End The Era of Fossil Fuels

Posted by Brad Johnson Sat, 22 Apr 2023 16:00:00 GMT

On Earth Day 2023, we declare the era of fossil fuels OVER.

Humanity is at a crossroads. Now is when we decide how we want to go on as a civilization. Will we create a livable, just, equitable future for everyone? Or will we let present and future generations live with chaos and destruction? The planet’s life supporting systems are disintegrating, and our environment needs to be restored.

Our biggest challenge is ending our reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy. To secure a livable future, we cannot afford new fossil fuel projects. We need the U.S. government in particular to say NO to fossil fuels. Our planet is on fire, and we can’t feed this fire any longer.

We come from all different backgrounds, fighting for a huge variety of intersecting causes. From plastics and biodiversity, to housing, anti-war, immigrant rights and gender and racial equality—our crises are interconnected, and our movement is stronger together.

To make the biggest difference, we need not just individual actions, but system change like we’ve never seen before.

This April we come together, fighting for climate justice and real change from decision-makers. We are demanding the federal government and other decision-makers end the era of fossil fuels to protect people and the planet.

2023 will be the most critical year yet for action on climate. It will be one of our last chances to mitigate the interlocking crises we face. We are fighting for a systemic change—and it can begin with you. There’s no time to waste.

12 noon – Youth-led rally in Freedom Plaza

Join us at 12 noon for a youth-led (but everybody included!) rally in Freedom Plaza. This one-hour rally will feature voices of young people from around DC and across the country, front line leaders fighting the worst impacts of climate change, and music from the Too Much Talent Band.

1pm – March to the White House

At 1pm we’re taking to the streets and marching to the White House to demand that President Biden take bold action to follow through with his promises to End the Era of Fossil Fuels! The full march is about 1 mile and we will be stopping to make some noise and hold a brief program on Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House

3pm – Earth Day Organizing Fair

This year’s Earth Day mobilization will be a powerful moment, we know that this is only the beginning. Join us for an organizing fair in Freedom Plaza, from 3-5pm on April 22nd to get connected and make plans to continue the work going forward. Organizational partners are making plans to hold climate cafe’s, participatory art projects, teach-ins, dance parties and other activities.

RSVP

The Peoples' EJ Roundtable

Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 29 Mar 2023 21:00:00 GMT

On Wednesday, March 29, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC) is hosting a so-called Environmental Justice Forum throughout the day. Because we don’t think that the FERC forum will produce the results frontline advocates require nor was the event organized to ensure frontline and community-based organizations were truly respected, heard, and included, we’re hosting our own Peoples’ Environmental Justice Roundtable from 5-7p at Busboys & Poets, 450 K St NW, in Washington, DC and online to uplift the voices of communities that are impacted everyday by FERC’s decisions (food and music 5-6p, panel from 6-7p).

At the Peoples’ EJ Roundtable, we’ll spotlight the amazing work happening to challenge the rush to build new LNG and pipelines led by people from frontline communities who are building toward a future without LNG. Leaders will speak about their communities and will have space to reflect on what occurred during the day at the FERC event. Come enjoy great music, food, and conversation as we work toward a day where FERC is an agency that centers climate and environmental justice in its decision making.

Please join us to listen to and support our frontline leaders.

If your organization is interested in crossposting the livestream, please email [email protected]

Roundtable on Environmental Justice and Equity in Infrastructure Permitting

Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:30:00 GMT

This Commissioner-led roundtable will provide an opportunity for the Commissioners and staff to engage with environmental justice community members, advocates, researchers, industry representatives, and government leaders on actions the Commission can take to better incorporate environmental justice and equity considerations into its decisions.

This discussion will strengthen the Commission’s efforts to identify and address adverse impacts associated with permitting applications for hydroelectric, natural gas pipeline, liquified natural gas, and electric transmission infrastructure subject to FERC jurisdiction. This roundtable will help further the goals of the Commission’s Equity Action Plan, which include reducing barriers to meaningful participation faced by underserved communities and ensuring that the Commission’s natural gas and hydroelectric policies and processes are consistent with environmental justice principles.

TimeDetails
9:30 am – 9:45 amWelcome and Opening Remarks
9:45 am – 11:15 am Panel 1: Priorities for Advancing Environmental Justice and Equity in Infrastructure Permitting

As the Commission continues to advance its consideration of environmental justice and equity concerns in its infrastructure permitting proceedings, this panel will discuss how the Commission can better integrate and advance environmental justice and equity principles in its decision-making. The panel may include a discussion of the following questions:

  1. What should the Commission prioritize as it more fully integrates environmental justice and equity considerations into its infrastructure permitting proceedings?
  2. What lessons can the Commission learn from other federal and state agencies and tribes to better avoid and minimize negative environmental, health, and socioeconomic impacts to historically overburdened communities?
  3. How can the Commission better integrate environmental justice and equity considerations into its efforts to enhance the safety and reliability of the infrastructure it authorizes?
Panelists:
  • Shalanda Baker, U.S. Department of Energy, Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
  • Darcie L. Houck, California Public Utilities Commission, Commissioner
  • Ben Jealous, Sierra Club, Executive Director
  • Dana Johnson, WE ACT, Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy
  • Paul Lau, SMUD, CEO and General Manager
  • Julie Nelson, Cheniere, Senior Vice President, Policy, Government and Public Affairs
  • Matthew Tejada, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice, Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights
  • 11:15 am – 11:30 amBreak
    11:30 am – 1:00 pm Panel 2: From the Front-Line: Impacted Communities and their Challenges

    During this panel, Commissioners will engage with members and representatives of overburdened communities impacted by FERC-jurisdictional infrastructure about the environmental justice challenges they face. The panel may include a discussion of the following questions:

    Location-Specific Impacts:

    1. Please describe your community and any environmental injustices you may have experienced, either directly or indirectly.
    2. When assessing the impacts of FERC-jurisdictional infrastructure projects, what topics or areas of concern should the Commission more fully address or emphasize during our infrastructure permitting proceedings?
    3. How can the Commission best facilitate engagement between local communities and industry during the earliest stages of the project planning process to avoid or reduce negative impacts, develop local community benefits, and implement community input with respect to other areas of concern?
    4. What are ways the Commission can strengthen its analysis of local impacts without placing an undue burden of producing additional information on environmental justice communities?

    Meaningful Engagement:

    1. How can the Commission and industry better assure that stakeholders’ input in infrastructure application proceedings was received, reviewed, and addressed in environmental review documents and the Commission’s decisions?
    2. In many cases, the Commission requires infrastructure applicants, certificate holders, or licensees to develop plans to protect public safety (such as Emergency Response Plans for liquified natural gas facilities). What steps should the Commission and industry take to provide opportunities for public participation targeted at ensuring community needs are evaluated during the development, implementation, and modification of such plans?
    3. In addition to project-specific engagement, how else should the Commission work with local communities to improve the Commission’s infrastructure permitting processes and help connect communities to resources that support community participation in our proceedings?

    Panelists:

  • Russell Armstrong, Hip Hop Caucus, Policy Director for Climate and Environment
  • John Beard, Port Arthur Community Action Network, Founder, President, and Executive Director
  • Amy Cordalis, Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, Co-Principal
  • Kari Fulton, Center for Oil and Gas Organizing, Climate Justice Policy Advocate and Educator
  • Roishetta Ozane, The Vessel Project of Louisiana, Founder, Director, CEO
  • 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch

    Lunch will not be provided.

    2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Panel 3: Identifying, Avoiding, and Addressing Environmental Justice Impacts

    This panel will discuss how infrastructure applicants, the Commission, and its staff can better identify, avoid, and minimize adverse impacts on environmental justice communities. The panel may include a discussion of the following questions:

    Cumulative Impacts:

    1. What lessons can the Commission learn from other federal and state agencies, environmental justice communities, industry, and subject matter experts on how to better identify, minimize, and avoid cumulative impacts in environmental justice communities particularly with respect to human health and climate change?
    2. How can the Commission best consider factors that increase the intensity of cumulative impacts on environmental justice communities?

    Identifying, Minimizing, and Avoiding Impacts:

    1. How can the Commission better assess and characterize direct and indirect impacts as well as past, current, and future cumulative impacts and the vulnerability or resiliency of a community?
    2. What guidance can the Commission provide to infrastructure project developers to help avoid or reduce negative impacts from new infrastructure development in environmental justice communities that are already overburdened? What indicators and thresholds should the Commission use to appropriately and accurately identify such communities early in the project development process?
    3. How can Commission staff make better use of local, state, and region-specific impact information and community knowledge when conducting an impact assessment and developing methods to avoid and minimize potential impacts?

    Panelists:

  • Aram Benyamin, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Chief Operating Officer
  • Uni Blake, American Petroleum Institute, Senior Policy Advisor
  • Gina Dorsey, Kinder Morgan, Director, EHS-Project Permitting, Operations Support Group
  • Al Huang, Institute for Policy Integrity, NYU School of Law, Director of Environmental Justice & Senior Attorney
  • Dr. Beth Rose Middleton Manning, UC Davis, Professor of Native American Studies
  • Carolyn L. Nelson, P.E., U.S. Department of Transportation, Director of Environmental Policy & Justice Division
  • 3:30 pm Closing Remarks

    Tell the EPA: Strong Soot Protections Now!

    Posted by Brad Johnson Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:00:00 GMT

    Toxic soot pollution affects millions, but it doesn’t need to be this way.

    Right now thousands people are fighting hard to ensure the EPA doesn’t let big polluters off the hook when it comes to setting the strongest possible standards on soot pollution.

    Join us at the EPA HQ for our final public testimony as the comment window on national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) closes.

    And please spread the word about this event demanding clean air and healthier communities now

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Day Three

    Posted by Brad Johnson Fri, 24 Mar 2023 13:00:00 GMT

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

    The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

    The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

    Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

    9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Energy and the Blue Economy: Emerging Technology Needs and Market Opportunities
    This “Energy and the Blue Economy” discussion will bring together representatives from across government, philanthropy, and ocean-based industries, who are all anticipated to drive significant growth in at-sea energy consumption over the coming decade. The panel will serve to connect the ARPA-E community to these diverse users of ocean energy technologies, whose operational requirements will motivate the development of innovative solutions in renewable marine energy generation, storage, and transfer. Discussion topics will include a) current marine energy technology limitations that could be overcome through focused development supported by ARPA-E; b) current and emerging Blue Economy markets that may offer high-risk, but high-growth potential for novel energy technologies; c) shared energy technology requirements across the many segments of the Blue Economy; and d) unique challenges and opportunities for funding and scaling energy technologies for use in ocean environments. Ultimately, this discussion will highlight the role that ARPA-E and its performers, in addition to the DOE at large, can have in supporting the energy needs of growing the Blue Economy, potentially illuminating new markets, novel sources of investment, and untapped technology development spaces.
  • Julie Decker, Executive Director, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
  • Jennifer Garson, Director, Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office
  • Dr. Tom Fu, Head, Sea Warfare and Weapons, Code 33, Office of Naval Research
  • Dr. Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Jennifer States, Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Blue Sky Maritime Coalition
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Scaling up with SCALEUP
    Scaling up a start-up or small business presents multiple challenges. This is particularly true when commercializing hard engineering technologies due to the investment required to demonstrate cost and performance at commercial scale sufficient to address market adoptions risks. Through the SCALEUP program, first launched in 2019, ARPA-E has endeavored to help address these challenges and accelerate deployment of promising technologies previously funded by ARPA-E. In this panel you will hear from leaders of a few of the companies from the SCALEUP 2019 and 2021 cohorts. They will describe some of the key technical, commercial, and team development challenges they have confronted – and continue to confront – in their scale-up journey and how they are addressing them.
  • Allan Bradshaw, Chief Manufacturing Officer, InventWood
  • Danny Cunningham, Deputy Director for Commercialization, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Shreya Dave, Chief Executive Officer, Via Separations
  • Lane Nelson, Co-Founder & Chief Financial Officer, Switched Source
  • Dr. Greg Rieker, Chief Technology Officer, LongPath Technologies
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.DOE Foundations
    The Department of Energy has been tasked with setting up an independent foundation — the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) — per section 10691 of the CHIPS Act. FESI will be established as a non-profit 501©(3) organization. This panel will feature established organizations by other government departments. Attendees can gain an understanding of this new organization as panelists discuss what successes the department and organizations have created and how outside stakeholders interact with existing foundations.
  • Dr. Vanessa Chan, Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Maynard Holliday, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
  • Dr. Sally Rockey, Chief Executive Officer, Rockey Consulting
  • Jetta Wong, Co-Author of the 2020, ITIF report, Mind the Gap: A Design for a New Energy Technology Commercialization Foundation, Former Clean Energy
  • 10:25 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Video Address
  • Zoe Lofgren, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives, California
  • 10:30 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.Video Address
    Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senate, New Mexico
    10:35 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Vicki Hollub, Chief Executive Officer, Oxy
  • 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Keynote Address
  • LTG Eric J. Wesley, U.S. Army, Retired
  • 11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. Fireside Chat
  • John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, The White House
  • Aliya Haq, Vice President, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy
  • 11:25 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Student PITCHES (Proposing Ideas for Technologies that Can Harness Energy Sustainably)
  • Shomik Verma, Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 11:30 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Brandon Williams, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, New York
  • 11:35 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Charles Fleischmann, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee
  • 11:40 a.m.Closing Remarks
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Day Two

    Posted by Brad Johnson Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:00:00 GMT

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

    The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

    The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

    Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

    9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Fast Pitch: Nuclear & Materials
  • Dr. Ahmed Diallo, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Robert Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Grid Storage Beyond the Hype
    Intermittent resources such as wind and solar play a greater role in energy generation. Concurrently, consumer, commercial, and industrial power consumption increasingly electrifies. Energy storage will play a critical role in balancing supply and demand across the grid, regardless of time of day, weather, or season. This is reflected in the public funding and private capital flowing to the development of new battery and alternative energy storage technologies and projects. This panel will explore the role that storage currently plays in the grid and, more importantly, what to expect in the future, and when. Our panelists will discuss the technologies and the business cases behind recent high-profile long duration energy storage projects to provide an inside view into this key enabler of the energy transition.
  • Yayoi Sekine, Head of Energy Storage, BloombergNEF
  • Dr. Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
  • Julia Souder, Executive Director, Long Duration Energy Storage Council
  • TJ Winter, Vice President, Strategic Technologies, Fluence
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.What’s Behind the Corporate Curtain?
    This panel will examine large company absorption and adoption of companies and their technologies. When a company conducts an IPO or other type of capital raise, everything happens in the public eye. Conversely when one company acquires another’s technology – or the company itself – the process is opaquer and that technology sometimes doesn’t resurface for years, if ever. Large company executives will pull back the curtain and explain what happens to the energy technologies they acquire after the purchase and how they are absorbed or adopted into the acquirer’s operations. Learn more about this potential road to commercialization.
  • Christy Wyskiel, Director, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures
  • Dr. Patty Chang-Chien, Vice President & General Manager, Boeing Research and Technology
  • Roman Mueller, Executive Director and Principal, RTX Ventures
  • Limor Spector, General Manager, Incubation Technologies, GE Research
  • Mark Szendro, Director, Battery Materials North America, BASF
  • 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Tech Demo: CHARGED: Commercialization of Highly Accelerated Reliable Grid-Networked Energy Delivery
    Team: Imagen Energy
    12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.Tech Demo: Predictive Data-Driven Vehicle Dynamics and Powertrain Control: from ECU to the Cloud
    University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
    This NEXTCAR project seeks to reduce vehicle energy consumption by 30%, via connectivity and automation technologies. If scaled to all on-road vehicles in the U.S., these technologies potentially eliminate 4.5 quads of energy consumption. Our project pursues three use-cases. The first leverages communication with signalized intersections to automate the speed profile and lane changing to minimize energy consumption, in arterial roads. Second, we automate the parking and charging behaviors in parking lots via vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Third, we minimize fleet vehicle energy consumption via optimized dispatching, routing, and charge scheduling in urban environments. We invite you to engage with us on scaling this technology to maximize impact.
    10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.Student PITCHES (Proposing Ideas for Technologies that Can Harness Energy Sustainably)
    Pitchers:
  • Aditya Mishra, University of California, San Diego: “DERConnect: Voltage state estimation in partially known power network”
  • Bogdan Dryzhakov, University of Tennessee – Knoxville: ” Single Cells with Tandem Power”
  • Gustavo Marquez, Stanford University and Melissa Zhang, Harvard University: “RockFix”
  • Lindsay Walter, University of Utah: “Power at the nanoscale: Waste heat recovery using near-field thermophotovoltaics”
  • Shomik Verma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: ” High-temperature ceramic combustor with thermophotovoltaic power generation”
  • Sichao Cheng, University of Maryland: “Self-sustaining methane conversion facility for methane flaring sites with economical feasibility” Panel:
  • Dr. Halle Cheeseman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Dr. Paul Glaser, Hydrogen & Future Fuels Leader, GE Vernova Advanced Research
  • Dr. Brenda Haendler, Director of Technology Management, Breakthrough Energy Fellows
  • Gautam Phanse, Strategic Relations Manager, Chevron Tech Ventures
  • Mark Szendro, Director, Battery Materials North America, BASF
  • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.American Energy Innovators Network: Designing Federal Policy for Energy Startups
    The American Energy Innovators Network (AEIN) is hosting a policy discussion for Summit participants. Join us for a brief overview of the policy landscape affecting clean energy startups, entrepreneurs, and investors, and discussion on policy priorities for the upcoming year. This conversation is open to anyone who is interested.
  • Dr. Tanya Das, Senior Associate Director of Energy Innovation, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • Natalie Tham, Policy Analyst, Energy Program, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • 1:15 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.Keynote Address
  • Arun Majumdar, Dean, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
  • 1:35 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.Fireside Chat
  • Mujeeb Ijaz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ONE
  • Alicia R. Knapp, President and Chief Executive Officer, BHE Renewables
  • Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
  • 1:55 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.Keynote Address
  • Wes Moore, Governor, State of Maryland
  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.Keynote Address
    * Dr. David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego, BP
    2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.Keynote Address
  • Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate, Alaska
  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.Keynote Address & Fireside Chat
  • Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Fredrick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.Fast Pitch: Sustainability & Resilience
  • Dr. Simon Freeman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Anil Ganti, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Philseok Kim, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Marina Sofos, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.Best Practices and Challenges for Product or Process Lifecycle Analyses
    The focus on sustainability across multiple industry sectors has enhanced the need for the development of highly sophisticated Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) tools for revenue generating products and processes. These tools help companies estimate and reduce their Scope 1-3 emissions to meet the sustainability scorecards they have been mandated to report on. Development of such models are a non-trivial task requiring a comprehensive understanding of cradle-to-grave supply chains and acquiring and analyzing data sources, for accurate reporting. This panel session will focus on identifying some of the challenges and best practices for the development of LCA tools for the aviation, datacenter, oil & gas, and materials manufacturing industries and what transformational technologies are needed. Perspectives from the panelists will focus on what is possible versus what is needed and how the uptake of these tools for future decision making can be enhanced.
  • Dr. Stephen McCord, Research Area Specialist Lead, University of Michigan Global CO2 Initiative
  • Michelle Krynock, Senior Life Cycle Analyst, National Energy Technology Laboratory
  • Laurette Lahey, Senior Director of Flight and Vehicle Technology, Boeing Research & Technology
  • Cory Tatarzyn, Global Zero Waste Program Manager, General Motors
  • 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.Nuclear Power for our Low Carbon Future: Rethinking the Nuclear Waste Challenge
    The energy transition will require a variety of low-carbon energy technologies and, while early in the transition, the premium for constant, on-demand power is becoming increasingly important. One option for low-carbon, baseload electricity is nuclear energy. Several advanced reactor companies are targeting deployment towards the latter part of this decade, though a common question relevant to their rapid deployment is, “What should we do about the waste?”. The current disposal plan, decided in the late 1970s and endorsed multiple times since, for nuclear waste is to permanently dispose of the material in a deep geological repository. However, the existing nuclear waste sits in interim storage at approximately 100 locations throughout the United States and the suitability of a potential deep geological repository to effectively sequester nuclear waste from advanced reactors is unclear. Fortunately, technologies, including waste forms, recycling, transmutation, etc., have dramatically evolved and the potential to reassess optimal disposal options is timely. This panel will discuss how potential technological innovations could have significant impact on the viability of various disposal options.
  • Dr. Bob Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Dr. Per Peterson, Professor, U.C. Berkeley
  • Sylvia Saltzstein, Manager of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage, Transportation, Security, and Safeguards R&D, Sandia National Laboratory
  • Jackie Siebens, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Oklo Inc.
  • Dr. Kris Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Holtec
  • 5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Tech Demo: Analytics Data Hub and the Intelligence Potential of Clarivate’s Global Research & Innovation Data
    Clarivate Partner Demo
    6:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.Tech Demo: Compact Diffusion Bonded Printed-Circuit Heat Exchanger Development Using Nickel Superalloys for Highly Power Dense and Efficient Modular Energy Production Systems
    Vacuum Process Engineering (VPE) will present progress on the design and manufacturing development of compact diffusion bonded microchannel heat exchangers using high nickel superalloys. Microchannel heat exchangers are constructed from laminating layers of sheet metal together in a solid-state joining process where the sheet metal layers contain small semicircular channels to accommodate fluid flow with alternating flow paths. Typically, microchannel heat exchangers are constructed from stainless steel alloys which limits their operating conditions to ~650 °C at ~20 MPa. The development of alternative channel forming and bonding techniques developed in this project for high nickel alloys such as IN740H allow for the operating envelope of microchannel heat exchangers to be extended to 800 °C at 28 MPa. A prototype 5-kW heat exchanger constructed from IN740H and operated at temperatures above 800 °C will be presented.
    7:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.Tech Demo: AERIALIST – 2nd generation motor for lArge ElectRIc Aircraft propuLsIon SysTems
    Team: Wright Electric
    5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.ARPA-E: The Team Transforming Energy
    ARPA-E has a history of making a difference – not just in the way the United States uses energy, but also in the lives and careers of those who join the ARPA-E team. The Program Director, T2M Advisor, and Fellow positions can play a decisive role in a career both by providing the opportunity to revolutionize the energy sector and positioning team members for future prospects that may have otherwise been out of reach or unimagined. These positions are term limited to drive a consistent influx of new ideas and perspectives into the agency and grow its alumni network throughout the energy innovation community. Join new ARPA-E Director Dr. Evelyn Wang as she sits with a panel of ARPA-E team members and alumni to discuss their experience working at the agency, how they decided that a role at ARPA-E was the right fit for them, and how ARPA-E served as a pivotal point in their career trajectory.
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Susan Babinec, Program Lead, Stationary Storage, Argonne National Laboratory
  • Dr. Bob Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Ashwin Salvi, Chief Operating Officer, Atmoszero
  • Climate Defiance Launch Fundraiser - with Bill McKibben

    Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 22 Mar 2023 22:00:00 GMT

    Launch fundraiser with Bill McKibben

    Join Climate Defiance for our launch party fundraiser with keynote speaker Bill McKibben.

    About Bill McKibben:

    Widely recognized as one of the world’s preeminent climate activists, Bill McKibben is a founder of 350 and Third Act. McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College, and the author of over a dozen books including Eaarth and The End of Nature.

    About Climate Defiance:

    We are a brand-new, youth-led, grassroots organizing collective focused on using peaceful, nonviolent direct action to resist fossil fuels. Our first demand is that President Biden end all fossil fuel leasing on federal lands. We will not shy away from confrontation and disruption. Our world is in a state of emergency and we plan to act accordingly. This April, we will sit-in at the White House Correspondents Dinner – those of us who are able will engage in a bold act of nonviolent, civil disobedience there.

    Our mission:

    • End fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and waters.
    • End sacrifice zones and usher in a just transition for those most impacted.
    • Stand in solidarity with our sister-struggles for racial and economic justice.
    • Deploy mass turnout, disruptive direct action to compel politicians to act with the urgency this moment deserves.
    • Elevate climate change to a top-three political issue in American politics.
    • Make support for any fossil fuels as unacceptable on the left as opposing abortion or gay marriage.
    • Change the terms of the debate. Move the Overton Window.
    • Make clear to left-wing lawmakers that the youth vote will only deliver for them if they deliver for us.

    Location: Brookland Busboys & Poets

    RSVP

    Note: If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a contribution, please do so at climatedefiance.org/donate

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Day One

    Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

    The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

    The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

    Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

    10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.Opening Remarks & Keynote Address
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • 10:15 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.Fireside Chat
  • Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy , U.S. Department of Energy
  • Dr. Shreya Dave, Chief Executive Officer , Via Separations
  • Dr. Leah Ellis, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Sublime Systems
  • Joe Zhou, Chief Executive Officer, Quidnet Energy
  • 10:50 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Fireside Chat
  • Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce
  • David Turk, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy
  • 11:15 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Ernest J. Moniz, MIT Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, Post-Tenure
  • 11:35 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.Fireside Chat
  • Arati Prabhakar, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
  • Dr. David M. Hart, Professor of Public Policy, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
  • 11:55 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.Keynote Address
    Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures
    11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.Government Agency Networking Program (GANP)
    The Government Agency Networking Program (GANP) at the annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit provides an opportunity to meet with representatives from federal government agencies to discuss research interests, funding solicitations, grants, and other potential partnership opportunities.
    2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Fast Pitch: Batteries & Storage
  • Dr. Peter de Bock, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Halle Cheeseman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Julia Greenwald, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Jack Lewnard, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Laurent Pilon, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Lab to Impact: Maximizing Success with Technology Licensing Offices
    In this panel, we will delve into best practices for how and when to engage with Technology Licensing Offices, and what common pitfalls to avoid. We will hear from a diversity of stakeholders representing an inventor, investor, lawyer, and licensing office, who will share their successes and failures – drawing from decades of experience. Whether you are looking to spin out a startup or license a technology, this panel will help provide practical takeaways on how to maximize success and impact.
  • Dr. Christina Chang, Partner, Lowercarbon Capital
  • Dylan Adams, Patent Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine
  • Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang, Co-Founder, Form Energy, Sublime Systems, Desktop Metal, 24M Technologies and A123 Systems
  • Deirdre Zammit, Associate Director, Licensing, MIT Technology Licensing Office
  • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy Given the Recent Achievement of Ignition at the National Ignition Facility
    This panel will address the following questions about the prospects for inertial fusion energy (IFE): Can lasers be made efficient enough to enable a commercial IFE power plant? Can targets be made inexpensively and at scale? Are the physics challenges going from indirect drive (as is done on the National Ignition Facility) to direct drive (or another concept) tractable?
  • Dr. Tammy Ma, Lead, Intertial Fusion Energy Initiative, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Dr. Kramer Akli, Program Manager, DOE Office of Science
  • Dr. Carly Anderson, Principal, Prelude Ventures
  • Dr. Susana Reyes, VP of Chamber and Plant Design, Xcimer Energy
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Fast Pitch: Industrial Processes
  • Dr. Katharine Greco, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Jonathan Melville, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. James Seaba, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Douglas Wicks, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Olga Blum Spahn, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Decarbonizing the “Bus Stop” of the Future: Innovations in Urban Transportation
    As cities strive to reduce carbon emissions and improve urban transportation, defining the “bus stop” of the future, and with it, the necessary technology innovations and infrastructure, is becoming increasingly important. In high population density areas, where large metro systems are not available, the energy implications of the shift towards electrified and on-demand mobility options must be considered. Ride-hailing services currently optimize for pick-up proximity, but what does the equivalent approach for passenger transit look like in these situations and what role does energy efficiency need to play when the most convenient option is continued reliance on privately owned, personally driven cars? How does the increase in car sales during the pandemic further factor into future solutions? This thought-provoking panel will explore the disruptive innovations and flexible options that can address the energy consumption of future modes of urban transportation and tackle the question of how to ensure equity for all.
  • Dr. Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Benjamin de la Peña, Chief Executive Officer, Shared-Use Mobility Center
  • Carolyn Gonot, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
  • Gabe Klein, Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Beyond VC: Alternative Funding Sources for Startups
    Panelists from a range of non-dilutive (federal, state and non-profit) and “less-dilutive” (venture debt, in various structures) funding sources will discuss how energy- and climate-tech startups can navigate non-traditional funding sources to best support their companies’ growth plans.
  • Hilary Flynn, Managing Director, Investments, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
  • Jackie Logan, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Raise Green
  • Max Tuttman, Principal, The Ad Hoc Group
  • Jonah Wagner, Chief Strategist, Department of Energy Loan Program Office National Harbor 10
  • 5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.Tech Demo: Advanced Operation & Maintenance Techniques implemented in the Xe-100 Plant Digital Twin to reduce Fixed O&M Cost
    X-energy is an Advanced Reactor design company and an awardee of the ARPA-E GEMINA Program. The main objective of the GEMINA Program is to demonstrate how Digital Twins can reduce Fixed Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs for the Advanced Reactors (i.e. the Xe-100). X-energy’s 3D Immersive Digital Twin Experience demonstrates the integration between the physics-based Xe-100 Simulator and a 3D virtual representation of the Xe-100 plant. Users can walk through and interact with the Virtual Reality (VR) model as if it were the real Xe-100 plant. During the design phases of the Xe-100, the 3D model is being used for iterative design reviews to incorporate feedback, optimize layouts, and inform future work. During the operation phase of the Xe-100, the 3D model will be used for training of plant staff, particularly Maintenance crews. Combined with X-DATA™, X-energy’s Digital Twin product, the 3D Immersive Environment supports the implementation of “Central Maintenance” concepts that will ultimately lead to a safer, more reliable, and more economic nuclear plant for the 21st century.
    5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.Tech Demo: Low-cost non-destructive plant root phenotyping
    Tomographic Electrical Rhizosphere Imager (TERI) is a technology aiming to make plant root phenotyping easier and faster. Root digging, washing, photographing, counting, and analysis have been the standard practice for field scale root phenotyping for a very long time. This is a process that is low throughput and very time and labor consuming. TERI aims to disrupt this practice to significantly accelerate plant root phenotyping at field scales to help accelerate the development of new root-superior plant varieties that are more resource efficient and climate resilient. TERI technology is based on the dialectic properties and behavior of plant root systems and can work under almost any type of soil, moisture, and plant species conditions. The lightweight of the hardware system and the user-friendly software interface make the system very easy to use by anyone without the technical background.
    6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.Tech Demo: Basin-SCAN: Basin Scale Continuous oil and gas emissions mitigAtion Network
    Founded in 2018 through the ARPA-E MONITOR program, LongPath Technologies is the “5G” of methane measurement and abatement, providing a proven and standardized approach across the value chain. Our specialized laser systems detect, locate and quantify site-level emissions across 20+ square mile regions with a single laser tower, and the continuous emissions monitoring networks provide actionable real-time alerts and quantitative emission rates to oil and gas operators. LongPath’s innovative regional-scale solution provides continuous, reliable data at the lowest cost to the customer.
    7:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Tech Demo: Pilot Production for Commercial Sampling of Rare-Earth-Free Iron Nitride Permanent Magnets
    Niron Magnetics has developed the first powerful permanent magnets free of rare earths and other critical materials. Niron’s Iron Nitride-based Clean Earth Magnet® technology makes use of globally available commodity raw material inputs. As an ARPA-E SCALEUP awardee, Niron is expanding its pilot production to support commercial design partnerships, including those with GM, Volvo Cars, Western Digital, Tymphany Audio, and Premium Sound Solutions.

    Stop Dirty Banks National Day of Action

    Posted by Brad Johnson Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

    Stop Dirty Banks

    Join Third Act for a National Day of Action on March 21, 2023 – 3.21.23! Together we demand banks stop funding climate chaos.

    Over the past year, thousands of you have taken the Banking on Our Future pledge to close your accounts, cut up your credit cards, and boycott Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo if they don’t move their investments out of fossil fuels. On 3.21.23, we gather to show the strength of our movement!

    You don’t need to be a cardholder or a Third Actor to participate––we need people of all ages, races, and means to make visible the connection between cash and carbon. Bring your friends, energy, and creativity!

    Find an event on the map or see a full listing.

    In Washington DC, an interfaith group will hold a brief prayer service and then lead a slow-moving Walk of Hope around the 2-block area at Franklin Park, singing and cheering on the rocking chair vigil keepers. At midday, there will be a Rally with music, food, testimonials from frontline communities, appeals from youth, and cutting up credit cards, and we are honored that Bill McKibben himself will join us, along with Ben Jealous, Ebony Twilley Martin and Rose Abramoff!

    In the afternoon a louder March of Action featuring union and youth contingents, drummers and chants, and big puppets will return to the banks, where labor activists and others will form picket lines outside each bank. The day will culminate with a joyful Rocking Chair Rebellion in an intersection outside two of the banks, featuring seniors in rocking chairs blocking the bank entrances, chalk art, music, puppets and more.

    Protecting Public Health and the Environment in the Wake of the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment and Chemical Release in East Palestine, Ohio

    Posted by Brad Johnson Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:00:00 GMT

    On Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, led by Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), will hold a full committee hearing on addressing the environmental and public health threats from the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio.

    Witnesses

    Panel I
    • Sherrod Brown, United States Senator, The State of Ohio
    • JD Vance, United States Senator, The State of Ohio
    • Bob Casey, United States Senator, The State of Pennsylvania
    Panel II
    • Alan Shaw, President and CEO, Norfolk Southern Corporation
    • Debra Shore, Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,, Region V
    • Anne Vogel, Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
    • Richard Harrison, Executive Director and Chief Engineer, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
    • Eric Brewer, Director and Chief of Hazardous Materials Response, Beaver County Department of Emergency Services

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