2019 Energy Law Conference: SB 100 and the Race to a Carbon Free Grid in California

This optional pre-conference panel is geared toward attorneys who are new to energy law or would like to learn more about the basics of energy law in California. Speakers will discuss the role of state energy agencies, community choice providers, and their interplay with federal entities, as well as relevant federal and state statutes. The panel will also cover the basics on how the electricity grid operates.

Moderator: Ethan Elkind, Climate Program Director, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), UC Berkeley School of Law

Speakers:

• Bill Hur, Procurement Manager, East Bay Community Energy
• Sierra Martinez, Program Director, Energy Foundation

Speaker: James Birkelund, President, Small Business Utility Advocates, and Partner, Greenfire Law, P.C.

Mr. Kennedy will frame California’s SB 100 efforts in relationship to the global community and other States, as well as address the costs and opportunities in meeting SB 100 goals.

Speaker: Danny Kennedy, Managing Director, California Clean Energy Fund

California has made significant progress reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its energy grid, but new policies demand an even larger shift over the next decade and beyond. With new leadership in Sacramento, new technology emerging daily, and both established and new energy services being deployed across the state, major changes are on the horizon. This panel will focus on the larger policy of California’s clean energy transition—including where we are now, where the new laws and policies require we go, major decision points ahead and how California’s vision fits within a national context.

Moderator: Tim O’Connor, Senior Director, Environmental Defense Fund

Speakers:

• Alice Reynolds, Senior Advisor for Energy, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
• Dan Reeves, Chief of Staff to Former Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Léon
• Mike O’Boyle, Director of Electricity Policy, Energy Innovation
• Nancy Sutley, Chief Sustainability and Economic Development Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Will be provided onsite.

SB 100 has laid down a marker to California’s electric utilities to go carbon-free by 2045. Though that day is far off, the state’s vision requires concrete planning now by energy companies to invest in promising technologies, to establish affordable rates, and to comply with the rules of the state’s energy agencies. Carbon-free electricity has never been achieved before on such a large scale and the challenge is unprecedented. This panel will examine the logistics and implementation of the transition through the lens of the numerous integrated resource plans (IRPs) prepared by energy service providers.

Moderator: Bill Westerfield, Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Speakers:

• Janea Scott, Vice Chair, California Energy Commission
• Mohit Chhabra, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Shinjini Menon, Director of Energy Policy at Southern California Edison

Achieving deep carbon reduction in the energy systems is a multidimensional balancing act that requires a focus on ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable and affordable energy. If these issues aren’t managed, and done so in the context of a changing environment, the state may see unintended impacts. This panel will focus on the risks associated with achieving the long-term goals of zero-carbon electricity, including reliability, maintaining a resilient energy grid, the increasing threat of fires, and the desire for equity for vulnerable communities.

Moderator: Leah Goldberg, General Counsel, East Bay Community Energy

Speakers:

• Deidre Sanders, PhD, Director, Government and Community Affairs, East Bay Community Energy
• Jane Long, PhD, Director, California Council on Science and Technology
• Mark Rothleder, Vice President, Market Quality and Renewable Integration, California Independent System Operator (Invited)

Electrification of the transportation and building sectors reduces both greenhouse gases and smog-producing pollutants throughout California. As California achieves SB 100 carbon neutral targets, prioritizing clean energy projects in communities already suffering from poor air quality is essential for our public health and environmental justice goals.

Speaker: Jared Blumenfeld, Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency

This event is a no-host event and is not hosted by the CLA or Environmental Law Section.

Join session attendees and local attorneys from the California Lawyer’s Association and California Young Lawyer’s Association for a networking mixer at Woods Bar and Brewery, 1701 Telegraph Ave—about 2 blocks from the event venue.