The Clean Economy Network conducts bi-weekly calls for executives interested in policy issues affecting the clean economy sector.  Guest speakers include high level government officials, policymakers, and opinion leaders who provide time-critical intelligence about policies and issues that are shaping the development of the clean economy as a whole as well as its individual sectors.  Call summaries are available below:

 

• Executive Briefing 11-19-09: Council on Environmental Quality Retrofit Activities: Nikki Buffa, Associate Director for Communities, Environmental Protection and Green Jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), provided an overview of CEQ activities related to retrofits and discussed the Obama Administration’s Recovery Through Retrofits effort.  


• Executive Briefing 10-29-09: Department of Interior & Energy Markets: Steve Black, Counselor to the Secretary of the Interior, spoke with Clean Economy Executive Program participants about the U.S. Department of Interior’s activities relating to energy generation, energy transmission, and land-based carbon issues.  


• Executive Briefing 10-15-09: DOE Retrofit Ramp-Up: Gilbert P. Sperling, Senior Advisor for Policy & Programs with the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, provided clean economy executives details about DOE’s Retrofit Ramp-Up, a $450 million program announced in September that will support large-scale retrofitting models and is designed to catalyze a nationwide energy upgrade. 


• Executive Briefing 9-24-09: National Renewable Energy Laboratory Clean Energy Economy Gateway: Alison Wise, Senior Strategic Analyst with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, introduced call participants to NREL’s Clean Energy Economy Gateway, an open platform tool that enables users to visualize the players and participants in the emerging clean economy and permits leaders to access a variety of intelligence and connect with others around the country.


• Executive Briefing 9-10-09: Upcoming U.S. Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Trade Missions: Deputy Assistant Commerce Secretary Ro Khanna joined Executive Members to discuss an upcoming United States trade mission to India that will focus on clean technology sectors. Khanna also discussed anticipated future Commerce Department efforts elsewhere in the world that will provide clean economy business leaders opportunities to forge or strengthen ties in foreign markets. 


• Executive Briefing 8-27-09: Proposed Clean Energy Deployment Administration (Green Bank): Todd Filsinger of PA consulting and co-founder of the Coalition for Green Bank discussed key provisions of legislation that would create the Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA), which would provide  financing support to accelerate the deployment of a wide range of clean energy technologies. 


• Executive Briefing 7-30-09: HUD Energy Efficiency and Clean Economy Jobs Programs; DOE Clean Energy Funding Update: Michael Freedberg, Co-Chair of the HUD Energy Task Force, spoke about HUD’s clean economy initiatives, including weatherization and retrofitting programs. Steve Spinner, Small Business Loan Guarantee Program Advisor with the U.S. Department of Energy, discussed recently announced solicitations for applications for loan guarantee programs. Sanjay Wagle, Renewable Energy Grant Advisor at DOE, discussed two Recovery Act programs: (1) the Section 1603 Grants in Lieu of Tax Credits program (see below) and (2) the advanced energy manufacturing tax credit under section 48C. 


• Executive Briefing 7-16-09: DOE Clean Economy Funding Update; Clean Economy Opportunities in the Agriculture Sector: Sanjay Wagle, Renewable Energy Grant Advisor with the U.S. Department of Energy, provided an update on funding from DOE for renewables and other clean energy projects. Jack Oswald, CEO of SynGest, Inc., also spoke to the group, discussing clean economy opportunities for agriculture. 


• Executive Briefing 7-9-09: Newly Announced Federal Renewable Energy Grants: Sanjay Wagle, Renewable Energy Grant Advisor for the U.S. Department of Energy, discussed a new DOE and Treasury Department program that will make an estimated $3 billion in grants in lieu of tax credits available for the development of renewable energy projects around the country. Erik Olbeter, Senior Analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, discussed market implications of the newly announced grants in lieu of tax credit program and also offered economic and political insights into the ACES litigation recently passed in the House. 


• Executive Briefing 6-18-09: Center for American Progress: “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy”: Gregory Nelson, Associate Director for Energy, Environment, and Technology, in the White House Office of Public Engagement, discussed Energy Week, a push by the White House meant to encourage passage of comprehensive energy legislation.  Daniel J. Weiss, Senior Fellow & Director of Climate Strategy with the Center for American Progress, discussed “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy,” a report issued by the Center on June 18. 


• Executive Briefing 6-4-09: Status of Federal Energy & Climate Legislation: Patrick Von Bargen of Quinn Gillespie spoke about clean energy financing legislation.  Michael Goo, Special Counsel to Rep. Markey on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, discussed the Waxman-Markey bill.  


• Executive Briefing 5-21-09: Energy Efficieincy & Renewable Energy Stimulus Funding: Joe Cullen, Senior Advisor to the Center for State Innovation, discussed stimulus implementation in the states.   Claire Johnson, an Energy Efficiency Grand Advisor with the U.S. Department of Energy, discussed stimulus financing for energy efficiency projects, while DOE Renewable Energy Grant Advisor Sanjay Wagle discussed stimulus funding for energy, focusing on (1) grants, (2) loan guarantees, and (3) tax incentives. Sean Mossman of the Polya Group discussed his organization's efforts on behalf of businesses and entrepreneurs to identify stimulus funding and to negotiate with public partners such as cities and states to finance clean energy projects.