Hill Heat

The hearing will examine how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Build Back Better Act would attract new investment to the United States to clean up hard-to-decarbonize sectors, expand domestic supply chains and manufacturing of climate solutions, and create good-paying jobs.

• Paul Browning, President & CEO (North America), Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). Browning leads FFI’s efforts to expand hydrogen energy in North America with a goal of producing hydrogen from 100 percent renewable sources. He was previously the CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, leading a team that expanded hydrogen projects and started a battery energy storage business.
• Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). At SEIA, Hopper leads a national effort to expand the reach of solar energy as a significant percentage of U.S. energy generation. She was previously the Director of the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees development and leasing for offshore energy. She was also the director of the Maryland Energy Administration.
• Jessica Eckdish, Vice President, Legislation & Federal Affairs, BlueGreen Alliance (BGA). Eckdish directs BGA’s federal legislative, policy, and partnerships efforts on climate, energy, and infrastructure issues. Previously, she managed the Sierra Club’s legislative and administrative advocacy, leading efforts to secure methane emission standards for the oil and gas sector, as well as federal clean air and water protections.
• Charles McConnell, Executive Director, Center for Carbon Management and Energy Sustainability, University of Houston Energy. McConnell leads researchers in the fields of engineering, science, business, and law to address the needs of oil and gas, petrochemicals, and electric power markets. He was previously the assistant secretary of energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he oversaw the Office of Fossil Energy and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.