2025 EBA Energy Forum
Energy Bar Association's Energy Forum is one of the premiere energy law and public policy conferences. Join hundreds of energy industry attorneys, regulators, in-house energy attorneys, consultants and others. The Forum offers thought-provoking CLE programming and multiple networking opportunities. See the full conference agenda below. Note: Speakers and sessions will be continuously updated and edited leading up to the conference.
Meeting the Demand: Innovating to Address the Challenges of an Evolving Energy Landscape
Monday, September 15
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM: Women in Energy Lunch
Kick off the Energy Forum on Monday, September 15 with the annual Women in Energy Lunch, sponsored by McGuireWoods LLP. All are welcome to this celebratory lunch! This special event is included in your registration, but RSVP is required.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Welcome and Opening Keynote Remarks
Andre T. Porter
Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel
Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)
We’re thrilled to kick off the 2025 Energy Forum with keynote remarks from Andre T. Porter, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and General Counsel at the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). As a key member of MISO’s senior leadership team, Andre plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing the organization’s strategic vision—ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of the electric grid amid the rapid transformation driven by clean energy goals. His insights will set the stage for a forward-looking and impactful Forum.
1:30 - 2:55 PM: General Session 1: Energy EOs
3:00 PM - 4:10 PM: Concurrent Sessions
Concurrent 1A: Blending Policy: Opportunities and Challenges for Biofuel Expansion
This session will examine the shifting legal and policy landscape for biofuels, with a focus on regulatory frameworks, market drivers, and infrastructure considerations. Attendees will gain insight into how recent federal initiatives may influence the availability and adoption of biofuels, along with the market or legal barriers that could slow progress. Topics may include emissions targets, blending standards, retail compatibility, and incentive structures. The session offers a forward-looking perspective on the role biofuels may play in U.S. energy and environmental policy.
Concurrent 1B: Navigating the Headwinds: The Future of U.S. Offshore Wind
The U.S. offshore wind industry, once buoyed by rapid growth, now faces a perfect storm of supply chain disruptions, complex regulatory hurdles, and persistent political uncertainty. This panel will delve into these critical challenges, offering experiences on how to manage risk in offshore wind. Our expert panel will explore strategies to mitigate delay risk, address intricate engineering challenges, manage financial volatility, and navigate the ever-shifting landscape of political risk, ultimately paving the way forward for essential offshore wind development.
4:15 PM - 5:25 PM: Concurrent Sessions
Concurrent 2A: From Fault to Liability: What Energy Lawyers Need to Know About Catastrophic Wildfire Risk
Concurrent 2B: Interregional Transmission: The Key to Energy Dominance or Too Broken to Fix?
In the age of "energy dominance," expanding electric grid capacity is essential. This panel will discuss the role of interregional transmission specifically: what is driving the need for it; why it is crucial to reliable and affordable electricity in the face of escalating demand; and why it is not being built. Attendees will learn about the key barriers to interregional transmission and opportunities to overcome them as panelists explore whether the paradigm for developing interregional transmission is simply too broken to fix.
Special Event: 2025 Administrative Law Judges Reception
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Join us to support the Energy Law Journal and honor FERC's Administrative Law Judges at this annual networking event.
This is a separately ticketed event that can be added during the Energy Forum registration process.
Hosted by:
Tuesday, September 16
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM: Continental Breakfast
9:00 AM -10:25 AM: General Session 2: Load Growth and Reliability: A Debate
Join us for an interactive debate on the hottest current topics around serving new and larger loads that seek electric service at an unprecedented pace, while also mitigating cost and reliability stresses on other customers.
The session will discuss how to obtain enough new supply to continue to meet resource adequacy requirements and how near-term options are limited by supply chains, interconnection, or permitting. We will ask panelists whether new large loads should be entitled to draw on the common pool of resources or should be non-firm and/or bring their own new supply (as in TX SB6) and will discuss policy options and rate impacts around regulated rates versus market rates.
We will also debate ways to provide transmission service quickly enough and who should pay, what open-access service obligations apply, and non-firm arrangements that might allow faster, lower-cost service and if such arrangements work for data centers. Finally, we will discuss how to protect operational reliability against largest loads shocking the system when they suddenly drop off, and what technical standards should be placed on large loads.
11:00 AM - 12:10 PM: Concurrent Sessions
Concurrent 3A: Cross-Border Trading – Barbed Wire or Open Door?
This panel will explore the nature of the electricity interconnection between the United States and Canada, its advantages and disadvantages, the manner in which the flow of electrons across the border affects reliability and supply issues, and existing contractual commitments between players on both sides of border, particularly in light of tariffs and ongoing trade negotiations.
While market developments in certain Canadian provinces are creating a greater number of opportunities for expanding North American energy trade portfolios, they are being simultaneously hindered by the current tariff issues with the United States. This panel will opine on what it views to be the likely trajectory on cross-border energy trading generally in light of the current political climate between the two countries – including how such trends may be impacted by the newly legislated federal C-5, of the current political climate between the two countries – including how such trends may be impacted by the newly legislated federal C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act.
Discussion will include possible intended and unintended impacts on market participation, potential related compliance and enforcement matters and potential paths forward.
Concurrent 3B: Keeping The Lights On: Why Generators with Certain Energy Attributes Are Necessary to Ensure the Grid’s Reliability
On April 8, 2025, a massive power outage in Spain and Portugal caused widespread blackouts in both countries. This outage occurred even though there had been adequate generation capacity online to meet system loads and no storms or other natural emergency damaged the transmission or generation facilities on the Iberian Peninsula. Initial reports have indicated that the power outage was caused by a lack of energy inertia and/or reactive power on the Iberian grid.
Our panel of regulators and grid operators will discuss the importance of maintaining an adequate supply of generation capacity capable of supplying the energy attributes needed to ensure the reliability of the U.S. electric grid. They also will describe the steps that have been taken, and that need to be taken in the future to retain existing capacity and construct new capacity providing these attributes.
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM: Lunch and Presentation of Awards
2:15 PM - 3:25 PM: Concurrent Sessions
Concurrent 4A: Keeping Energy Affordable: Strategies to Support Consumers Amid Rising Rates
This panel will examine strategies to address growing concerns around energy affordability, bringing together representatives from utility commissions, consumer advocacy groups, and state agencies. Panelists will delve into the drivers of rising energy rates nationwide and explore approaches to ease the burden on consumers—particularly through resource planning, including demand-side measures, and by empowering customers with tools such as energy efficiency and distributed energy resources. A key focus will be on protecting low- and moderate-income households from disproportionate rate impacts, highlighting both established and emerging solutions. The discussion will address challenges in identifying and reaching customers most in need, and will explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration and data sharing across organizations to better deliver assistance through various assistance programs. Additionally, the panel will examine legal considerations and regulatory frameworks that shape affordability efforts, including issues related to program eligibility, data privacy, and the scope of commission authority in implementing equitable rate structures and assistance programs.
Concurrent 4B: “The Past is Prologue” – Ideas for Successful Training and Mentoring for Lawyers in the 21st Century
Since the pandemic, the care and advancement of junior lawyers in law firms, the government, and corporate legal departments has been a challenge. Both junior lawyers and their mentors have struggled to deal with business pressures, office schedules, and attitudinal changes that in some cases have made training and relationship development more difficult and prevented the full integration of lawyers into the fabric and culture of their employers.
Based on past experiences from both sides of the training and development process, members of the Senior Lawyer’s Council and Young Lawyers Council will discuss the best ways for junior and senior lawyers to more effectively work together to help young lawyers develop critical skills for the successful practice of law, navigate internal politics and personalities, address the business side of practicing law, and consider ethical obligations.