Washington’s Olympic Task is Groundhog Day Dog/Pony Show

Friends,

 

This morning in Gobbler’s Nob, PA, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather. Of course, Groundhog Day is one of the great a marketing/PR dream concepts, accentuated by my one of my favorite movies of the same name featuring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell (a former Summer Olympian in Archery herself).

 

This week is also the 150th Westminster Dog Show held in NY’s Madison Square Garden, which also was highlighted in another of my favorite movies Best in Show.  And Sadly on Friday, we lost the star of that movie and many others, Catherine O’Hara. I will especially miss her hilarious approach. I also mention Westminster because one of our Bracewell PRG staff assistants, Betsy Lake, is showing a Weimaraner named Harper. Good Luck Betsy and Harper.

 

Part of the government partially shut down at least until today when the House reconvenes and votes on the modified approps text, less the DHS funding, which Trump supported and will only last for two weeks while they discuss changes to ICE operations. After voting on a funding bill, the House will also consider the Critical Mineral Dominance Act.

 

The 5th of five Offshore Wind Stop-work order injunctions is in court today (actually going on as I send this) for Orsted’s Sunrise Wind project.  As you know, the developers have won four straight, allowing work to continue on these projects that are already operating or very near total completion. Of course, Turn Forward’s Hillary Bright, union officials from LIUNA (who testified at last week’s Senate Environment Permitting hearing and national security expert Kirk Lippold will all be available should there be a ruling in this final case. STAY TUNED!!!

 

On Wednesday, the US State Department and Secretary Rubio will welcome partners from across the globe to the State Department for the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial. The event is aimed at strengthening critical mineral supply chains among international partners, which is vital to America’s economic and national security, technological leadership, and a resilient energy future.  Alongside those meeting, CSIS will hold its own critical minerals summit tomorrow that will feature Secretary Burgum, DOE’s Audrey Robertson and more.

 

In Congress, hearings include House Energy welcoming all five FERC Commissioners tomorrow for the first time in years, especially important with grid reliability and power costs clearly in the spotlight. On Wednesday, Senate Foreign Relations Looks at European energy security with LNG on the front burner.  Our friend Dan Byers of the US Chamber testifies.

 

Permitting returns to the spotlight tomorrow afternoon at the Bipartisan Policy Center holds its 2026 Permitting Summit tomorrow afternoon with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle, key administration officials, industry, trade associations and the environmental community to explore the policy and political dynamics shaping permitting reform. It will likely be a topic alongside grid reliability questions early next week at the NARUC Winter Meetings in DC. 

 

Congrats to our friend and former long-time Capitol Hill energy reporter at E&E News, Geof Koss, who has joined ENGIE North America as Director of External Communications.

 

I watched some of the 68th Grammy’s, but even with Trevor Noah’s excellent job hosting, I was pretty disappointed.  Even the Ozzy tribute fell short. I actually switched back to the NHL Stadium Series game in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium.  After the Boston raced to an early 5-1 lead, there was a goalie fight which spurred a massive comeback with the Lightning winning in a shootout. Just couldn’t turn it off.

 

Super Bowl LX is on Sunday. It feels like this maybe is Seattle’s year. Finally, the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Milan, Italy are on Friday 2pm ET/8pm CET. Alpine skiing, Curling and Luge all start Wednesday, Women’s Hockey starts on Thursday. See the Schedule of events HERE. Call with any questions.

 

Best,

 

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

Quarter to C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

   

“Natural gas has been one of the most economic ways to produce electricity in this country. But as a country, there is a question: How much do you rely on one fuel source? And is there a value of diversity?”

 

Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in POLITICO

 

ON THE PODCAST

 

Michael Webber on What’s Behind Rising Energy Costs – In this week’s Columbia Energy Exchange podcast, Jason Bordoff speaks with Michael Webber about the costs of energy; the challenges of permitting reform; and the need to build more energy faster. With electricity prices on the rise, the future of our power grid is attracting a lot more attention. Surging demand is at the center of the story, but the power sector is also grappling with supply chain bottlenecks and aging infrastructure – all while trying to balance capacity growth with reducing emissions. This isn’t just a technical challenge. Energy affordability and equity are reshaping debates about energy policy, permitting reform, and climate goals. Webber is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s the author of multiple books on energy, including Power Trip and Thirst for Power, both of which were adapted into award-winning PBS documentary series.

 

POLITICO Hosts Senate Environment Chair in Updated Energy Podcast – In the debut episode of the new-look POLITICO Energy podcast, EPW Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito dishes on the political risks from Trump’s clean energy war and its effect on the future of permitting reform. Discussing Clean energy jobs projects, Capito said “a lot of these are skilled jobs that are no longer there if projects get canceled. That's the real harm – the loss in the workforce and lost wages and the uncertainties for families. And when a family is feeling like that, they're looking for somebody to blame and they could look at the president and say, well, he canceled the project that was employing me because he didn’t like it was solar. And yes, that could cost you at the ballot box.”

 

FUN OPINIONS

 

Moore: Cronyism Clouding RFS Debate on E15 – In an opinion in RealClearPolicy, veteran conservative economist and former Trump economic advisor Stephen Moore writes that cronyism, not competition, is driving U.S. Fuel Markets regarding the stalled E15 compromise.  Moore writes the most egregious abuse today lies in the so-called Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) program. What began in 2010 as a temporary safety net for tiny, struggling refiners has morphed into a lucrative loophole for mid-sized and even large publicly traded refining companies.  They aren’t “struggling.”  And 11 years into the program, it’s clearly not temporary.

 

FROG BLOG

 

NatGas Has Important Impacts on Lower Cost, Increasing Reliability – In a post on RealClearEnergy, our friend Paul Bledsoe (of former White House Climate advisor for Bill Clinton writes Appalachian gas is key to lowering emissions and prices amid rising power demand. As demand for U.S. electricity has increased in the last few years, the role of natural gas in providing reliable baseload power has become more important to consumers, businesses, and to balancing the electrical grids that are also using more intermittent renewable energy. The fast-growing build- out of data centers by the technology industry means permitting reform in Congress is more vital than ever for both economic and environmental progress. It’s time all consumer, economic, and environmental advocates realized the opportunity—and let Congress know.

 

FUN FACTS

 

Oil Price Surges Because of Iran: While prices has trended lower, growing signs that the US may be readying fresh strikes on Iran drove oil prices higher. The oil market jumped higher with Brent crude hitting $70 a barrel for the first time since September.

IN THE NEWS

 

NEW ACP ANALYSIS: Cancelling OSW Projects Costs East Coast Customers $45B – Cancelling five major offshore wind projects could raise electricity costs for customers on the east coast by an estimated $45 billion over the next decade, according to a new analysis from the American Clean Power Association (ACP). As demand soars across the nation, the five projects together would provide nearly 6GW of power for the region and power over 2.5 million homes.  In its analysis, ACP evaluated the impact of removing the five offshore wind projects from the system. The results were then translated into expected retail electricity rates across 15 states and Washington, D.C.

 

The findings show that without these offshore wind resources: 

Wholesale electricity prices would rise significantly during evening peaks and winter hours – including intense winter storms like Fern 

Power systems would rely more heavily on non-renewable sources and leave customers more exposed to price volatility 

Grids would lose access to low-cost, winter-peaking clean energy that helps stabilize prices during periods of high demand 

 

At peak times, electricity prices are set by the most expensive power plant needed to meet demand. Offshore wind reduces reliance on those high-cost plants, replacing them with steady, lower-cost power that helps stabilize prices. 

 

Of course, after the most recent court decision restarting Vineyard Wind – the 4th consecutive restart ordered by a court – Turn Forward Executive Director Hillary Bright noted the Vineyard Wind already produces power from previously installed turbines, with reports from ISO New England and EIA suggesting that it performed very strongly during this weekend’s storm.  Offshore Wind can turn harsh winter winds into critical power supplies that steadily fed the grid even as other sources experienced price spikes and shortages. She added:

 

This performance tracks closely with research demonstrating particularly strong offshore wind power delivery during wintertime when taxed electrical grids are stretched even thinner by high heating demand. It also highlights the need for an ‘everything that works’ energy policy that takes full advantage of the different contributions gained from accessing a variety of energy sources.

 

Let’s hope this weekend’s strong offshore wind performance was noted by the Administration. As they seek to hold down utility bills and rejuvenate a US manufacturing sector that lost an estimated 10,000 renewable energy jobs last year, clearing the way for offshore wind to take off would help achieve the President’s reliability and affordability objectives.

 

Interior Sets Alaska Lease Sale – Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Friday finalized the first lease sale for oil and gas development offshore in Alaska's Cook Inlet under the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The March 4th sale – the first of six mandated Cook Inlet lease sales — will Lease terms include a 10-year primary term, a minimum bonus bid of $25 per hectare, and a 12.5 percent royalty rate. Sealed bids must be received by 10 a.m. Alaska Time on Tuesday, March 3rd. BOEM will open and publicly announce bids via livestream at 10am Alaska time. BOEM will evaluate high bids using its bid adequacy procedures, and the Justice and FTC will review results for antitrust considerations before BOEM accepts bids and issues leases. The complete lease sale package, including a list of blocks available for bid, an area map and instructions for accessing the livestream, is available at: www.boem.gov/ak-bbc1.

 

AHRI HVACR Workforce Scholarships Announced – With a massive need for new HVACR technicians,  The Clifford H. "Ted" Rees, Jr. Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), announced its 2025 scholarship awards, totaling $166,500, to 93 students, including five military veterans, and 11 SkillsUSA awardees studying to become technicians in the HVACR and water heating industry.

 

"Each year, the Foundation provides aid to these aspiring technicians, helping to promote careers in the industry and fill good-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced," said AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek. "We are pleased to award scholarships to these qualified and dedicated students, and we look forward to welcoming them into the industry."

 

OPEC+ Keep Production Unchanged  -- Given tensions in Iran, OPEC+ agreed to keep its oil output unchanged for March at its Sunday meeting. The eight producers - Saudi Arabia, Russia, UAE, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria and Oman - raised production quotas by about 2.9 million barrels per day from April through December 2025, roughly 3% of global demand. In November they froze further planned increases for January through March 2026 because of seasonally weaker consumption.

 

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

 

HVACR Expo Set for Vegas – The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute is set for Las Vegas on today to Thursday.  The AHR Expo will take over Orlando for a fast-paced week of learning, reconnecting, perusing and demoing everything new coming to market in HVACR. Topics spanning industry sectors included tariffs, regulation updates, A2Ls, AI, equipment design and more.

 

Clean Water Agencies Meet in Florida – The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), which represents public wastewater and stormwater utilities, holds its winter conference in Miami, FL today to Thursday. The event explores how utilities are taking the lead in providing steady leadership and staying ahead of the curve during this unprecedented time of federal uncertainty and transformative technological and ecological change. Sessions will include discussions on PFAS and biosolids, cybersecurity and emergency preparedness, environmental justice and more. EPA Wastewater Management office head Andrew Sawyers, Homeland Security Physical Security Advisor Matt Frost and Cyber Security Advisor Michael Hastings and Veola CEO Karine Rougé are among the speakers.

 

CSIS Looks at US India Energy Landscape – The Center for Strategic and International Studies holds a discussion tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. on the U.S. and Indian energy landscape in 2030. This will be a high-level discussion featuring senior leaders from the U.S. and Indian power sectors,

 

House Energy Panel Hosts FERC Commissioners – The House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. on oversight of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  The hearing will feature all five Commissioners and will focus on advancing affordable and reliable energy.  Expect lots of questions

 

House Resources Looks at LA Wildfires – The House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. on the Fix Our Forests Act and how it impacts wildfires.  The hearing will focus on the need for urgent action given the L.A. Wildfires just over a year ago. 

 

Energy Ministers Meet on Critical Minerals – On Wednesday, the US State Department and Secretary Marco Rubio will welcome partners from across the globe to the State Department for the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial. The event is aimed at strengthening critical mineral supply chains among international partners, which is vital to America’s economic and national security, technological leadership, and a resilient energy future. Ahead of the gathering, the Administration circulated a draft framework agreement on cooperation in critical mineral sourcing and processing, asking dozens of countries to sign on.

 

Burgum, Robertson Headline CSIS Critical Minerals Forum – Alongside the ministerial, CSIS will hold a discussion on securing critical mineral supply tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. The event will be a Government-Industry dialogue and will feature comments from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Export-Import Bank Chair John Jovanovic, U.S. Trade and Development Agency COO Tom Hardy, DOE Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson and Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg.

 

BPC Hosts Permitting Summit – Following last week’s positive Senate hearing, the Bipartisan Policy Center holds its 2026 Permitting Summit tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on building America's energy infrastructure. The Summit will bring together congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle, key administration officials, industry and the nonprofit sector for a half-day event to explore the policy and political dynamics shaping permitting reform. Speakers include Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s Emily Domenech, DOE General Counsel Jonathan Brightbill, Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Jared Golden (D-ME), Gabe Evans (R-CO), and Scott Peters (D-CA), FERC Commissioners Dave Rosner and Lindsay See, EDF’s Fred Krupp, NWF’s Collin O’Mara, INGAA’s Amy Andryszak, Michael Skelly of Grid United, ACP’s Jason Grumet, Marsden Hanna  of Google and Sasha Mackler of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. 

 

Senate Environment Looks at Water Cybersecurity – The Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. focused on identifying strategies to make the water sector more resilient against cyberattacks. Witnesses include the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association.

 

Senate FR Talks European Energy Security – The Senate Foreign Relations Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. looking at a pathway to European energy security. The Chamber’s LNG and natgas expert Dan Byers is among those testifying.

 

EESI to Tackle Grid Innovation – On Thursday at 3:30 p.m., Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) hold a briefing about state-led energy solutions to meet rapidly increasing power demand needed to grow America’s economy, support energy security and resilience, and put downward pressure on electricity costs. Speakers from State Energy Offices look at the 11-state Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative, 13-state Geothermal Power Accelerator, hydropower, advanced transmission reconductoring and grid optimization, and energy storage. Panelists will also discuss energy efficiency solutions that are lowering energy bills for consumers and businesses, and the latest on state energy security initiatives designed to improve reliability and speed the recovery of energy systems following physical, weather, and cyber incidents. Speakers will highlight key federal policies that can help states in their efforts to catalyze energy innovation and address energy affordability.

 

Forum Looks at Future of Infrastructure – INCOMPAS, headed by former Rep. Chip Pickering, holds its 2026 Policy Summit focused on infrastructure. Speakers include Emily Domench and DOE’s Tim Walsh; Reps. Bruce Westerman, Scott Peters, Bob Latta, Jay Obernolte, Julie Fedorchak, Josh Gottheimer, August Pfluger; Sens. David Mcvormick, Ben Lujan and Todd Young,  

 

IN THE FUTURE

 

NARUC Winter Meetings Set for DC – On February 9th to 11th at the Westin Downtown in DC, the National Assn of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) holds its Winter Policy Summit.  Speakers include FERC Chair Loretta Swett, Commissioner Judy Chang, NERC’s Jim Robb, AGA CEO Karen Harbert, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson, EEI CEO Drew Maloney and Duke Energy Florida/Midwest CEO Louis Renjel.

 

Offshore Wind Conference Set for NYC – The International Partnering Forum (IPF), a major offshore wind conference organized by Business/wind advocacy group Oceanic on February 9th to 12th in New York City at the Sheraton Times Square.  The event is where marine renewable technology meets execution, especially now with wind under pressure from the Trump Administration.  U.S. and global leaders in wave, tidal, floating solar, and large-scale ocean energy projects will speak about turn ideas into action on projects, ports, vessels, grid, and transmission.

 

National Ethanol Conference Set – The National Ethanol Conference will be held on February 14th to 16th in Orlando. NEC is the most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. Past events have welcomed industry leaders from across the United States and 20 countries. Since 1996, the Renewable Fuels Association’s NEC has been recognized as the ethanol conference for the latest, timely information on marketing, legislative, and regulatory issues facing the industry. Our friends Kevin Book and API’s Wil Hupman are among the speakers, along with ethanol industry experts.

 

BCSE, BNEF to Roll Out 2026 Sustainability Factbook – The Business Council on Sustainable Energy and Bloomberg New Energy Finance will roll out the 2026 Sustainability Factbook on February 18th.  Details to come. The Sustainable Energy in America Factbook provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the American energy transformation.

 

Carbon Forum Set for San Diego – The Carbon Solutions Forum is set for Wednesday and Thursday, February 18th and 19th in San Diego.  The event will examine what early CCS projects are revealing and how execution strategies are shifting. Our friend Jon Dearing of National Cement will be on CCUS and integrating carbon capture into energy and industrial facilities.  EPA’s Scott Mason and DOE’s Valerie Reed are also speakers.

 

State of the Union Set – House Speaker Mike Johnson invited Trump to give the State of the Union address on February 24th.

 

WaPo Hosts AI Power Forum – The Washington Post is hosting a forum on Wednesday February 25th at 9:00 a.m. to look at powering the AI Age. The event will feature conversations about how America can build new sources of energy and strengthen its energy security.

 

Yergin, Pascal Discuss Chamber Copper Report – On Tuesday February 27th on Capitol Hil, the US Chamber holds an in-person Critical Minerals Working Group briefing featuring S&P experts Dan Yergin and Carlos Pasquel. The session will highlight the release of S&P’s study, “Copper in the Age of AI: Challenges of Electrification.” This important new study analyzes the global outlook for copper supply and demand through 2040, focusing on copper’s essential role in meeting the growing requirements of electrification, digitalization, and technologies such as AI, data centers, electric vehicles, and defense.

 

EPSA Competitive Power Summit Hosts Danley, Rosner – The Electric Power Supply Assn holds its 5th annual Competitive Power Summit on March 3rd at the Grand Hyatt.  The event features a day of expert panels and featured speakers discussing critical issues facing competitive power and the U.S. electric system, as well as what it takes to build what’s needed at the pace required to keep power both reliable and cost-effective.  Headline speakers include DOE’s James Danley and FERC Commissioner and former Chair David Rosner.