Welcome to your weekly Rundown, for the week ending February 5.
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Former DOE Under Secretary for Science, Paul Dabbar, Joins ClearPath Advisory Board
ClearPath announced Paul Dabbar, former Department of Energy (DOE) Under Secretary for Science, has joined its Advisory Board. Paul Dabbar is currently Chairman and CEO of Bohr Quantum Technologies, where he is developing and deploying technologies for the emerging quantum internet. Read more
Read an article in E&E News: Top DOE official joins conservative energy group
Rich's Take
“Paul Dabbar has one of the sharpest minds when it comes to clean energy innovation, and it’s a real honor to have him join our existing team of great advisors. Throughout his tenure at DOE, he brought fresh thinking to our outstanding national lab system, facilitating private-sector partnership agreements and reducing barriers to commercializing technologies coming out of the labs.”
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Clean Energy Manufacturing Should be Done in America, Not China
Too often, innovative technologies invented in America are scaled and manufactured in foreign countries like China who don’t share our values, or our environmental standards. That’s why we are constantly seeking solutions to make sure clean energy innovation promotes U.S. jobs, growth, and security.
Read more in our latest blog, “Clean Energy Manufacturing Should be Done in America, Not China," by Senior Program Director Alex Fitzsimmons.
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Columbia Energy Exchange: Is Bipartisan Climate Action Possible?
ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell joined Jason Bordoff, host of the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast, to discuss what to expect in climate policy moving forward, particularly on the Republican side of the aisle. Listen to the podcast
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Exxon Launches Low Carbon Solutions
ExxonMobil announced a new business line to commercialize its extensive low-carbon technology portfolio, which will initially focus on carbon capture and storage, one of the critical technologies required to achieve net zero emissions. ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions is investing $3 billion through 2025 and advancing plans for over 20 new CCS opportunities. Read more from Exxon and this article in the Wall Street Journal.
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Dynamo and ClearPath Present: Opportunities for Private Finance to Accelerate the Clean Energy Transition
With the Biden Administration and Democrat-led Congress, what actions to boost the U.S. economy while accelerating the clean energy transition can win bipartisan support? Collaboration between policymakers, businesses, and the financial community is more needed than ever.
Dynamo Energy Hub is hosting an event that will bring together policy experts, investors, project developers, and ClearPath’s managing director of policy, Jeremy Harrell, to discuss key policies and financial innovation pathways that will help accelerate investment in clean energy projects as part of economic recovery. This event will be held on Thursday, March 11 from 11:00am – 12:00pm ET, and is co-sponsored by ClearPath.
Register here
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Nuclear in Ireland? "How to make the Emerald Isle green"
The Republic of Ireland is lifting a moratorium on nuclear power as their legislative body recognizes the benefits of nuclear energy to help solve the climate challenge. While the U.S. nuclear industry has made inroads with several European nations, Ireland could be a new opportunity for partnership.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
McConnell Announces Senate Republican Committee Assignments for the 117th Congress
Earlier this week, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the Senate Republican Conference Committee Assignments for the 117th Congress. The assignments are subject to ratification by the Republican Conference as well as the full Senate, which is expected soon. Ranking Members will be selected by a vote of the members of each committee and then ratified by the Republican Conference.
TVA Intends to Prepare a PEIS for Clinch River Nuclear Site Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology Park
Tennessee Valley Association (TVA), which already received an Early Site Permit for a light water cooled small modular reactor at its Clinch River Site near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, intends to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact statement (PEIS) to address the potential environmental effects associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of an advanced non-light water cooled nuclear reactor. The park could contain one or more advanced nuclear reactors with a cumulative electrical output not to exceed 800 megawatts electric (MWe).
Read more
GreenBiz: Why corporate energy buyers should 'Go to 11'
Roger Ballentine, the president of Green Strategies, and Armond Cohen, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Clean Air Task Force, wrote about the pursuit of round-the-clock, carbon-free energy consumption from companies. The column references the scene from Rob Reiner’s film, "This is Spinal Tap,” when they turn the dials on their amplifiers “to 11" even though the dial only goes to 10 as a metaphor for corporate energy buyers searching for 100 percent clean energy as only the beginning.
Read their column here
A Grand Opportunity for Energy Storage
Innovation is driving rapid transformation in America’s energy system. Ten years ago, almost no one predicted the U.S. would be the top producer of oil and natural gas in the world, eclipsing Saudi Arabia and Russia. For the U.S. to continue to demonstrate energy and climate leadership, however, more innovation is needed to ensure the reliable integration of renewables into an evolving electric grid.
What if we could develop technologies to cost-effectively store excess wind and solar generation and save it for later, thereby making renewables more flexible, on-demand resources? And what if the U.S. could lead the world in the manufacture and export of those technologies? The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been working to address these questions, with bipartisan support from Congress, and we hope that continues. Read more in our blog, “A Grand Opportunity for Energy Storage," by Senior Program Director Alex
Fitzsimmons.
C3 News Magazine: The Clean Energy Policy That Could Strengthen Texas Oil & Gas
The reality of Democrat majorities in the U.S. Senate and the House is sending a shiver through the Texas oil and gas industry. The concept of attacking fossil fuels should be completely thrown out the window. It’s not fossil fuels that are the problem, it’s emissions from fossil fuels that are the problem. If we can eliminate or significantly reduce the emissions, there is no reason we couldn’t continue using these resources well into the future, or forever.
In fact, there is a clean energy policy that could strengthen Texas energy companies, while also significantly lowering carbon dioxide emissions. The policy is known as “45Q,” a federal tax incentive that is already leading to cleaner air by increasing capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Read more by our Executive Director, Rich Powell
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THE PATH AHEAD
February 9: The Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change of the Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing at 12:00pm entitled, "Back in Action: Restoring Federal Climate Leadership."
March 8-11: Save the date! The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) 33rd Annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) will take place virtually on March 8-11, 2021. Additional information forthcoming.
March 11: Join Dynamo Clean Energy Hub and ClearPath at 11:00 am for an event, Opportunities for Private Finance to Accelerate the Clean Energy Transition.
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| CLEAN ENERGY. THE CONSERVATIVE WAY. |
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