Environmental Law

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

Earn up to 6.5 MCLE credits

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Auditorium at Elihu M Harris State Building
1515 Clay Street
Oakland, CA 94612

Register Online

Brochure | Reg Form

Secretary Jard Blumenfeld will be presenting his panel entitled “California’s Clean Energy Vision” in the afternoon. 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.

General Information

On March 28, 2019, the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association (CLA) will present its third bi-annual Energy Conference in downtown Oakland. This year’s program will focus on California’s aggressive plans to de-carbonize its electricity sector, including a 60% renewable portfolio standard by 2030 and a carbon-free grid by 2045. This one-day conference will be preceded by an optional primer on California energy law for those new to the field, followed by the day’s main program on the landmark “100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018” (SB 100). SB 100 will be studied from the perspectives of those who helped write it, of those who must implement it, and stakeholders who must manage the various risks of transforming California’s electric grid.

Sponsors

  • Berkeley Law Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
  • Ellison Schneider Harris Donlan
  • Environmental Defense Fund
  • Mintz
  • UC Davis School of Law
  • UCLA School of Law Emmet Institute on Climate Change & the Environment

Schedule

8 a.m. | Registration & continental Breakfast
8:45 – 10 a.m. | Pre-conference Session: Energy Law Basics 101

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
10 – 10:15 a.m. | Opening Remarks

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

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. | Keynote Speaker — Financing the Transition to Clean Energy

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

10:45 a.m. – 12 noon | Panel 1: Policy and Visions: SB 100 and Decarbonization of the Energy Sector

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
12 noon – 12:30 p.m. | Lunch

Will be provided onsite.

12:30 – 1:45 p.m. | Panel 2: Logistics and Implementation: How Are Energy Providers Actually Planning to Convert to 100% Carbon-Free Electricity

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
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. | Panel 3: Impacts and Issues: Assessing the Risks in the Transition to Clean Energy

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)
3:15 – 3:45 p.m. | Plenary Speaker – California’s Clean Energy Vision

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

3:45 – 4 p.m. | Concluding Remarks
4:15 – 6 p.m. | Optional After Session Networking Mixer

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.

Essential Information

How to Register

  1. Register Online
  2. Email to Program Registrations at ProgramRegistrations@CAlawyers.org. In order to email your registration, credit card information is MANDATORY. Photocopies of checks will NOT be accepted.
  3. Mail Reg Form to:
    • Program Registrations
      California Lawyers Association
      400 Capitol Mall, Suite 650
      Sacramento, CA 95814
  4. Walk in: Onsite registration is subject to space availability.

Deadline

In order to pre-register, your form and check, payable to California Lawyers Association, or credit card information, must be received by March 21, 2019.

Registration Fees

  • $175 for Environmental Law Section Members
  • $260 for Non-Section Members
    (includes enrollment in the Environmental Law Section for 2019)
  • $100 for Government/Non-profit Attorneys
  • $100 for CYLA Members
    (attorneys with less than 8 years in practice)
  • $25 for Students

Cancellations/Refund Policy

Cancellations and requests for refunds must be received in writing no later than Thursday, March 21, 2019 and are subject to a $25 service charge. Refunds will not be available after March 21, 2019.

Questions

For registration information call 916-516-1757. Telephone registrations will not be accepted. For program content and/or Section information call 916-516-1744.

Special Assistance

For special assistance, please call 916-516-1716.

MCLE

The California Lawyers Association and the Environmental Law Section are approved State Bar of California MCLE providers.

This event may be recorded. By attending this event, you consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded, and to any use, by the CLA, of your likeness, voice, and name in any and all media including social media. If you do not want your name or photo to be used, please let us know in advance. We cannot, however, honor requests to opt out of the use of your image or voice if you choose to ask a question during one of the event sessions.


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CLA Membership is $99 and includes one section. Additional sections are $99 each.

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