12.06.06
Posted in Committee Business at 1:45 pm by member
Attendees: Bob Riley, Wendell Cauley, Jason Keyes, Edna Sussman, Seth Hilton, Gearold Knowles, Jeff Dennis, Susan Riggs, Mike Zimmer, Monica Schwebs (Co-Chair), Mike Stosser (Chair), and Bill Westerfield (Co-Chair)
Mike Stosser: We have a new collaboration with ABA/ACORE. We’ve globbed onto Edna’s group.
Edna Sussman: ABA/ACORE have done monthly teleconferences for 2 years now. ACORE is now the lead sponsor. It does the production. See www.acore.org for details. They did a teleconference on September 20the with the DOE Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy with 600 people attending from 25 host firms, using video and teleconference.
The next program is on RECs, on October 16, 2006.
November will have a program on a Carbon
December program will feature greenhouse gases, RGGI and California issues
Preliminary list now scheduled through July of next year
To help plan, call Edna; she can always use assistance.
The programs are now listed as “ACORE in collaboration w/ ABA and EBA”. It’s cheap to attend; only $20 for some participants. Mike Stosser wants to distribute to FERC; not many FERC staffers are members of EBA and participate.
Mike Stosser: Don McCauley is not on the call. He is in charge of Committee Report to EBA Journal. Mike will reach him off-line. Mike wants to designate panel for renewable energy for the next EBA Annual Meeting in 2007.
Gearold Knowles volunteers to put together a panel for the Annual Meeting. Bill Westerfield volunteered to help Gearold. Gearold is in China in November, during the mid-year EBA meeting.
Mike Stosser: asked that anyone who does a presentation on renewables post it to the Committee blog. The blog will be the reference point for presentations. It will give exposure to what individuals are doing. Mike wants our Committee members to gain exposure.
Jeff Dennis: Said he made a small presentation that he will post.
Mike Stosser: Co-Hosted a panel with Senator Voinovich on energy policy. It discussed creating an Ohio RPS.
Edna Sussman: Discussed her new project entitled, “Best Practices for Local Jurisdictions to Promote Renewable Energy.” It will focus mostly local programs. More than 250 MUNIs are committed to Renewable Energy, but there is no place where experience collected. They need examples of what works. She has students committed to help from Yale Law Clinic, among others.
Edna is looking for content and needs volunteers to fill out surveys and lead subject areas. In particular, she needs models that MUNIs can use that work and that have been vetted by lawyers. If you will complete the survey the Yale students will sort information. Mike suggested that AWEA has information and that other associations would be interested. Jeff said that he would call Rob Gramlich at AWEA. Edna also mentioned that she needs examples for MUNIs showing how to put permitting in place. The project will not cover financial incentives. Mike suggested CESA as a resource. Mike also volunteered that EBA may have an intern who can help, and asked if members from large law firms could donate paralegal time.
Mike Stosser: There are three new FERC Commissioners. Mike would like to know whether anyone has contacts with a Commissioner to help get an interview on renewable energy. He wants to know their background; interests and understanding or renewable energy issues. He asked which new Commissioners might be interested?
Gearold Knowles: He used to be able to commissioners at brown bags when he worked there.
Jeff Dennis: He could arrange something if done far enough in advance.
Monica Schwebs: Commissioner Wellinghoff is interested. He talked to the WECC Chapter of EBA and chose to speak on renewable energy. Monica said that Suedeen Kelly was eager in past to talk about wind energy.
Jeff: I’ve got a good shot on Commissioner Kelly, and a good chance to talk about transmission.
Mike: It should be a showcase for a commissioner. Don’t add other panelists. It needs special moderator. He would like us to put together a delegation to Commissioner that makes sense. He suggested polling the staff to learn which commissioner is interested.
Jeff Dennis: We haven’t heard from Commissioner Moeller. People will want to know what he thinks.
Further discussion of logistics of EBA calls.
Monica Schwebs: Reported on transmission brown bag. Need to have an organized conference call this week.
Bill Westerfield: Reported on RFPs issued by Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific on demand-side management services and renewables. He also reported on a recnet RFO issued by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) for renewables to meet their 20% RPS.
Edna Sussman: Really needs people to lead on these subjects and pick up pieces of her project.
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12.15.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:32 am by member
The Environmental Duties of Public Utility Commissions (with David Farnsworth and Jason Rich)
18 PACE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW REVIEW 325 (2001)
Citation Text:
18 PACENVLR 325
————————–
and
Revisiting the Environmental Duties of Public Utility Commissions
(with David Farnsworth, Jason Salmi Klotz and Jason Rich)
VERMONT JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (Autumn 2006))
Citation Text:
7 VTJENVTLL 6
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12.20.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:40 pm by admin
This report summarizes the thoughts and work of more than 100 energy experts representing the private, public and nonprofit sectors of Ohio. The participants gathered for a workshop cosponsored by Senator George V. Voinovich and Ohio university’s consortium for energy, economics and the environment (ce3) in Columbus, Ohio to identify opportunities for the state of Ohio to become a recognized leader in promoting energy independence. Attendees focused on four broad areas of interest: Fossil Fuels, transportation, Sustainable Development and clean Alternatives. A fifth group, energy education, convened separately and is included in the report.
Link to report
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Posted in Committee Business at 5:49 pm by member
Attendees: Mike Stosser (Chair), Monica Schwebs (Vice Chair), Lynn Fountain, Carolyn Pengidore, John Gear, Gearold Knowles, Jeff Dennis, Don McCauley, Todd Glass, Gunnar Birgisson, Presley Reed, Paul Belval and Jason Keyes
Plans for National Teleconferences – Discussion led by Jeff Dennis
- First teleconference scheduled for February 28, 2007
- Titled “The Role of FERC as Renewable Energy Grows: A Conversation with Commissioner Wellinghoff”
- T. Glass proposed that the discussion revolve around individual renewable energy technologies and the FERC intersection with each; the Commissioner should be asked questions regarding how FERC will address these issues as they arise, for example ocean & tidal technologies
- With respect to handling questions for the Commissioner, M. Stosser suggested submitting prepared questions before the teleconference, as well as via e-mail during the teleconference
- With respect to written materials for the teleconference, a bibliography of sources, including relevant FERC orders and timely law review articles was proposed. M. Schwebs will circulate the bibliography to the group, via the blog, for input. She suggested posting the proposed questions for the teleconference on the blog as well.
- Other possible teleconference topics: transmission issues, PURPA
- M. Schwebs mentioned they are interested in other topics. Please e-mail her or J. Dennis with ideas or post ideas on the blog
Publications – Discussion led by Don McCauley and Jeff Dennis
- They are gathering materials for the Year-in-Review
- Will circulate the outline to the committee this week; they would like people’s comments on the completeness of the outline first and will then seek volunteers to draft the various sections
- Would like the committee’s review this year to be more federally focused
- M. Schwebs mentioned that the Finance and Transactions committee has a topic in their review that relates to renewable energy as well and would like to coordinate efforts; D. McCauley and J. Dennis will follow-up
- Deadline? Last year was around January 10th, but D. McCauley will check.
EBA Annual Meeting (April 25th) – Discussion led by M. Stosser and G. Knowles
- M. Stosser spoke with EBA planning committee regarding a renewable energy panel at the annual meeting
- Throwing around ideas for two separate topics – financing renewable projects and another to cover regulatory aspects of renewable energy
- T. Glass expressed support for a panel focused on commercial/financial aspects
- G. Knowles mentioned that the planning committee intends to have some congressional folks on a panel, so the legislative angle may already be covered
- M. Schwebs mentioned Mary Anne Sullivan’s idea on climate change and cost recovery for utilities as another option; people expressed interest in this topic
- A suggestion to combine the ideas was also put forward; creating a panel on which we would have a developer, finance/VC person, state regulator and utility rep
- M. Stosser and G. Knowles are looking for volunteers to work on putting together the panels
- M. Stosser suggested we come up with one or two solid ideas, with specific ideas for speakers, and present it to the planning committee
- T. Glass will look into utility idea and contact Mary Anne Sullivan; G. Knowles will look into finance idea; M. Stosser volunteered to assist with finance panel; Derek Dyson has also expressed interest in finance panel
Blog - Discussion led by Lynn Fountain
- Discussion regarding people’s discomfort with posting on blog; L. Fountain agreed to send out reminder e-mail to committee with directions on accessing and posting to the blog
- Reminded people that items mentioned in meeting today – bibliography and questions for teleconferences, outline for publications, ideas for panels – can all be posted on the blog for comment
- Also mentioned that anyone uncomfortable with posting can send information to L. Fountain and she would post on the blog
Will plan to schedule meeting for January; date not yet set
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