Minnesota State Outreach Trip Report July Visit

Transcription

1 Minnesota State Outreach Trip Report July Visit On July 28 and 29, 2015, the Business Council on Sustainable Energy (BCSE) led a delegation of members in a series of meetings with key policy officials in St. Paul, MN. The purpose of the trip was to discuss energy planning in the context of implementation of the EPA s Clean Power Plan rule, brief key state policy makers on the Minnesota State Energy Factsheet produced in partnership with Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), follow up on issues from previous meetings, and to introduce state policy makers BCSE has not yet met with to BCSE members with commercial interests in MN. Council delegation members and the list of state officials that participated in these meetings are listed below under Appendix A and B. The meetings were the second in a series of St. Paul trips during BCSE met with: Commissioner Rothman, Commissioner Stine, Deputy Commissioner Bill Grant and Assistant Commissioner David Thornton; Senator Richard Cohen (DFL), District 64. Discussions during the meetings fostered a robust dialogue about state clean energy policies and possible options for the EPA rule. KEY BCSE MESSAGES: The following themes were the focus of the discussion of the meetings: 1. The energy sector has changed rapidly in the past few years, and Minnesota has policies in place that have encouraged many of our businesses to see the state as an attractive place to invest. These policies have allowed the state to diversify its energy choices, to the benefit of both consumers and the environment. 2. EPA s Clean Power Plan should be implemented in a way that allows for a wide variety of compliance options, many that MN has already been encouraging. 3. Regionalism may be an approach worth considering, since in many cases it can lead to more cost effective options for states. COMMON DISCUSSIONS/THEMES FROM MEETINGS: Minnesota officials discussed numerous challenges and made several recommendations during our meetings. Highlights include: Concern Over Maintaining Economic Competitiveness & Jobs: Senator Tomassoni highlighted the wind and solar industry activity in his district and discussed with members how the mining industry in his district can supply copper and rare earth minerals to the clean energy sector and will not necessarily lose jobs to renewable energy. There is concern that the Clean Power Plan could have a negative impact on US competitiveness and jobs but he sees clean energy as an opportunity. Brief State Legislators: BCSE was encouraged in many of the meetings to brief state legislators on the Minnesota State Factsheet. The Public Utility Commission (PUC) said it is very important to get this information out to policymakers and stakeholders. Encouraged to focus on the benefits of clean energy 1

2 to the economy first, then the ancillary benefits. In terms of platforms for educational outreach, it was noted that it can be challenging with the new ethics restrictions on offering food or entertainment and it was suggested that site visits could be a good vehicle for outreach. Information on the impact of policies on deployment is very important to share with policymakers; many do not understand why a particular policy is needed and what the impact is for jobs and investment. This is especially important in the context of the Clean Power Plan that will facilitate conversations on energy policies. Clean energy has fairly broad bipartisan support in the legislature, but ideological leanings can creep into debate on energy and climate change legislation. Impact on Ratepayers & Costs of CPP: The MN PUC will likely point to the data on the cost of current renewable energy and energy efficiency policies to show that these have saved ratepayers money. The PUC expects similar cost savings as these programs continue and possibly expand. They will also note that the cost estimates often do not quantify the ancillary benefits on public health. NEXT STEPS: Below is a list of specific follow-up activity that BCSE and its members should consider undertaking: Update Coal Retirement Figures in MN Factsheet: Commissioner Rothman said that on coal retirement figures, the data can now be updated and there is data for 2014 and 2015 that make an even more positive case for progress. He asked BCSE to work with Bill Grant on updating data and receiving further comments. Questions on Final CPP: Key issues that MN is looking for answers from EPA on in final rule are: how will it get more credit for early utility investments; how will it get credit for wind in South Dakota; and will its target change, because they feel it is not equitable with its neighbors. Legislative Briefings: The Council should continue meeting with key legislative officials, particularly suburban Republicans and rural and Iron Range Democrats. US Senate Delegation Briefings: In addition to meeting with targeted state policy makers, BCSE should also meet with the US Senate offices, and perhaps select House members. 2

3 APPENDIX A BCSE Minnesota State Outreach Meetings July 28-29, 2015 St. Paul, Minnesota Paul Bertram, Kingspan Insulated Metal Panels Tom Carlson, EDF Renewable Energy Julie Ketchum, Waste Management Andy Kozak, representing Covanta Dan LeFevers, Gas Technology Institute Lisa Jacobson, Business Council for Sustainable Energy Peggy Duxbury, Business Council for Sustainable Energy Wednesday, July 29 8:30 10:30 am SITE VISIT: Covanta Energy, Hennepin Energy Resource Center. Location: Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), 435 N. 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN :30 am 12:30 pm Lunch meeting with Senator Tomassoni (DFL), District 6 1:00 2:00 pm Commissioner Rothman, Commissioner Stine, Deputy Commissioner Bill Grant and Assistant Commissioner David Thornton Location: Department of Commerce, 85 7 th Place East, Suite 500, Saint Paul, MN :00 4:00 pm Molly Pederson, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith Location: 116 Veterans Service Building, 20 W 12th Street, St. Paul, MN :30 5:30 pm Senator Richard Cohen (DFL), District 64 Location: 190 Midtown Commons, 2334 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55114, (651)

4 APPENDIX B Business Council for Sustainable Energy St. Paul, MN Meetings Participant Information Sheet Tuesday, July 28 Wednesday, July 29 Paul Bertram, Director, Environment and Sustainability, Kingspan Insulated Metal Panels: Mr. Bertram is a Fellow of the Construction Specifications Institute with a focus on climate change, building product environmental impacts, and envelope first energy efficiency strategies. He represents Kingspan Insulated Panels with: the US Green Building Council, National Institute of Building Sciences serving on Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council as an advisory board member, the High Performance Building Council and the Off- Site Manufacturing Council. He has an extensive career in the field of energy efficiency, material evaluation & specification. Previous to Kingspan he was Director: Environment & Sustainability for the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), and president of his Orlando design firm for 30 years. He began his career as part of Design & Development at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Tom Carlson, Manager of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, EDF Renewable Energy: Mr. Carlson conducts policy efforts related to renewable energy in the central and eastern parts of the United States. Prior to his current position, Mr. Carlson worked on state and federal policy initiatives with Advanced Energy Economy, a multi-sector clean energy business association. He also previously served as the Maryland Campaign Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and helped to successfully enact landmark legislation to support the state s first offshore wind farm. Mr. Carlson holds a bachelor s degree in media studies from Macalester College and a master s degree in education from American University. Julie Ketchum, WI/MN Area Director, Government Affairs, Waste Management, Inc.: Ms. Ketchum has over 25 years of experience in solid waste management issues in various capacities, including environmental consulting and at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency prior to joining Waste Management in Ms. Ketchum has held several Board positions with the Minnesota Chamber Waste Wise, the Minnesota Environmental Initiative and currently has a Board position with the Great Plains Institute. Andy Kozak, representing Covanta Energy: Covanta Energy Corporation is an internationally recognized owner and operator of Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects and a recipient of the Energy Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Covanta s 44 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities with an environmentally sound solution to their solid waste disposal needs by using that municipal solid waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta s modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 20 million tons of waste into 9 million megawatt hours of clean renewable electricity and approximately 9 billion pounds of steam that are sold to a variety of industries. Dan LeFevers, Senior Development Leader, Gas Technology Institute (GTI): Mr. LeFevers is responsible for engaging partners and clients in RD&D projects and programs focusing on natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency. He was previously the Executive Director of Washington Operations for GTI and the Vice President of Federal Public Affairs for Waste Management. Mr. LeFevers has over 20 years of experience in the energy field working with scientists and engineers to develop, deploy and demonstrate new energy technologies. 4

5 Peggy Duxbury, Consultant, Business Council for Sustainable Energy: Ms. Duxbury is a consultant that works on energy and environmental policies. She has held a variety of positions in the foundation community, working as the energy and climate program officer at the Hewlett Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Prior to that she held executive positions in the energy sector and served as a Congressional aide for the late Congressman Bill Frenzel. She was raised in Bloomington, MN. Lisa Jacobson, President, Business Council for Sustainable Energy: Ms. Jacobson manages the day-today operations of the organization. Ms. Jacobson has advised states and federal policymakers on energy, tax, air quality and climate change issues. She serves as a private sector observer to the World Bank's Climate Investment Funds and is a member of the Department of Energy's State Energy Efficiency steering committee. Ms. Jacobson has testified before Congress and has represented clean energy industries before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Prior to her position with the BCSE, Ms. Jacobson was a legislative aide to the U.S. Congress. 5