Energy Policy Now

President Trump has acted to boost fossil fuel development in the U.S. But market forces, and disruptive trade policies have more than offset the administration’s pro-oil and coal efforts. --- In his year and a half in office, President Donald Trump has acted to make good on his campaign promises to grow the U.S. oil, natural gas, and coal industries during his presidency. Trump has taken a series of actions aimed at reducing environmental oversight of fossil fuel producers and opening protected federal territory to new energy development. Yet the ability of the president, and of Washington, to open the door to new fossil energy production has its limits. Market forces—energy supply, demand and pricing—often play the leading role in an energy company's decision to drill new resources. At the same time, state-level energy regulations are often at odds with federal priorities. Energy policy and market experts Anna Mikulska and Michael Maher discuss the president’s strategy to assert global energy dominance, and how the strategy has been reflected in recent investment trends in U.S. oil, gas, and coal. Anna Mikulska is a senior fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and a non-resident fellow with the Baker Institute for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Her work focuses on the interplay between energy markets and policy. Michael Maher is senior program adviser at the Baker Institute's Center for Energy Studies. He focuses on U.S. energy policy related to oil and gas production and safety, offshore drilling, and LNG exports. Related Content The (Yet?) Non-existent Pipeline that Already Divides Europe https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/blog/2018/04/11/yet-non-existent-pipeline-already-divides-europe Reimagining Pennsylvania’s Coal Communities https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/paper/reimagining-pennsylvanias-coal-communities Ending Fossil Fuel Tax Subsidies https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/ending-fossil-fuel-tax-subsidiesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the coming years 1.6 million acres of formerly protected Alaskan wilderness will be the site of new oil exploration and drilling. Can the state balance energy development and its environmental heritage? --- In December the Trump Administration opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to energy development, as part of the administration’s tax reform package. The opening was the culmination of a decades-long battle, fought at federal and state levels, to gain access to possibly 10 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil reserves in an area that is also home to some of the United States’ greatest wildlife populations. The move is part of the Trump administration’s plan to increase oil output and achieve its stated goal of global energy dominance. For Alaska, new development has the potential to accelerate a recent uptick in Alaskan oil production that follows nearly three decades of declining output. Energy Policy Now guest Lois Epstein, Arctic Program Director with the Wilderness Society in Alaska, discusses how the opening of ANWR is the latest chapter in a long history of energy development in Alaska, and looks at the historic the tie between the state’s economy and the oil industry’s fortunes. A 17-year resident of the state, she provides her perspective on the way that Alaskans view their relationship to energy and environment, and how the often competing priorities of energy development, budgets and environment are being weighed as a potential new wave of oil development in ecologically sensitive areas looms. Lois Epstein is Arctic Program Director with the Wilderness Society in Alaska. Her work focuses on the safety and environmental impact of Arctic oil and gas operations. A licensed engineer, Epstein has served on a number of federal advisory committees, including two National Academy of Sciences committees studying oil and gas regulations. She has also testified more than a dozen times on energy and environmental issues before the U.S. House and Senate. Related Content The World Bank Moves Away from Fossil Fuels: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/blog/2017/12/19/world-bank-moves-away-fossil-fuels Unpacking IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2017: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/blog/2017/11/27/unpacking-iea’s-world-energy-outlook-2017See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A number of states are pushing legislation that would require 100% renewable energy supply. But challenges ranging from high costs to the duck curve could make such targets hard to reach. --- A number of states are taking it upon themselves to lower carbon emissions by adopting aggressive clean energy targets. In states like California, Washington, and Massachusetts, lawmakers are considering legislation requiring utilities to get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. California already generates two-thirds of its power from renewables on peak days, while in Iowa, wind produces a third of the state’s overall electricity. Yet as renewable energy grows in popularity, the falling costs that helped fuel growth can get turned on their head, and overall costs can begin to rise. At the same time, the incremental environmental benefits of renewables can diminish as more wind and solar connect to the grid. Guest Karl Hausker, senior fellow at the Kleinman Center and author of the Risky Business Project report “From Risk to Return, Investing in a Clean Energy Economy,” looks at the pathway to widespread renewable energy with an eye on likely economic and political challenges along the way. Karl Hausker is a senior fellow with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and a senior fellow with the World Resources Institute’s Global Climate program. Related Content: Power Over the Twenty-First Century Electric Grid https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/power-over-twenty-first-century-electric-grid Energy Storage in PJM. https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/paper/energy-storage-pjm FERC Clean Energy Policy Roundup. https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/blog/2018/03/29/ferc-clean-energy-policy-roundupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As distributed energy grows, so does cyber risk to the grid. Two energy security experts discuss solutions. --- In recent months the threat of cyber attack on the nation’s electricity system has come into urgent focus. Earlier this year the FBI and Department of Homeland Security made public a series of cyberattacks that penetrated the control systems of several nuclear power stations. Another recent attack on a network of natural gas pipelines threatened fuel supply to gas-fired powerplants in the Eastern U.S. And both breaches came in the wake of a 2015 cyberattack on three Ukrainian electric utilities that left more than 200,000 people without power. Yet even as awareness of cyber threats has risen, vulnerability to such attacks continues to grow. At the distribution level, behind the meter technologies like rooftop solar, battery storage and demand response make the electric system more efficient, but also provide attackers with new points of entry into an electric system that was, by and large, built without cyberthreats in mind. Cybersecurity experts Bill Hederman and Steve Kunsman discuss the cyber vulnerabilities of the electric distribution system, and political and technological means of addressing cyber risk. Guest Bill Hederman is a Senior Fellow with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and a former senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy of during the Obama administration. He was also founder of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Market Oversight and Investigations. Steve Kunsman is Chairman of the Cyber Security Subcommittee at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is also Director of Product Management and Applications at ABB North America. Related Content: Big Advance for Cybersecurity Also Important for Energy Cybersecurity https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/blog/2017/11/15/big-advance-cybersecurity-also-important-energy-cybersecurity The Energy Sector Confronts Cyber Risk https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/energy-policy-now/energy-sector-confronts-cyber-riskSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What might the EPA look like without current Administrator Scott Pruitt? Two regulatory experts discuss the future direction of the agency. --- EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has come under bipartisan fire for an array of ethical missteps that range from lavish spending on travel to the granting of illegal pay raises for select EPA staffers. Over the past week, staunch Pruitt supporters such as Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso have questioned the transparency with which Pruitt has run his office, and legislators from both sides of the aisle have suggested that Pruitt may not be fit to lead the agency. Could Pruitt’s tenure at the EPA be coming to an end? And if so, what direction might the embattled agency take under new leadership, such as that of recently confirmed Deputy EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler? In this special episode of Energy Policy Now, Penn Law energy and environment legal experts Cary Coglianese and Daniel Walters discuss the swirl of possible ethical violations that have led to the Pruitt controversy. They explore what Pruitt's departure could mean for his efforts—and those of the Trump administration—to deprioritize environmental protection at the EPA and roll back environmental regulations. Cary Coglianese is the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and the founding director of the Penn Program on Regulation at Penn Law. Daniel Walters is a Regulation Fellow with the Penn Program on Regulation at Penn Law. Related Content: The Future of the EPA and Clean Power https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/energy-policy-now/future-epa-and-clean-power The Many Fronts of Trump’s Environmental Deregulation Effort https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/energy-policy-now/many-fronts-trumps-environmental-deregulation-effort Hot Topics on Climate Change https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/hot-topics-climate-changeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How far can the states go in implementing climate regulations against Washington’s will? Two regulatory experts discuss the legal limits to local climate action. --- Over the past 15 months the Trump administration has moved to eliminate or water down a host of environmental regulations tied to energy use. The administration has rejected the Clean Power Plan, sought to relax rules that limit methane emissions from oil and gas wells, and announced that it will lower national car and truck fuel economy standards. Simultaneously, the federal government has been working to counter state and municipal efforts to strengthen local environmental rules. And recently, concern has been raised that the Environmental Protection Agency, under Secretary Scott Pruitt, might try rescind the waiver that allows California to set its own automotive emissions standards. Cary Coglianese of the Penn Program on Regulation, and Shana Starobin of Bowdoin College, discuss the legal limits to state and municipal efforts to take climate action, and at the tools Washington can use to rein in local regulations. Cary Coglianese is a professor of law and political science at the Penn Law, and Director of the Penn Program on Regulation. Shana Starobin is an assistant professor of government and environmental studies at Bowdoin College and a former fellow at the Penn Program on Regulation at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Related Content: A City Blazes its Clean Energy Trail: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/energy-policy-now/city-blazes-its-clean-energy-trailSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As sea levels rise, nuisance flooding is the first wave of assault on coastal cities. Can we protect our coasts from inundation, or is retreat inevitable? --- Jeff Goodell, author of the New York Times award-winning book, The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World, talks about the impact of rising seas on America’s coastal centers in the decades to come. Will innovative engineering allow cities and towns to be protected, and at what cost? Or, will the seas prevail, leaving some areas abandoned? Billy Fleming, research director for the Ian L. McHarg Center at the Penn School of Design and an expert on climate adaptation planning, weighs in as well. The U.S. government estimates that sea levels will rise by two feet by the middle of this century due to a warming climate. Already the impact of higher water is being felt in points around the country. In many coastal communities, nuisance flooding has become the predictable norm. Miami Beach is spending half a billion dollars to elevate roads and install pumps in an effort to stay dry. And Houston, New York, and New Orleans, all cities that are just feet above sea level, have recently seen unprecedented and devastating flooding. Goodell and Fleming look at the political and human costs of taking action. Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor with Rolling Stone magazine, where his writing focuses on environmental and climate issues. Last year he published his sixth book, The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World, which earned a Critics’ Top Book award from the New York Times. Billy Fleming is research director for the Ian L. McHarg Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. His research focuses on climate adaptation planning along the U.S. coast. Related Content Water Issues in California https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/water-issues-california Hot Topics on Climate Change https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/hot-topics-climate-changeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carbon Cap and Trade is gaining momentum, most recently with China’s plan to build the largest carbon market. But how successful has cap and trade been in limiting emissions, and what can new markets learn from past mistakes? --- Carbon cap and trade has made headlines in recent months as governments turn to carbon markets to limit greenhouse emissions. The biggest announcement came in December, when China formally announced the establishment of a national carbon trading system that will initially cover its electric power industry. Once China’s market is up and running, it’ll dwarf the largest existing cap and trade market, the European Emissions Trading System that started in 2005. Developments are underway in the U.S. as well. In January, New Jersey announced that it will rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, commonly called RGGI, which it had previously abandoned. And Virginia has announced its intention to also join the carbon market, which spans nine northeastern states. Kleinman Center Faculty Fellow Arthur van Benthem discusses how cap and trade cost-effectively limits carbon dioxide emissions. He also examines the economic competitiveness of cap-and-trade programs. Arthur van Benthem is a Faculty Fellow with the Kleinman Center and Assistant Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School of Business. His research and teaching focus on the economic efficiency of energy policies, and the unintended consequences of environmental legislation. Earlier, he worked as an economist and strategist at Royal Dutch Shell. Related Content China Introduces Emissions Trading System. https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/blog/2017/12/21/china-introduces-emissions-trading-system Hot Topics on Climate Change https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/hot-topics-climate-change Climate Policy in a Disorganized World https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/climate-policy-disorganized-worldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self-driving trucks promise to revitalize the trucking industry. But increased energy demand and air pollution are possible downsides. --- Self-driving technology is making its way onto America's roads. Companies including Lyft, Ford and Google's Waymo are investing heavily to develop driverless vehicles and transportation services. Driverless technology is also being developed for the trucking industry, a cornerstone of the economy that moves 70% of manufactured goods yet finds itself challenged by high fuel costs, safety concerns, and a shortage of drivers. Guest Steve Viscelli, Senior Fellow with the Kleinman Center, looks at the potential for driverless trucks to stake their claim on the nation's highways and create a more efficient transportation system. He also talks about potential impacts that vast fleets of driverless trucks may have on energy demand, air quality, and traffic congestion, and the choices policy makers face in balancing these outcomes. Steve Viscelli is a Senior Fellow with the Kleinman Center and a lecturer in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Sociology, where he researches policy in the areas of energy efficiency and employment relations. Steve also worked as a truck driver while researching his 2016 book, The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream. Related Content Stalled: Make Big Trucks More Fuel Efficient https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/stalled-make-big-trucks-more-fuel-efficientSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nuclear power plants pump millions of dollars into local economies. As the rate of nuclear retirements accelerates, will surrounding communities find a way forward? -- A growing number of U.S. nuclear power plants are threatened with early retirement as the combination of rising operating costs, and low electricity prices, have eroded the nuclear industry's profits. The reactors are often the economic life blood of the mostly rural communities where they're located. When they close, many good paying jobs, and generous funding for school and community services disappear. And, unlike most one-company towns, nuclear host communities are burdened with a legacy of nuclear waste that can create barriers to redevelopment. Guests Jennifer Stromsten, Program Director with the Institute of Nuclear Host Communities, and Saqib Rahim, an E&E News reporter who's written extensively on nuclear plant closures, discuss community efforts to navigate the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear station in southern Vermont. They also look at the impact that the ongoing storage of nuclear waste at the site is having on efforts to redevelop, and initiatives at the state and national level to give communities more say in the decommissioning process and, by extension, control over their path forward. Jennifer Stromsten is Program Director with the Institute of Nuclear Host Communities and works for the economic development agency that serves the region surrounding Entergy Corporation's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The plant closed in 2014 and is now in the process of decommissioning. Saqib Rahim is a reporter with E&E News who has written at length about Vermont Yankee and the legacy of nuclear plant closures. Related Content: Nuclear Decommissioning: Paying More for Greater, Uncompensated Risks: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/paper/nuclear-decommissioning A Clean Grid is a Diverse Grid https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/clean-grid-diverse-gridSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.