11/28/11 5:34pm

Article By: Frank Maisano

Friends,
 
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed a few days off.  I did a little shopping, but stayed Black Friday injury free even though I did go to a Wal-Mart.  Fortunately, as I arrived around Noon to a relatively calm store, I asked the check-out clerk why it was so slow.  Her response was:  “I think most people are sleeping it off…You should have been here at Midnight.” 
 
Kudos to the 11-0 Packers who stomped on the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.  Apparently, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh stomped back and was ejected because that kind of activity is frowned upon in the NFL establishment.  Unfortunately, I missed most of the exciting second half of the Cowboys-Dolphins game and most of the evening Harbaugh v. Harbaugh battle because of a turkey coma after eating a record 4,000-calorie Thanksgiving plate (with an extra mound of stuffing).   That was one big plate.  Talk about sleeping it off, I had to do a double spinning class on Friday morning.
 
Today, the UN Climate meetings kick off in Durbin, South Africa.  Even with the scrambling over the latest version on the IPCC report and more leaked e-mails from climate skeptics, the more significant news may be that Canada is pulling out of the Kyoto Treaty.  While this is no surprise since our northern neighbors have badly missed their targets, it finally seems to admit the reality that large UN treaties are not the best way to address climate issues.   Interestingly, our friend Jim Connaughton, former Bush CEQ chair and now exec at Constellation Energy, seems to be channeling my thoughts of the past few years telling Juliet Eilperin that the UN’s global approach has never been weaker.
 
Speaking of the COP, our good pal Chris Holly of The Energy Daily will be providing Durban coverage starting this Saturday, December 5th. The coverage is free to all comers on their Web site, including nonsubscribers of course because it is sponsored by AEP, NextEra Energy and Covanta.  Seems like an early holiday present for us greenhouse gas junkies everywhere who can’t get enough UN Climate.
 
Tomorrow and Wednesday, FERC starts its EPA rule/reliability conference. I suppose it’s never too late to discuss the impact of EPA rules on reliability, but FERC’s forum will be taking comments until December 9th – a scant week before the EPA is due to finalize the rule and hardly enough time for comments to be sensibly incorporated into a final work product.   Of course, the Clean Energy Group (they support the rules) says there will be no problem in a “report” today, an argument that is dismantled below.
 
Also on Wednesday, I would like you to stop by the Press Club at 3:00 p.m. for the offshore wind transmission newsmaker I’m hosting with AWC, Google and former Iowa Governor Chet Culver, who some see as a possible Energy Secretary should Secretary Chu leave at any point.   It will be a detailed look at the transmission infrastructure approach that will create a market for large-scale offshore wind development.  Just last week, another company copied the AWC Mid-Atlantic “backbone” concept for Massachusetts.
 
Finally, in case you missed over the holiday, here was Grist’s Dave Roberts take on the new PRG Group that Bracewell recently announced and kudos to PRG researcher Caitlin Andrews, who will be honored Wednesday by PR Week as one of the “15 to Watch” under 30 in the PR business.  BTW, on Saturday if you happen to be in Baltimore around Noon, I will be on the field at M&T Bank (Ravens) Stadium officiating the MPSSAA 1A State Championship featuring defending champion Dunbar of Baltimore and casino-rich upstart Perryville – Small schools but big hearts.   It may be an opportunity for some of you to really yell at me unfettered.  That’s why my wife and kids are coming. 
 
Please call with your policy questions, media requests, political inquiries or questions about firing your hockey coach in November.
 
Frank Maisano
(202) 828-5864
C. (202) 997-5932
 
IN THE NEWS
 
Clean Energy Group Releases “Report” on Reliability – In advance of tomorrow’s FERC reliability conference, the Clean Energy Group released a new report from MJ Bradley and the Analysis Group on the reliability implications of US EPA rules on the power sector.  Unsurprisingly, the report finds that the rules have little impact and seems to just be a collection of CEG member comments to EPA.  My colleague Scott Segal, head of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council (ERCC) suggested a few things to consider (you can attribute these comments to him for the record should you want to).
 
1) Segal strongly disagrees with the reports position on the role of reserve margin.  The generation and transmission of power takes place on an interrelated grid.  Reserve margin assessments are based in part on the ability to back up power from one location with power from another.  To say that the impact of a plant’s retirement is within reserve margin fails to take into account the probability that the plant’s continued operation – even if only occasional – may be necessary for the stability of operations elsewhere. 
 
2) The report gives no greater certainty that areas most reliant upon coal-fired capacity can avoid profound price, supply, and reliability concerns.
 
3) The report does not adequately address extraordinary events. Only the additional peak-load capacity supplied by coal-fired facilities are likely to provide the resilience necessary to address potential weather-related blackouts or even cyber-security threats to critical infrastructure.  And last, the facile reliance in these reports on EPA emergency authorities fails to take into account the continued disagreements between EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy regarding whether or not emergency orders actually forestall Agency enforcement actions. 
 
4) The report cites NERC analyses as authoritative on reserve margins.  Of course, we understand that NERC intends to update their reliability scenario assessment this week.  In the past, NERC analyzed the combined impact on reliability of four key EPA rules (Utility MACT, interstate transport rule, 316(b), coal combustion residuals disposal regulations) and concluded that as much as 78 GW of generating capacity is at risk for retirement by 2015.
 
5) Those on the frontlines do not agree with this report.  Concern with reliability is widely shared by some 27 states as reflected in briefs filed in the deadline case regarding Utility MACT, letters from governors, and rulemaking comments filed by public service commissioners and other state officials.  For example, attorneys general representing half the states noted that Utility MACT “has the potential to undermine significantly the reliability of our Nation’s electrical supply and significantly increase the cost of electricity to the consumer.”
 
6) Grid operators disagree.  The Midwest ISO (MISO), on October 31, 2011, released a new study reviewing the impacts of four major EPA rules, including the Utility MACT.  The costs of complying with these rules over the next two decades would be as high as $33 billion in the Midwest region and would impact some 200 coal-fired units representing 32 GW of capacity –resulting in retirement of up to 12,652 MW of that capacity. Joint comments on Utility MACT were filed by MISO, along with four other RTOs (ERCOT, NYISO, PJM and SPP).  In part, they observed that “if the impact of the EPA rulemakings increases retirements to the point of creating reliability violations without providing for adequate time to respond to the reliability concerns, this could undermine the reliability of the electric grid for an unacceptable prolonged period.
 
NRC Releases Biofuels Report – Our friend Wally Tyner at Purdue led a National Research Council report that was recently released on the economic and environmental consequences of increasing biofuels production as a result of Renewable Fuels Standard, as amended by EISA (RFS2). The report describes biofuels produced in 2010 and those projected to be produced and consumed by 2022, reviews model projections and other estimates of the relative impact on the prices of land, and discusses the potential environmental harm and benefits of biofuels production and the barriers to achieving the RFS2 consumption mandate.  Wally Tyner's Presentation about the Nat'l Academy of Sciences Study on the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Biofuel Policy on 11/18/11 is now on the internet. You can download his PowerPoint or view the video here.
 
FutureGen Alliance Negotiating for Advance Coal Power Site – The FutureGen Alliance said today that it is negotiating an option to purchase portions of the Meredosia Energy Center from Ameren. The purchase option would provide the Alliance with the assets it would need to continue the development of the FutureGen 2.0 clean coal power program in Morgan County, Illinois.  In addition to the purchase option, the Alliance will prepare an application requesting DOE approve the Alliance to take over Ameren’s cooperative agreement with the agency.  Ameren has indicated that it will not continue with its cooperative agreement beyond 2011; however, it has pledged to provide continued environmental permitting assistance and to maintain the power plant required for the FutureGen 2.0 program in a retrofit-ready condition.  Late this summer, Ameren and the Alliance submitted preliminary cost and design reports to DOE. The preliminary total project cost estimate is $1.65 billion: $1.1 billion to repower the Meredosia generating unit, and $550 million for the CO2 pipeline and storage site. The program participants have identified several hundred million dollars in potential cost reduction opportunities that will be evaluated over the coming months. DOE has granted no cost extensions of the existing cooperative agreements to allow for completion of the design work and cost estimate. The Alliance expressed its appreciation to DOE for the extensions, and acknowledged the opportunity that the Alliance would have in leading the program and making a number of enhancements to improve its overall economics.  The FutureGen Alliance is a non-profit membership organization created to further the development and demonstration of near-zero emissions coal technology. FutureGen 2.0 would be a first-of-its-kind near-zero emissions power plant. The program involves upgrading the Meredosia Energy Center’s Unit 4 with oxy-combustion technology to capture approximately 90 percent of the plant’s carbon emissions. Using safe, proven pipeline technology, the CO2 would be transported and permanently stored underground at a nearby storage site. The FutureGen 2.0 technologies have the potential to repower the world’s fleet of coal-fueled power plants in a manner that achieves near-zero emissions of all regulated pollutants, spurs job creation and substantially advances clean energy technology around the globe.
 
Canada to Pull Out of Kyoto Treaty – Canada will announce next month that it will formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol.   The announcement may occur toward the end of the year.  The developments come as Environment Minister Peter Kent prepares for a climate conference in Durban, South Africa that opens today.  Delegates from 190 countries are seeking a new international agreement for cutting emissions to follow up Kyoto.   Canada wants any new deals to focus on all major emitters.
 
Sustainable Energy Organizations Directory Completed – The SUN DAY Campaign has just completed and released the 12th edition of its National Directory of Sustainable Energy Organizations.  The 124-page directory provides a zip-coded listing of more than 1,000 U.S. non-profit sustainable energy organizations and trade associations.  The listed organizations are promoting renewable energy and/or energy efficiency technologies, opposing commercial nuclear power, or addressing climate change and related environmental issues.   Technology areas covered include biomass/biofuels, fuel cells, geothermal, hydrogen, solar, wind, and water power as well as those designed to improve energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, lighting, transportation, and industrial processes.   All entries include each organization’s names, mailing address, and one or more e-mail addresses.  Most entries also include one or more staff names, telephone and fax numbers, and web page address. However, the directory does not include descriptive information.  You can find out More on this and how to purchase a copy by calling Ken Bossong at 301-270-6477 x.11. 
 
 
THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:
 
COP Meeting Set for South Africa – The UN will hold its 17th annual  COP meetings in Durbin, South Africa, starting today and running through December 9th.  See more on the meetings here.
 
EV Documentary at E St Cinemas – Today through Thursday, the Landmark “E” Street Cinema will be showing the documentary film Revenge of the Electric Car which is narrated by Tim Robbins.  In 2006, thousands of new electric cars were destroyed by the same car companies that built them. Yet, less than 5 years later, the electric car is back... with a vengeance. In Revenge of the Electric Car, director Chris Paine (Who Killed the Electric Car?) takes his film crew behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and the Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors to chronicle the story of the global resurgence of electric cars. With almost every major car maker now jumping to produce new electric models, Revenge follows the race to be the first, the best, and to win the hearts and minds of the public around the world. The film features CEO and President of Renault and Nissan Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk, Former Vice Chairman of GM Bob Lutz and EV do-it-yourselfer Greg "Gadget" Abbott.
 
FERC Reliability Forum Set to Discuss EPA Rules – I suppose it’s never too late to discuss the impact of EPA rules on reliability, but FERC will hold a two-day forum on the topic tomorrow afternoon and all-day Wednesday.  The conference discuss issues regarding reliability of the bulk power system. The conference also will discuss emerging issues, including processes used by planning authorities and other entities to identify reliability concerns that may arise in the course of compliance with EPA regulations, and the tools and processes (including tariffs and market rules) available to address any identified reliability concerns.   Interestingly, final written submissions are due to FERC on December 9th – a scant week before the EPA is due to finalize the rule and hardly enough time for comments to be sensibly incorporated into a final work product.  To date, FERC’s only analysis of the EPA rules found that 81 gigawatts of generating capacity is ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to be taken off line by 2018 due to coal plant retirements and downgrades resulting from the rule.
 
NatGas Roundtable to Host Klaber – The Natural Gas Roundtable will host Kathryn Klaber, President and Executive Director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, as the guest speaker at the luncheon tomorrow at Noon in the University Club.  Klaber works closely with elected leaders, regulators and the civic community to realize the responsible development of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale geological formation. She will discuss how Pennsylvania's economy is benefiting from the extensive supply of this clean-burning energy source.    
 
Forum to Look at TCSA Reforms – The Environmental Law Institute holds a conference call briefing and webinar, beginning at noon tomorrow on "Risk Management" to examine reform of EPA authorities to control the sale, distribution, releases and use of chemicals, as part of the TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) Reform Series.  Participants include the Environmental Working Group’s Thomas Cluderay, Bill Rawson of Latham & Watkins; American Cleaning Institute CEO Ernie Rosenberg and Linda Breggin, director of the Nanotechnology Program at ELI.
 
CATO Hosts Enviro Book Author – The CATO Institute will hold a Capitol Hill briefing tomorrow at noon in B-339 Rayburn that features Todd Myers, Author of Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism Is Hurting the Planet, and CATO’s Patrick J. Michaels.   As environmentalism has become socially popular, public policy has become increasingly geared toward cultivating a green appearance rather than helping the environment. From "green" buildings to biofuels, we too often fall for trendy environmental ideas that waste resources on approaches that fail. Join us for a discussion of how Congress can avoid eco-fads and create sound environmental policy that focuses on achieving real environmental results.
 
Seminar to Look at Polar Science – The Canadian Embassy and the Polar Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences will host the International Polar Year seminar tomorrow  at 4:00 p.m. at the National Academy of Sciences Keck Center.  The seminar will look at issues that polar scientists and representatives of the polar region will discuss on the International Polar Year 2007-2008, as well as the upcoming conference in Montreal. The seminar will be followed by a reception at the Koshland Science Museum’s new climate exhibit.
 
House Science to Tackle Energy IG, EPA Science Policies – House Science panels will host two hearings on Wednesday when the Oversight panel reviews the stimulus bill concerns with GAO’s Frank Rusco and DOE IG Gregory Friedman at 10:00 a.m.  Then at 2:00 p.m., the Energy and Environment panel meets for a hearing on EPA's science policies, where focus will be on the research used to support the agency's endangerment finding for greenhouse gases, as well as a host of air quality regulations.  Other witnesses for the morning Include Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board director Michael Wood, Director, Commerce IG Todd Zinser and NSF IG Allison Lerner.
 
House to Vote on Farm Dust Rule – The House Energy and Commerce meets Wednesday for a committee vote on a measure to block the EPA from regulating farm dust despite the fact the agency Administrator Lisa Jackson has repeatedly said she has no interest in making any ruling. Opening statement will be made the day before. The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act authored by Rep. Kristi Noem, R-N.D., was approved in the Energy and Power Subcommittee earlier this month, and Committee Chair Fred Upton has said he wanted to get it to the full House this year.  EPA has said it will not impose regulations on airborne particulates from agriculture, but Republicans and farm groups have still sought legislation to ban future regulations.
 
PR Week Honors PRG’s Andrews as Young PR Gun – PRG researcher Caitlin Andrews has been honored by PR Week as one of the “15 to Watch” under 30 in the PR business.  Caitlin will be honored at the annual awards luncheon at the National Press Club on Wednesday at Noon.   PR News honors the 15 budding PR leaders and creative practitioners age 30 and under. The event will also recognize the PR People and Top Places to Work in PR winners.
 
Climate Ethics Statement Released – On Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. in 406 Dirksen, the National Climate Ethics Campaign will release a “Statement of Our Nation’s Moral Obligation to Address Climate Change.” Speakers representing a wide range of constituencies will offer their views about our nation’s ethical and moral obligations to address climate change and will include Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, Virginia State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple (state perspective) Stonyfield CEO Farm Gary Hirshberg, Tim Warman of The National Wildlife Federation,  Jim Ball of The Evangelical Environmental Network, Joe Uehlein of the Labor Network for Sustainability and several others.   There are over 650 signers now on the climate ethics statement.
 
UN Report on Sustainability To Be Released – The University of California Washington Center holds a discussion on Wednesday at Noon looking at sustainability and equity, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 2011 Human Development report.  Participants will include UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's Bureau of Development Policy Olav Kjorven; William Orme, chief of communications and publishing at the UNDP Human Development Reporting Office; Andrew Deutz, of The Nature Conservancy and our friend Elizabeth Shogren of NPR.
 
Aspen to Look at Manufacturing Strategy – The Aspen Institute holds a discussion on Wednesday at Noon looking at whether the US needs a national manufacturing strategy.  Participants will include former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, AFL-CIO chief economist Ron Blackwell and Clyde Prestowitz of the Economic Strategy Institute.  
 
Alternative Aviation Fuel Expo Set – The Commercial Alternative Aviation Fuel Initiative (CAAFI) Exposition will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center.  The event will focus on the next critical steps in making mass alternative aviation fuel production a practical reality.   The event takes place amid key industry developments that have boosted aviation in the position of "first mover" in the next generation of green biofuels. Crucial developments that have set the stage for industry development include Issuance of the White House Blueprint for a Secure Future (the Administration’s framework for reducing dependence on foreign oil) (March, 2011) focusing administration biofuels development and deployment on military and commercial aviation.  Formal approval of a second biofuels type for commercial aviation biofuels use (July, 2011). Introduction of biofuels into commercial service at Lufthansa, KLM and other airlines (summer 2011), among other items. 
 
Renewable Transmission Newsmaker to Feature AWC, Google Execs – The National Press Club’s Newsmakers’ Committee will host a Forum on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. to look at Offshore wind development and the infrastructure needed to allow the industry to develop.  Speakers are expected to include a representative from the Atlantic Wind Connection and one of its key funders, Google.   
 
MD Town Meetings for Offshore Wind Continue – in preparation for the upcoming state legislative session, the Sierra Club’s Maryland Chapter continues its town hall meetings across the state on offshore wind.  Advancing state legislation to promote offshore wind was considered last year and in an on-going summer session.  It is expected to be revisited again next year.  The meetings roll on Wednesday in Baltimore City at St. Mark’s Church.  They will also hold one on December 5th on the Eastern Shore at Salisbury University and December 13th in East Baltimore County.  They are also expected to host a meeting in Baltimore City the week of November 28th.   meetings we already held in Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties. 
 
GovGreen Expo Set – The Center for Environmental Innovation and Leadership’s GOVgreen Conference & Exposition programming will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC.  The event will showcase federal leaders and private sector experts addressing the challenges of transforming green policies into actionable plans to meet the mandates from President Obama’s Executive Order 13514.
 
EPA Rules Expected – EPA is expected to issue by two rules on mercury standards for industrial boilers and the 2012 renewable fuels standards for corn-based ethanol and advanced ethanol like cellulosic by Wednesday, the November 30th mandated deadlines. 
 
Bracewell ESG Expert to Headline EPA Webinar – B&G Environmental Strategies Group partner John Riley will speak at an SNL Center for Financial Education webinar on “EPA Compliance: Explaining the Alphabet Soup” Thursday at 1:00 p.m.  John will be joined by fellow panelist John Egan, Founder and President, Energy & Utility Communications.  The webinar will discuss the major EPA policies, where utilities are doing a good job communicating with these stakeholders and where they need improvement – and how those who are charged with explaining these complex policies can do it .
 
ELI Forum to Look at Climate Adaptation Issues – The Environmental Law Institute will host a forum on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.  to look at federal climate change adaptation and current efforts, political debates and future potential.  In 2009, President Obama signed an executive order which, in part, required participation of federal agencies in an interagency task force to address climate change adaptation. A memorandum issued by the CEQ in 2010 instructed agencies on consideration of climate change effects in NEPA implementation. Specific agencies, such as the Department of the Interior, have also declared their intentions to develop and implement climate change adaptation policies. In October 2011, the Federal Interagency Task Force released a progress report addressing, among other things, the Integration of Adaptation into Federal Government planning and activities.  Victor B. Flatt will review what has happened so far in climate change adaptation at the federal level, what legal authority exists for further adaptation policy, and the current political debate surrounding the issue which could affect federal policy making. Professor Flatt is an ELI Visiting Scholar, the Tom & Elizabeth Taft Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, and the Director of Center for Law, Environment, Adaptation and Resources at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Law.
 
Blue Ribbon Nuclear Commission Meeting Set – The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (the Commission) will hold its next meeting on Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the JW Marriott Washington, DC.  The President directed that the Commission be established to conduct a comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle.  The Commission will provide advice and make recommendations on issues including alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.  The Commission submitted its draft report and draft recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on July 29, 2011. The report is due in January 2012. This is the eighth open full Commission meeting. Previous meetings were held in March, May, July, September, and November 2010, and February and May 2011. The meeting will allow the Co-chairs of the three Subcommittees—Reactor and Fuel Cycle Technology, Transportation and Disposal, and Disposal—to review with the Commission proposed revisions to draft subcommittee recommendations formulated as a result of public comment. The full Commission will discuss the proposed revisions. The second purpose is for the Commissioners to be briefed by the newly-formed ad hoc subcommittee that has been investigating the issue of comingling of defense and commercial wastes.   The agenda will include presentations by the three subcommittees of the Commission. The subcommittee presentations are expected to begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon. After a break for lunch, the meeting will resume with the presentation from the Commission staff and discussion among the Commissioners.  Public statements will begin at approximately 3 p.m. and conclude at approximately 4 p.m.
 
AGA to Give Gas Outlook for 2012 – The American Gas Association (AGA) will hold a discussion on Friday at 9:00 a.m. looking at expectations for natural gas in 2012 and how natural gas will continue to meet the nation's energy needs in the future.  Speakers will Include AGA CEO Dave McCurdy and incoming AGA board chairman Larry Borgard of Integrys Energy Group.
 
House Energy Panel to Look at Keystone Delay – The House Energy and Commerce's energy and power panel meets for a hearing on Friday at 10:00 a.m. looking at the Keystone XL Pipeline.  The panel is putting the Obama administration decision to delay action on the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline under the microscope. The hearing will occur three weeks after the State Department said it would analyze alternative routes for TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Alberta-to-Texas pipeline to avoid the ecologically sensitive Sand Hills region of Nebraska.  While nearly everything has already been said, why not say it again….
 
AAAS Forum Looks at Extreme Weather Impacts – The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will hold a briefing on Friday at 12:30 p.m. on extreme weather impacts on the economy and society.  Speakers will include Texas A&M climatologist and professor of atmospheric sciences John Nielsen-Gammon, Princeton professor  Michael Oppenheimer and Frank Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America.
 
 
THE WEEKS AHEAD:
 
ACORE Hill Forum Set –ACORE will hold its annual Congressional Meeting on December 6th and 7th on Capitol Hill.  This year’s renewable energy national policy conference takes place at a critical juncture.  Our nation’s economy teeters on the balance as Congress and the public await the recommendations of the Super Committee to reduce the massive budget deficit.  Accompanied by rapidly declining costs and intensified international competition, the U.S. renewable energy market is accelerating, fostering much needed investment and jobs. The Department of Defense is investing heavily in renewable energy while regulatory policies are opening new market opportunities in the utility and transportation sectors.  Panels will focus on the next generation of energy issues and their future possibilities. 
 
Annual Rate Forum Features Federal, State Regulators, Comms Experts – SNL Financial will hold its 4th annual Utility Rate Case Symposium on December 6th and 7th at the Marriott at Metro Center to discuss the environment surrounding rate cases.  Speakers will include FERC Commissioner John Norris, Missouri PSC Commissioner Jeff Davis, Larry Brenner of the Maryland PSC and our communications colleagues Andy Hallmark of Potomac Communications and Chet Wade of Dominion, who will do a special forum on communications issues surrounding a rate case.
 
Forum to Look at Electric Car – NDN/New Policy Institute will host a forum on Tuesday December 6th looking at the progress and promise of the electric car and electric vehicle industry.  This lunchtime discussion will highlight the recent emergence of the electric vehicle in today’s economy and showcase how innovations in clean energy have opened doors for growth and opportunities of the electric car.  Leading this discussion will be a group of well-known leaders and opinion makers in this arena, including EPRI’s Barbara Baumann Tyran, NARUC’s Miles Keogh, Genevieve Cullen of the Electric Drive Vehicle Association, Kyle Davis of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company and GM’s Mary Beth Stanek.  The  panel on the burgeoning commercialization of electric vehicles will coincide with the DC premiere of Chris Paine’s highly acclaimed new documentary, ‘The Revenge of the Electric Car'.  This Electric Vehicle Panel is the fifth in our “Clean Energy Solution Series" to showcase the leaders, companies, ideas and policies who are hastening our transition to a cleaner, safer and more distributed energy paradigm of the 21st Century.
 
Webcast to Focus on GHG Reporting – Environmental Leader will host a webcast on December 7th at 2:00 p.m. on greenhouse gas reporting.  Recently, EPA delayed rules impacting GHGs.  When it proposed the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule, the EPA stated that a key aspect was to help the agency understand the breadth and scope of GHG emissions such that it could make informed decisions about regulatory options for GHG in the US. Subsequently, EPA initiated three GHG regulatory pathways: vehicle standards to address emissions of GHG from transportation sources; PSD and Title V applicability for new major sources (The Tailoring Rule and related PSD actions); New Source Performance Standards (required of the agency via consent decrees in settlement of lawsuits initiated by states and environmental groups).   The webinar will focus on background and timeline information of the EPA GHG Regulations, impacts of these regulations to US companies, takeaways from the last two years under the current Administration in regards to GHG regulations and considerations on the path the EPA might take in regulating GHG emissions.  Speakers will be AEP’s John McManus and Greg Gasperecz of Enviance.
 
CSIS Forum to Look at Bakken Shale Development – On December 7th, the CSIS Energy and National Security Program will convene a group of experts to discuss the resource and production potential of these plays as well as many of the key infrastructure and local/regional impact challenges that must be addressed to make this promise a reality. Topics for discussion include: resource and production outlook, the NPC white paper, infrastructure and transportation, local impacts, concerns and policies, and tight oil development beyond the Bakken.  
 
Small Biz Forum to Look at Job Opportunities – The Atlantic will hold a High Growth Business Forum on December 7th in Washington  with a keynote address by Karen Mills, Administrator of the US Small Business Administration.  The Forum will also host panel discussions and case studies demonstrating the power of high-growth businesses in fueling the economy.
 
Forum to Look at Offshore Drilling in Canada, U.S.  – The Canada Institute will hold a launch in Washington Thursday, December 8th at 9:00 a.m. at the Wilson Center for Scholars of the 14th publication of our One Issue, Two Voices series, which compares the topic of offshore drilling regulation in the United States and Canada.  Authors Alexander MacDonald, a partner in the St. John’s office of Cox & Palmer, and James Coan, a research associate at Rice University’s Baker Institute in Houston, will discuss the issue. David Longly Bernhardt, with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, will moderate the discussion.
 
ELI Forum To Look at Jobs, Economy, EPA – The Environmental Law Institute will host a forum on Friday, December 9th at Noon on the effect of the EPA on the economy and jobs. Expert panelists will discuss the economic ramifications of EPA’s regulations, whether regulations create or kill jobs, and recent legislative attempts—such as the REINS Act, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011, and the use of the Congressional Review Act—to increase Congressional oversight and restrain EPA action.  Speakers include AEI’s Ken Green, CEQ’s Gary Guzy and Isaac Shapiro of the Economic Policy Institute.
 
Power-Gen Conference Set – The POWER-GEN International Conference is set for the Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV  on December 13-15th.  POWER-GEN International is the industry leader in providing comprehensive coverage of trends, technologies and issues facing the generation sector. As the need to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively becomes increasingly important, no other event bridges challenges with solutions like POWER-GEN International.  More than 1,200 companies from all sectors of the industry exhibit each year and more than 19,000 attendees come together at POWER-GEN International for a horizontal look at the industry with key emphasis on new solutions and innovations for the future.  Speakers will include  Mitsubishi Power Systems’ David Walsh, Don Karner of ECOtality North America and NRC’s Jack Grobe. 
 
EPA Utility Mercury Rule Due – December 16th
 
Current Continuing Resolution Expires – December 16th
 
Hanukkah Begins – December 20th and runs through December 28th
 
Christmas – December 25th
 
Renewable Tax Credits Expire –The 1603 grant program - which qualifies renewable developers for dollars in lieu of future tax credits will expire on December 31st.  Production Tax Credits have one more year until 2012.