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Check-in, Breakfast Buffet, & Welcome Remarks

Check-in and registration from 8:00-8:30am
Breakfast buffet from 8:00-9:00am
Welcome remarks with Lillian Anderson, VCN from 8:45-9:00am

State Corporation Commission 101 & Discussion
Cale Jaffe

This session sets the foundation for understanding everything else about energy policy: why electricity utilities are monopolies, how electricity rates are set, and how the SCC decides to approve new generation. By the end of the session, you will understand more about the incentive structure, how return on investment is set for utilities, and who takes on the financial risk.

  • Cale Jaffe (Professor & Co-Director, Program in Law, Communities and the Environment of University of Virginia School of Law)

    Cale Jaffe

    Professor & Co-Director, Program in Law, Communities and the Environment of University of Virginia School of Law
Alternative Incentives
Cara Goldenberg•Peter Anderson
  • Cara Goldenberg (Principal, Carbon-Free Electricity at RMI)

    Cara Goldenberg

    Principal, Carbon-Free Electricity at RMI
  • Peter Anderson (Director of State Energy Policy at Appalachian Voices)

    Peter Anderson

    Director of State Energy Policy at Appalachian Voices
Refreshment Break
Interplay of Agencies and Legislature and Discussion: What does the legislature have authority to change?
Larry Corkey•Greg Habeeb•Carrie Hearne•Trieste Lockwood•Mike Dowd

This session and the follow-up discussion examine which agencies carry out different aspects of energy policy, how they interact with legislation, and how they can be influenced by legislation. Learn more about Virginia Energy, CEUR, and DEQ, and how to write your energy legislation to more effectively have the impact you intend for it to have.

Moderator: Trieste Lockwood

  • Larry Corkey (Manager, Policy and Planning at VA Department of Energy)

    Larry Corkey

    Manager, Policy and Planning at VA Department of Energy
  • Greg Habeeb (Chair of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Gentry Locke)

    Greg Habeeb

    Chair of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Gentry Locke
  • Carrie Hearne (Executive Director of Virginia Commission on Electric Utility Regulation)

    Carrie Hearne

    Executive Director of Virginia Commission on Electric Utility Regulation
  • Trieste Lockwood (President at Lockwood Strategies LLC)

    Trieste Lockwood

    President at Lockwood Strategies LLC
  • Mike Dowd (Director of Air Division at Department of Environmental Quality)

    Mike Dowd

    Director of Air Division at Department of Environmental Quality
Lunch Buffet
Energy Demand and the Larger System
Anthony Artuso•Cara Goldenberg•Lena Lewis•Will Reisinger

How has the grid been built to meet traditional energy demand? Who operates the grid and determines which generation gets put on the grid at which price? How can the grid be modernized to accommodate decentralized renewable energy?

Moderator: Lena Lewis

  • Anthony Artuso (Managing Partner at BrightView Energy)

    Anthony Artuso

    Managing Partner at BrightView Energy
  • Cara Goldenberg (Principal, Carbon-Free Electricity at RMI)

    Cara Goldenberg

    Principal, Carbon-Free Electricity at RMI
  • Lena Lewis (Energy and Climate Policy Manager at The Nature Conservancy)

    Lena Lewis

    Energy and Climate Policy Manager at The Nature Conservancy
  • Will Reisinger (Energy Law and Policy Attorney at ReisingerGooch PLC)

    Will Reisinger

    Energy Law and Policy Attorney at ReisingerGooch PLC
Break
History of Virginia Policies
Will Cleveland
  • Will Cleveland (Principal, Energy & Environmental Lawyer at Lighthouse Policy & Law, PLC)

    Will Cleveland

    Principal, Energy & Environmental Lawyer at Lighthouse Policy & Law, PLC
Closing Discussion
Break
Happy Hour
Dinner Buffet
Check-in and Breakfast Buffet

Check-in and registration from 8:00-8:30am
Breakfast Buffet from 8:00-9:00am

Virginia Clean Economy Act 101
Will Cleveland

This panel will include a VCEA 101 overview from one of the principal architects of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, Will Cleveland, formerly of the Southern Environmental Law Center. The overview will be followed by a panel of experts discussing the status of implementation, including clean energy build targets, energy efficiency, fossil fuel retirements, and how the VCEA and recent federal legislation intersect.

  • Will Cleveland (Principal, Energy & Environmental Lawyer at Lighthouse Policy & Law, PLC)

    Will Cleveland

    Principal, Energy & Environmental Lawyer at Lighthouse Policy & Law, PLC
Implementation of VCEA with Q+A
Peter Anderson•Lena Lewis•Jim Purekal•Quentin Scott•Victoria Higgins

Experts will discuss the status of Virginia Clean Economy Act implementation, including clean energy build targets, energy efficiency, fossil fuel retirements, and how the VCEA and recent federal legislation intersect.

Moderator: Victoria Higgins

  • Peter Anderson (Director of State Energy Policy at Appalachian Voices)

    Peter Anderson

    Director of State Energy Policy at Appalachian Voices
  • Lena Lewis (Energy and Climate Policy Manager at The Nature Conservancy)

    Lena Lewis

    Energy and Climate Policy Manager at The Nature Conservancy
  • Jim Purekal (Director of Advanced Energy United)

    Jim Purekal

    Director of Advanced Energy United
  • Quentin Scott (Federal Policy Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network)

    Quentin Scott

    Federal Policy Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network
  • Victoria Higgins (Virginia Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN))

    Victoria Higgins

    Virginia Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN)
Break
Breakout Sessions
Kate Asquith•Will Cleveland•Blair St. Ledger - Olson•Dana Wiggins

Breakout session topics:
-Affordability & Economic Opportunities in the Clean Energy Transition (Archer Room)
This breakout session will focus on the costs and economic opportunities presented by the energy transition. Speakers will draw out some of the concerns around cost allocation and affordability, and mechanisms to address those concerns. The panel will also explore the role clean energy development can play in economic development, with specific examples from rural VA.
Speaker: Dana Wiggins, Will Cleveland
Moderator: Kate Warner Asquith

-Navigating Tricky Concepts (Wareham Room):
There are numerous complicated energy concepts being pushed right now - some of them legitimate concepts to consider, and some of them being uplifted through greenwashing. Join this workgroup to learn more about how to create a framework of questions to ask. Topics will include hydrogen, biomass, waste incineration, and more.
Speaker: Blair St. Ledger-Olson

  • Kate Asquith (Deputy Director of Clean Virginia)

    Kate Asquith

    Deputy Director of Clean Virginia
  • Will Cleveland (Principal, Energy & Environmental Lawyer at Lighthouse Policy & Law, PLC)

    Will Cleveland

    Principal, Energy & Environmental Lawyer at Lighthouse Policy & Law, PLC
  • Blair St. Ledger - Olson (Director of Advocacy & Campaigns at Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VALCV))

    Blair St. Ledger - Olson

    Director of Advocacy & Campaigns at Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VALCV)
  • Dana Wiggins (Director, Center for Economic Justice; Consumer Advocacy of Virginia Poverty Law Center)

    Dana Wiggins

    Director, Center for Economic Justice; Consumer Advocacy of Virginia Poverty Law Center
Transition Break
Virginia as a Leader in Offshore Wind
John Larson•Julia Pendleton•Matt Smith•Eileen Woll

Join representatives from Southeastern Wind Coalition, Dominion Energy, Sierra Club, and Hampton Roads Alliance for a panel celebrating Virginia leading the way in offshore wind. Panelists will discuss the state of the industry in the Commonwealth, its potential with new lease area acquisitions, and the workforce and economic benefits already being realized. The conversation will highlight how advocates and lawmakers can support sustaining this momentum, and keep Virginia moving in the right direction on offshore wind!
Moderator: Julia Pendelton

  • John Larson (Director, Public Policy and Economic Development of Dominion Energy, Inc)

    John Larson

    Director, Public Policy and Economic Development of Dominion Energy, Inc
  • Julia Pendleton (Managing Director of Southeastern Wind Coalition)

    Julia Pendleton

    Managing Director of Southeastern Wind Coalition
  • Matt Smith (Director, Energy & Emerging Technology of Hampton Roads Alliance)

    Matt Smith

    Director, Energy & Emerging Technology of Hampton Roads Alliance
  • Eileen Woll (Offshore Energy Program Director of Sierra Club - Virginia Chapter)

    Eileen Woll

    Offshore Energy Program Director of Sierra Club - Virginia Chapter
Lunch Buffet
Modernizing the Grid & Distributed Generation
Josephus Allmond•Bartlett Jackson•Kim Jemaine•Bill Murray

There are technologies available that will lower costs while modernizing the grid and help us tap into more clean energy resources. Join staff from Southern Environmental Law Center, Counterspark, and SUNRUN to learn more about the benefits of and opportunities for virtual power plants and grid enhancing technology in Virginia.
Moderator: Josephus Allmond

  • Josephus Allmond (Associate Attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC))

    Josephus Allmond

    Associate Attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)
  • Bartlett Jackson (Sr. Manager of Policy at Sunrun)

    Bartlett Jackson

    Sr. Manager of Policy at Sunrun
  • Kim Jemaine (Virginia Director of Advanced Energy United)

    Kim Jemaine

    Virginia Director of Advanced Energy United
  • Bill Murray (Senior Vice President- Corporate Affairs & Communications at Dominion Energy)

    Bill Murray

    Senior Vice President- Corporate Affairs & Communications at Dominion Energy
Keynote & Closing Remarks
Samuel Towell

Virginia State Corporation Commission Commissioner Towell will speak to the role of the Commission in our current energy landscape and how the legislature can help set the Commission up for success in the years to come.

  • Samuel Towell (Commissioner at Virginia State Corporation Commission)

    Samuel Towell

    Commissioner at Virginia State Corporation Commission