Hill Heat

Hearing page

Chair: Jodey Arrington (R-Texas)

Witness:

• Shalanda D. Young, Office of Management and Budget Director

03/23/2023 at 10:00AM

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense
• Michael J. McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/ Chief Financial Officer
• General Mark A. Milley, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

• President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Budget ($842 billion)
• Enhancing Combat Capability – Mitigating Climate Risk ($5.1 billion)

03/23/2023 at 10:00AM

Hearing page

• GAO Budget Request: $859.7 million

Witness:

• U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro

GAO climate reports:

• Climate Change: A High Risk
• Climate Change: Enhancing Federal Resilience
• Climate Migration

03/23/2023 at 09:30AM

Hearing page

• US Forest Service Congressional Budget Justification: $9.7 billion. The 2024 Budget dedicates $323 million toward management for “hazardous fuels reduction”, an increase of $116 million from the 2023 enacted level. The 2024 Budget request for workforce salaries and expenses is $1.42 billion, a $509 million increase above the 2023 enacted level to fund the costs of pay reforms for Federal wildland firefighters and increase Federal firefighting capacity.

Witnesses:

• Randy Moore, Chief, U.S. Forest Service
• Mark Lichtenstein, National Budget Director, U.S. Forest Service

03/23/2023 at 09:30AM

Hearing page

Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.)

Witnesses:

• General Glen D. VanHerck, USAF Commander, United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command
• General Laura J. Richardson, USA Commander, United States Southern Command

• President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Budget ($842 billion)
• Enhancing Combat Capability – Mitigating Climate Risk ($5.1 billion)

03/23/2023 at 09:30AM

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

03/23/2023 at 09:00AM

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

03/22/2023 at 06:00PM

Business meeting to vote on the nomination of Dilawar Syed to be Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, followed by

A hearing on the FY 2024 budget request for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Chair: Ben Cardin (D-Md.)

Witness:

• Isabella Casillas Guzman, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

• Budget Justification: $556 million

In FY 2024, SBA is requesting $10 million in Climate Change administrative expenses in the Salaries and Expenses account instead of $5 million in the Business and Disaster Loan Program accounts respectively as provided in FY 2023 Enacted.

The SBA will help small businesses mitigate risks from severe weather and related hazards, adopt clean and energy efficient technologies, and compete in the markets of innovative goods and services. The SBA’s FY 2023 enacted appropriations provided $5 million in Business Loans Programs administrative expenses for this purpose. The SBA will hire subject matter experts to update policies to address small business needs for access to capital due to climate crisis issues (e.g., energy efficiency, flooding due to coastal changes, redesign or relocation needs). These additional resources will enable the SBA to increase focused outreach, training, and awareness campaigns of the 7(a), 504, and Microloan programs. The funds will also allow the SBA to provide updates on program enhancements identified by the energy focused policy team in conjunction with industry associations whose clients have a special emphasis area in climate crisis issues.

The Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program is designed to provide critical and direct assistance to underserved innovation-based entrepreneurs with the goal of increasing their success in obtaining SBIR and STTR funding. In FY 2023 and FY 2024, the SBA will expand the FAST program and increase the number of awards and value of awards through the increase in funding provided in FY 2023 enacted and requested in the FY 2024 Budget. The SBA will continue to monitor awardees and ensure that performance data are used to assess outcomes. FAST will continue its emphasis on addressing climate change and growing participation from underserved entrepreneurs.

: In FY 2023 and FY 2024, the SBA will run the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition to award prizes that support an inclusive public-private ecosystem for innovators, particularly those who have been underrepresented in STEM/R&D entrepreneurship. Focus areas for proposals will include assistance programs for women and minority entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs in rural areas, and programs targeting technologies addressing manufacturing and climate change.

03/22/2023 at 02:45PM

Hearing page

Presiding: Chair Van Hollen

Witness:

• Janet Yellen, Secretary, U.S. Department of Treasury

• FY 2024 Budget-in-Brief

Includes:

• $2.93 billion for Multilateral Development Banks
• $1.42 billion for Climate Change and Environment Funds
• $0.122 billion for Food Security
• $0.332 billion for Treasury’s Departmental Offices, which includes $8.2 million to support 27 staff positions for Treasury’s Climate Hub and a climate-related technical support center to conduct assessments of climate-related risks across Government programs
• $0.031 billion for capital investments, including $5 million for electric vehicle leasing and charging infrastructure

Staffing to Support Climate Initiatives +$3,184,000 / +11 FTE

The Administration is targeting cuts to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% – 52% from 2005 levels by 2030 and has outlined an ambitious plan to double international climate finance and triple international adaptation finance by 2024, to support communities transitioning away from coal and to encourage the private sector to disclose climate risk. The Administration has tasked Treasury with playing a key role in these efforts, but as currently staffed, Treasury is limited in its ability to contribute to crucial elements of the climate agenda. Treasury’s unique responsibilities on a range of programs related to climate change – including economic, financial sector, and climate-related government policies – are reflected in an ambitious climate strategy program. This request would build policy strength in key climate functions, including international economists who can support bilateral and multilateral efforts outlined in the International Climate Finance Strategy, domestic finance experts responsible for understanding climate risks on the financial system, and economists responsible for conducting economic analyses related to the impacts of domestic and international climate policies on US energy markets.

Climate Technical Assistance Center +$5,000,000 / +16 FTE

Funding is requested for the establishment of a Climate-Related Financial Risk Technical Support Center to develop, conduct, and integrate assessments of climate-related financial risk exposure from across the Federal government and to facilitate climate financial risk data sharing. This initiative is intended to improve the Federal Government’s ability to understand the potential impact of climate-related financial risks to Federal assets and programs.

03/22/2023 at 02:30PM

Hearing page

Chair: Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

Witnesses:

• William Canny, Executive Director, Migration and Refugee Services, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Dauda Sesay, National Network Director, African Community Together; Vice-Chair, Refugee Congress Board of Directors; Founder & President, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants (LORI)
• BG Christopher M. Burns, U.S. Army (Ret.)

03/22/2023 at 02:30PM