security asset, could be at risk because it lacks Customers according for DOE Loan official Greg Beard. The stakes for the future of the project are high. If the loan falls through, Lithium Americas will have to pause the project indefinitely as it attempts to secure alternative financing and fend off bankruptcy. In light of his concerns, Beard offered to sign off on the loan if General Motors, Lithium Americas' lead investor, would agree to a "take or pay" clause binding the automaker to purchase a set amount of the lithium produced at the facility over the next two decades. Beard’s plan reveals a tension between the Trump administration's effort to cut federal spending, and its emphasis on American energy independence. On the one hand, Beard’s proposal could eliminate risk for taxpayers. On the other, it could lead to the demise of a project that would help reshore a critical mineral and empower the United States vis-à-vis China.

ClearPath Study Highlight China Competitiveness Issues – A new ClearPath report says the US faces a growing strategic challenge as China has emerged as the world’s dominant energy financier, outpacing the U.S. nearly ten-to-one in global markets and establishing itself as a primary partner in key nations like Brazil. This first-of-a-kind analysis of U.S. and Chinese energy finance shows that, since 2015, China has outpaced the U.S. by more than 100x in public energy finance in Brazil, $60B to $472M. Global public investment follows a similar pattern, with China outstripping the U.S. $446 billion to $45 billion. As a primary strategic competitor, China’s financial initiatives lead to geopolitical gain and undermine U.S. interests. The Report recommends enhancing the scale and strategic focus of international development finance by establishing a revolving fund for equity investments to enable long-term investments that strengthen national security and support American supply chains, strengthen the Ex-Im Bank’s financing toolkit to reshore American manufacturing and supply chains:

Raise the default rate cap to allow EXIM to pursue larger, American-made energy infrastructure projects, including advanced nuclear and promote strategic interagency coordination through an Energy Security Compacts (ESC) framework that creates long-term measurable agreements while promoting coordination across federal authorities and multiplies capabilities.

GLE Completes Major Successful Demonstration on Uranium Production Process – Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) has completed large-scale demonstration testing at their test-loop facility in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Through this large-scale demonstration testing, GLE crossed a significant technological milestone, producing hundreds of kilograms of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU), confirming that the technology can be commercially deployed. The completion of large-scale demonstration testing comes as the US works to incentivize more LEU to meet the demands of both existing reactors and potential new reactors.  Last year, the US banned Russian LEU imports, a source that currently constitutes around a quarter of domestic reactors’ enrichment needs. New nuclear reactors are increasingly viewed as essential to providing reliable, baseload electricity to power data centers. GLE aims to commercially deploy an enrichment facility in Paducah, Kentucky, a facility that can help US utilities meet not only their LEU needs but also bolster domestic supply of uranium and conversion.

Gevo Executes Biorecro Deal Accelerates Multi-Year Carbon Credit Offtake – Gevo’s Net-Zero Richardton, LLC, signed a Carbon Dioxide Removal Sales Agreement with Biorecro North America for the commercialization of carbon dioxide removal credits generated at the Gevo North Dakota facility. This Agreement is for voluntary credits and is expected to generate approximately $26 million in revenues for Gevo over five years with the option to expand the volumes under the transaction. Gevo and Biorecro are able to provide immediate, operational solutions for companies with hard-to-abate emissions; solving demand needs today with the supply of high-integrity durable carbon removal credits from Gevo North Dakota, which are certified by Puro.earth.

OPAL Fuels Completes Major IRA Tax Credit Sale –  OPAL Fuels completed the sale of $17.3 million of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) investment tax credits generated by the Polk RNG facility, located in Polk County in Florida. OBBBA/IRA tax credits from Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) production continue to create opportunities.  OPAL announcement of the sale of investment tax credits is the fourth in recent months. The facility providing the credits is Polk County’s North Central Landfill (Polk County, Florida). The facility is a public/private partnership between Polk County’s Solid Waste Division and OPAL. With a nameplate design capacity of approximately 1.1 million MMBtu (8.5 million gasoline gallon equivalents) of RNG per year, the product RNG replaces diesel transportation fuel to lower fleet operating costs and reduce GHGs of over 900 heavy-duty trucks.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Climate Week NYC – Climate Week NYC will be held this week.  The event brings together inspiring heads of government and leaders from the world of business, tech, academia, and civil society. Some events:

 

Today

 

Transforming Fashion's Footprint: Innovation and Business – 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM – In-person, International Affairs Building, Columbia University. Researchers, startups, and industry leaders discuss new materials and models driving decarbonization in fashion.

 

Axios House: Axios is sponsoring 3 days of events on many topic.  Click on the link for a List of all of them.  Breakthrough Technologies and the Energy Economy of Tomorrow – 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM – In-person, Axios House, 22 Vanderbilt, NYC. GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik joins Axios’ Mike Allen to discuss innovation shaping the future energy economy.

 

What Now, What Next: Tackling Spent Nuclear Fuel for a Sustainable Future – 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM – A hybrid panel hosted by The City College of New York will explore technical, political, and community-centered solutions for managing spent nuclear fuel in support of U.S. climate goals.

 

Uncharted Waters: Examining the Risks of Marine Geoengineering – 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – A virtual panel hosted by Friends of the Earth will assess the ecological, ethical, and political risks of marine geoengineering techniques such as ocean fertilization and alkalinity enhancement.

 

U.S. Clean Energy & Industrial Innovation – Report Launch & Climate Week Kick-Off – 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by The New York Climate Exchange will launch a new report on U.S. clean energy and industrial innovation, featuring key findings, expert panels, and networking on technologies shaping resilience, security, and competitiveness.

 

POWER: Bring it on! – 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy with K&L Gates and Hydro Québec will feature discussions on U.S. energy and finance, covering federal clean energy incentives, major project development, and evolving standards for sustainable investing.

 

API - ClearPath Carbon Innovation Forum –  1:00 PM – 6:00 PM- The Carbon Innovation Forum will cover exciting developments in American-made low carbon technology, explore ways to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers, and critically examine the investments needed to scale up the energy technologies required to bolster U.S. geopolitical strength.

 

Beyond Barriers: Unlocking Home Electrification for Everyone with Inclusive Utility Investment – 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM – An in-person panel hosted by CET will examine how Inclusive Utility Investment programs can accelerate residential decarbonization, expand access to clean energy upgrades, and address challenges to scaling nationwide.

 

The Ocean Awakens – 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Plastic Odyssey aboard the Wavertree at South Street Seaport will convene corporate, nonprofit, and startup leaders for panels, screenings, and networking on ocean action, covering sustainable supply chains, restoration, innovation, and storytelling.

 

Follow the Capital: Investment and Careers in Climate – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM -- In-person, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, NYC. CGEP’s Women in Energy hosts leaders from finance, policy, and industry on climate capital flows and inclusive career opportunities.

 

Systemic by design: scaling circularity through culture, innovation, and infrastructure – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – An in-person session hosted by Arc’teryx will bring leaders from fashion and design to discuss embedding circularity into global supply chains through cultural change, innovation, and systems-level infrastructure.

 

Powering progress - grid innovation, AI, and the next US energy transition – 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – An in-person session hosted by Climate Group will explore how AI, data infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing are reshaping U.S. energy demand, with leaders discussing grid modernization, permitting reform, and investment models to build smarter and more resilient clean energy systems.

 

From volatile to viable - the new playbook for energy security – 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM – An in-person session hosted by Climate Group will highlight how governments and businesses can align energy security with climate goals, showcasing strategies where efficiency and renewables strengthen independence, resilience, and economic growth.

 

Tuesday

 

SAF Investor New York – All day – An in-person event hosted by SAF Investor will gather leaders from aviation, energy, and finance to focus on financing, scaling, and commercializing sustainable aviation fuel, covering capital markets, corporate strategy, regulation, and infrastructure.

 

Scaling Clean, Firm Power: The Role of Multi-Day Storage in Enabling Data Center and Industrial Load Growth – 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM – An in-person event hosted by Noon Energy at The Cornell Club will explore how multi-day energy storage can support industrial growth, improve grid reliability, and deliver round-the-clock renewable energy in an era of rising AI and electrification demand.

 

FP Energy Forum – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Foreign Policy holds its Energy Forum, part of the UN General Assembly to look at a series of solution-focused discussions on how to address today’s most critical energy challenges. IEA’s Fatih Birol and ClearPath’s Jeremy Harrell are among the speakers.

 

EDP Executive Roundtable: Powering Resilience: How Renewables Drive Energy Security and Competitive Advantage – 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM – An in-person executive breakfast hosted by EDP will convene energy, technology, and financial leaders to discuss how renewables can meet power demand while strengthening U.S. economic and national security.

 

Reuters@ Climate Week NYC – September 23–26, multiple sessions daily – An invitation-only series hosted by Reuters at 3 Times Square will feature exclusive forums, high-level dialogues, and curated networking with policymakers, CEOs, and global leaders, focusing on climate action, energy, resilience, and the role of AI in shaping business and society.

 

Abundance in action: how to frame the next clean energy transition – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – An in-person session hosted by Climate Group will convene leaders to define the “abundance ethos” and discuss how to translate it into equitable, scalable action for the clean energy transition.

 

Rystad Energy: Clean Energy Forum – 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Rystad Energy at 50 Vanderbilt Ave will feature keynotes and panels on hybrid power grids, fuels for net zero, and the evolving energy transition, followed by a networking reception.

 

AI + the Future of Sustainability Reporting – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Sustainserv Inc. at 350 5th Avenue will feature corporate, communications, and technology leaders discussing how AI and emerging tools are transforming corporate sustainability reporting and shaping future practices.

 

Tackling the energy trilemma – security, affordability, sustainability – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM – An in-person session hosted by Climate Group will bring industry leaders together to discuss how businesses can balance energy security, affordability, and sustainability amid geopolitical volatility, highlighting tools like 24/7 clean energy procurement, smart grids, and flexible demand.

 

Semafor @ Climate Week – Several EVENT, but 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM –
In-person, NYC. Semafor hosts dialogues with leaders and journalists on climate politics, clean energy, and international cooperation. This event features Brookfield Renewables execs and others talking about AI-powered energy,

 

Wednesday

 

HEATMAP Holds Day-Long Series of Forums – 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM – Throughout the day Wednesday, HEATMAP will hold a series on forums on climate, the future of cities, energy, technology and AI.

 

Resilience breakfast at Climate Week NYC – 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM – An in-person breakfast hosted by Resilience at the Javits Center will launch the Climate and Nature Risk Report 2025, with CEO Dr. Andrew Coburn presenting insights on how major corporations are responding to climate and nature risk amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

 

The New York Times Climate Forward 2025 – All day – An in-person event hosted by The New York Times at The Times Center will convene global leaders, experts, and innovators for a full day of discussions on the most pressing climate challenges and solutions shaping policy, business, and society.

 

Pillars of the Green Transition – 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Newsweek at One World Trade Center will feature corporate and climate leaders discussing how maturing technologies, ESG reporting, and smart innovation are shaping the next phase of the global green transition.

 

Nuclear Symposium 2025 – 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Nuclear New York on Roosevelt Island will bring together leaders from policy, finance, and technology to explore how nuclear energy can meet rising electricity demand through scalable, cost-effective deployment.

 

Tidal Shifts: Clean Energy Investment State of Play – 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM – An in-person executive roundtable hosted by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and CleanCapital, in partnership with White & Case, will examine long-term clean energy investment trends amid a shifting U.S. political landscape.

 

The Race to Fusion Energy: International Cooperation and Competition – 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Columbia Engineering in partnership with the Fusion Industry Association will examine how global cooperation and national competition are shaping the push to commercialize fusion energy, with panel discussions, a reception, and lab tours.

 

CLIMATE COMMS FOR CREATORS + COMMUNICATORS: Live Workshop – 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM – An in-person workshop hosted by the Earth Public Information Collaborative will train creators and storytellers in practical strategies from the new Climate Communications Toolkit, featuring speakers from COP30, Conspirators, and H&M Foundation.

 

Power On Transformational Leadership: Reinventing Purpose, Strategy & Change for Climate Action – 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM – A virtual masterclass hosted by PURE will feature Neil Gaught, Ian Pallister, and Ana Alonso on embedding purpose, reinventing strategy, and applying change management to drive organizational climate action and sustainable transformation.

 

Turning Waste to Value: Creating a Circular Energy Future – 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM – An in-person event hosted by Bridge Green Upcycle at 116 E 55th Street will bring together experts from energy, cleantech, and finance to discuss how circular economy principles can minimize waste, improve resource efficiency, and support long-term sustainability in the clean energy transition.

 

Transitioning from EPR Compliance to Innovation to Have More Sustainable and Circular Packaging – 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM – An in-person session hosted by Pure Strategies will feature speakers from Colgate-Palmolive, Ulta Beauty, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on how companies can meet packaging EPR laws while driving circularity, cutting emissions, and improving business value through sustainable packaging innovation.

 

Simplifying Renewable Energy Procurement for Supply Chains: Panel & Happy Hour – 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM – An in-person event hosted by Green Project Technologies at a Midtown rooftop will feature a panel on supplier renewable energy adoption and Scope 3 decarbonization, followed by a networking happy hour.

 

Heatmap House – All day – An in-person event hosted by Heatmap News at 873 Broadway will convene investors, founders, policymakers, and journalists for a full day of panels and discussions on urgent climate and clean energy challenges and opportunities.

 

Thursday

 

Offshore Wind Transmission US 2025 – September 25–26, full days – An in-person conference hosted by Global Transmission at the New York Marriott Downtown will bring together regulators, port leaders, and industry stakeholders to discuss challenges and solutions for building the transmission infrastructure needed to advance offshore wind and support U.S. climate and energy security goals.

 

Stop Plastic Pollution at Source - Revolutionary River Technology – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – A virtual event hosted by PURE will feature Think Ocean founder Hugo Valdes-Vera presenting new river-based technology that prevents plastic from reaching oceans, achieving 90% capture rates using renewable energy with no harm to wildlife.

 

Rare Earths and Energy Transition – Can We Diversify the Supply Chain for Vital Industries? – 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – A virtual panel hosted by NY Energy Forum will feature industry leaders discussing U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on China for rare earths and explore strategies to diversify supply chains critical to the energy transition.

 

Achieving Zero Waste: Moving the Circular Economy from Idea to Practical Implementation – 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – An in-person event hosted by The New York Climate Exchange at Governors Island will feature experts from the Center for Zero Waste Design, U.S. Green Building Council, and CET on practical strategies for architects, builders, and operators to eliminate waste and implement circular economy principles in the built environment.

 

12th Annual Alumni in Energy Symposium – Navigating Challenges to the Energy Transition – 1:00 PM – 5:45 PM – A hybrid event hosted at Bracewell will feature leaders including James Von Nostrand, Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, to discuss regulatory, financial, and policy challenges shaping the energy transition.

 

Riding the Climate Reporting Rollercoaster: Perspectives from Leading Journalists – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – An in-person session hosted by Antenna Group at 330 W 38th St will feature CBS News producer Tracy J. Wholf and Heatmap News correspondent Matthew Zeitlin discussing how climate and energy reporting is evolving, moderated by Isaac Steinmetz.

 

Energy Transition and Clean Tech Investment Amid Uncertainty – An in-person event hosted by Freshfields US LLP at 3 World Trade Center will convene senior leaders from capital, technology, and energy sectors to discuss how investors and corporates are addressing regulatory, geopolitical, and financing challenges in scaling clean energy and infrastructure.

 

Friday

 

Port Authority of NY & NJ: Advancing Sustainable Aviation Fuel in the Region – An in-person, invitation-only event hosted by the Port Authority of NY & NJ in Lower Manhattan will convene airlines, policymakers, SAF producers, and corporate buyers to discuss scaling sustainable aviation fuel supply, group purchasing models, and the impact of state and federal policies on regional SAF adoption. Gevo’s Lindsay Fitzgerald will speak at this event.