Melanie Nakagawa

How can utilities address energy affordability through the ratemaking process? We summarize different approaches in our latest Center on Global Energy Policy factsheet. 🌐 🔌 💵 Traditionally, efforts to mitigate energy insecurity have focused on downstream solutions like bill assistance and weatherization. However, upstream innovations in utility ratemaking hold significant potential to address the structural causes of energy affordability. Innovative ratemaking approaches, such as segmented rate classes, low-income discount programs, and budgeting strategies, offer promising pathways to reduce energy burdens on disadvantaged households. These approaches, when implemented thoughtfully, can help balance the needs of utility shareholders with the social goal of energy affordability. What other mechanisms are available? Please share in the comments below! Abby Austin, Qëndresa Krasniqi, Diana Hernández, Emma Shumway, Michael Gerrard, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Beth Colleton, Robert Johnston #EnergyInsecurity #EnergyJustice #Utilities #Ratemaking

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NEW: Natural gas will continue to be critically important to America’s economic and energy security for decades to come – and long after 2050. That’s one of the big takeaways from two new National Petroleum Council (NPC) studies issued this morning, both at the request of U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. NPC’s analysis of the natural gas supply chain calls for better measurement and continued reductions of methane emissions (U.S. methane emissions are down 37% since 2015), as well as streamlining of natural gas rules. API President and CEO Mike Sommers said NPC’s assessment lays the groundwork for harmonized federal methane regulations and for a clear and consistent permitting process for energy infrastructure. “To fully leverage America’s energy advantage and advance climate progress,” Mike said today, “continued collaboration between energy producers and policymakers will be essential.” The second NPC study said incentives are needed to boost demand for hydrogen fuel and support hydrogen infrastructure - essential to enable a lower carbon future. NPC said the 45V hydrogen tax credit, as proposed, is too risky and needs adjusting so that a broad array of businesses can feed into this lower carbon energy option. Dig into the details for more: https://lnkd.in/d8Yp-ABU

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#Electricity is the ultimate climate adaptation commodity. But it has to reliable--and affordable--to work its magic. Major challenges in #Arizona on the affordability account, as Jeanne Whalen from The Wall Street Journal points out in an excellent piece. Maybe it's time for Arizona Public Service - APS to seriously consider adding two more reactors at Palo Verde #Nuclear Plant. We might need to have a similar conversation in Texas--STP Nuclear Operating Company's South Texas plant and Vistra Corp.'s Comanche Peak plant could in theory each house two additional reactors. I bet Michael Hewitt and Jeffery Boaz will point out some reasons I'm wrong to suggest adding more reactors at those facilities. No matter what, it's time we start thinking atomic and more expansively in order to secure a lower emissions, energy abundant future. https://lnkd.in/edEjzNsk

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🎙️ New CSIS Energy 360° Podcast: The Future of U.S. Climate Leadership 🌍🇺🇸 Energy and climate professionals, don't miss this insightful discussion on the evolving landscape of U.S. climate and energy policy with ex-hill leaders Emily Domenech, Adrian Deveny, and Peter Stahley. With host Quill Robinson, our expert panel dives deep into: • The impact and future of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law • Permitting reform: The critical bottleneck for clean energy deployment • The emerging bipartisan consensus on "green" industrial policy • Potential policy shifts under different 2024 election scenarios • The interplay between climate goals, energy security, and economic competitiveness Key insights from our distinguished guests: ✅ The IRA has accelerated clean energy deployment, but permitting challenges threaten to undercut its impact ✅ Local opposition often poses a greater hurdle for renewable projects than federal regulations ✅ There's surprising bipartisan alignment on onshoring clean energy manufacturing and reducing dependence on China ✅ The durability of climate policies may depend on their ability to create jobs and enhance U.S. competitiveness Whether you're a policy expert, industry leader, or climate advocate, this episode offers valuable perspectives on the complex interplay of politics, policy, and market forces shaping our energy future. Listen now and stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving energy and climate landscape! #ClimatePolicy #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #USPolitics #Sustainability https://lnkd.in/eGWxkrfr

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🌍 New CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Analysis from me and Ray Cai: Climate Week NYC 2024 - Lessons Learned and the Work Ahead 🌍 Climate Week NYC 2024 highlighted the urgency of climate action and outlined critical pathways for progress. Our latest analysis explores key insights and takeaways from this pivotal event, shedding light on the next steps in the global climate effort. 🔑 Key Takeaways: - Scaling Investments: Collaboration between global financial institutions and governments to mobilize capital for net-zero solutions, especially in emerging markets. - Technology & Innovation: Breakthroughs driving decarbonization, focusing on scalable solutions for immediate impact. - Policy Alignment: The significance of consistent policies across jurisdictions for smoother transitions and incentivizing green energy adoption. - Global Collaboration: Partnerships across sectors and borders to tackle challenges and scale best practices. - Actionable Next Steps: Regulatory adjustments and private-sector commitments identified as critical by climate action leaders. Explore our detailed analysis to understand how to expedite the energy transition and tackle climate challenges globally. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eUacQPtD #ClimateAction #Sustainability #NetZero #ClimateWeekNYC #CSIS #EnergyTransition #GlobalCollaboration

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I’m pleased to share Carbon Accountable's new “SB 253: A Regulations Roadmap”.  I wrote this brief with Michael Schmitz to show that the timely development of a robust set of implementing regulations for the California Climate Corporate Accountability Act #SB53 (Sen Scott Wiener) is eminently doable. The document presents exemplar regulations that clearly demonstrate the feasibility of adhering to the law’s requirement for first reporting by companies in 2026 and challenges the rationale for the proposed two year delay by the Governor's Office Office for this critical climate law. There’s been tremendous support and excitement worldwide for California as it joins the growing network of jurisdictions enacting mandatory corporate GHG emissions disclosure requirements including the EU with its new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (#CSRD) and countries across the globe that are adopting the #ISSB standards. We're confident that Governor Newsom will ensure that the Act is implemented on time because there is no time to lose - #companies need #GHGemissionsdata to manage #climaterisks and inform their chosen #decarbonizationstrategies and #consumers and #investors must have access to the #climatedata they need for decision making. #ClimateAccountability #GHGData  #CarbonTransparency #ClimateAction Here are links to stories in: Politico California Climate - https://politi.co/4cgZy8O Bloomberg Law - https://bit.ly/46EE5pd Yahoo Finance - https://yhoo.it/3Abc786 Here’s a link to the full roadmap - https://bit.ly/3AoCQOw Erik Mebust Radhika Gawde Ross Zelen Gil Topete Brendan Murphy Melissa Romero Mary Creasman Jake Rascoff Steven M. Rothstein Kim Stone Mike Wallace Veda Banerjee Lea Ann Tratten Jena Price Melanie Morelos Rachel Buller Sarah Sachs Monica Palmeira Veda Banerjee Samantha Couch Arnold Sowell Jr. Melanie Slocum Reed Addis Neal Kemkar Katelyn Roedner Sutter Sara Noelani Olsen Alex Fujinaka Erika Gudmundson Russell Mitchell Kristina Wyatt Emily Pierce Geoff Crook Clara Vondrich Douglas Norlen Kevin Stein Dave Jones

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A new E3 study looks at the impact of different clean energy accounting frameworks on systemwide or "consequential" carbon emissions under voluntary clean energy purchases. The study uses E3’s California RESOLVE capacity expansion model (https://lnkd.in/giG8wYN9) to dynamically evaluate changes in system dispatch and investments over time under both annual and hourly matching approaches. We find that annual and hourly matching approaches result in similar impacts on long-run, consequential carbon emissions except under a relatively narrow set of circumstances. We also find that hourly matching will be much more difficult and costly to achieve in real life than in a capacity model context, and will expose participating customers to significant market risk due to the overprocurement that is required to match hourly demand during the most challenging hours. Finally, we conclude that long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) will continue to be needed to finance capital-intensive clean energy projects, underscoring the important role of demand for PPAs from both the compliance and voluntary markets in facilitating clean energy development. We thank Meta for its partial support for this analysis; all report conclusions and findings are our own. Find the blog post and download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/giVBVzCR. E3’s Arne Olson, Kush Patel, Elizabeth Mettetal, Gregory Gangelhoff, Angineh Zohrabian, Ph.D., Hugh Somerset, Ruoshui Li, and Joshua Spooner contributed to the report.

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Yesterday, Politico posted another retelling of Stanford professor Mark Z. Jacobson's fantasy that U.S. electricity might, one day, be derived entirely from energy provided by wind, water, and sunlight (WWS). With his fellowship at Stanford's Precourt Institute of Energy, it would be easy to assume Jacobson's advocacy is motivated by financial interests - specifically, to promote sales of natural gas. Financing for the Institute, after all, came in the form of a $30 million gift from natural gas maven Jay Precourt - and the "renewable" sources of energy favored by Jacobson are dependent everywhere on backup generation from that fossil fuel. But for our purposes here, we'll assume less partial motives are driving his unwavering support for his hypothesis. Either that, or ignorance - because start to finish, his claims appear to have little basis in physics or electrical engineering. Politico's article begins by attributing the following claim to Jacobson: "On most days for the past month, renewable energy has powered 100 percent of California’s main grid for at least 15 minutes." A simple analysis of information publicly available from California's Independent System Operator (CAISO), however, reveals this claim to be 100 percent hoo-hah...nonsense. Why? Jacobson credits only the "renewable" ingredients of California's power mix with powering the state, but it isn't that simple. Those ingredients require natural gas plants to run constantly, smoothing their erratic generation. Without them, wind and solar would take California's grid down in a matter of minutes, or even seconds. Moreover, electricity demand must be met with supply, precisely and in real time. That the supply of wind, water, and solar, added together might equal demand at any moment is thoroughly a matter of chance - 100 percent uncontrollable. Between 9AM and 3PM, virtually every day of the year, home solar in the Golden State generates too much electricity, requiring CAISO to get rid of it. And forcing our unwanted electricity on our neighbors doesn't come cheap - we must buy it at "negative prices", i.e., pay them to take it off our hands. That California electricity customers are running out of patience with wind and solar is understandable. After Connecticut, our state now has the highest prices in the continental U.S., and it's all thanks to "renewable" energy. Enough is enough - it's 2024, and the time to reconsider California's 1960s-era plan to produce all of our power with clean, safe, and affordable nuclear energy is long overdue. There's no more time to waste.

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How can we achieve climate and energy security while avoiding the impacts of new inputs? The answer lies in de-carbonizing rapidly, and that's exactly what Prometheus Fuels is working towards. Don't miss this interview with Rob McGinnis, where he shares insights on how the industry is exploring and supporting this critical mission. A sustainable future can evolve with existing infrastructure. Check out the interview! #climatechange #sustainability #energysecurity #decarbonization #prometheusfuels

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An important step forward for projects who've been hindered in providing high-integrity carbon credits to the aviation sector requiring them for offset. https://lnkd.in/e9TE_iE3

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The current dynamics of public policy in energy markets are truly fascinating, as they reflect the complex interplay between technology, regulation, and sustainability. The growing interest in co-locating data centers with nuclear power plants highlights the challenges and opportunities we face in meeting rising electricity demands while ensuring safe and responsible energy practices. It’s a pivotal moment that underscores the need for thoughtful policy discussions and innovative solutions in the energy sector. Excerpt from article: “This year has seen a rise in data centers seeking co-location with existing nuclear power plants in response to increasing electricity demand, sparking significant regulatory debate. The issue has now garnered attention from Congress, led to a dedicated conference at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and prompted inquiries from state officials.” #EnergyPolicy #SustainableEnergy #NuclearPower #DataCenters #PublicPolicy #CleanEnergy #EnergyRegulation #DistributedGeneration #Microgrids #DistrictEnergy

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AJW is at the 2024 Industrial Decarbonization conference this week! Join the panels with Richard Corey and William Tyndall to learn more about navigating low carbon fuel program and securing financing avenues for decarbonization projects. Reach out to me or Cassie Lopina if you will be there. We are excited to hear about your decarbonization strategies and aspirations! #IDNA24 Reuters Events Energy Transition

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High-integrity carbon markets are both necessary and possible that's what The White House is saying with this new policy statement. It's a big and much-needed signal to companies who want to take additional climate action. Very happy to see that these guidelines cover climate solutions from all sectors – because we need them all. Nature based solutions can provide at least one third of the climate action needed, are already available and go directly to supporting local communities in the US and in the Global South, but only receive 3% of climate funding. Markets can help change that. https://lnkd.in/ghcdVm8A

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📝New ELEVATE Policy Brief: "Raising Policy Ambitions to Reduce #Coal- and Gas-Fired Power Generation." This flagship policy brief explores the critical need for a global transition away from #FossilFuels, especially in light of the decisions made during the First Global Stocktake at #COP28. Key insights include:  - Current progress and policy ambitions are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target.  - Historical coal phase-outs were often replaced with natural gas, but direct transitions to renewables are feasible.  - Developed countries must lead the way by significantly reducing gas-powered electricity generation.  - Comprehensive economic and regulatory reforms are essential to accelerate the phase-out process. Read the full brief here: https://lnkd.in/e2_cZP4i  #ClimateChange #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #ELEVATE #EnergyTransition

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Carbon capture technologies, despite attention and investment from the Biden administration, face regulatory, financial, and technological hurdles that may impede their path to proliferation. My latest in Forbes. Please comment, share, and subscribe. https://lnkd.in/ehg6q9pk

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The #SupremeCourt overturned #Chevron deference, but what does that mean for the #water sector? We spoke with Jessica Rosell and Seth Brown, P.E., Ph.D. to understand the implications and uncertainties that surround this latest ruling. Rosell explains how #PFAS regulations that are being challenged may run headlong into this change, and Brown notes that rulings and interpretations by the courts may make water management a challenge if they are inconsistent. In the end, both recognize that only time will tell how overturning the 40-year-old precedent will impact the water market. #wastewater #cleanwater #talkingunderwaterpod #tuwpodcast #waterworld #wastewaterdigest #stormwatersolutions #lathropgpm #nmsa #podcast #SCOTUS #regulations #loper

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Following two years of growth, carbon capture, utilization and storage (#CCUS) activity has slowed due to mounting policy, financing, transport and storage permitting challenges. #sustainability #energytransition #IRA #CO2 #carbon #decarbonization #decarbonisation #carboncapture #ccs #ccus

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Another big day for DAC (Direct Air Capture)! Two new facilities announced by Heirloom will remove a combined 320,000 tons of CO2 yearly once fully built out (more from Bloomberg: https://lnkd.in/ge6DJNbz). And looking ahead, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released a new roadmap on how policy can boost our industry to the billion-ton removal scale required by the IPCC (https://lnkd.in/gmSA_iSn)! #Heirloom #DAC #CDR

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Reliability should be top priority

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