Monday, February 4
Energy Politics and Security
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12:45 – 1:00 |
Welcome Remarks Sharon Mosher, Dean, Jackson School of Geosciences |
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1:00 – 2:00 |
Conference Keynote: Energy Poverty and the Real Energy Transition Scott Tinker, Director, Bureau of Economic Geology • Click to view PDF slides |
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2:15 – 3:15 |
Panel 1: Grid Cybersecurity The US recognizes reliable flow of energy as critical infrastructure. In order to protect energy supply, great efforts are made at all levels of the energy industry to ensure security, especially in the cyber realm. This panel will address what efforts are being taken by electricity suppliers, transmission providers, and governmental agencies to ensure a reliable grid system. In particular, discussion will focus on emergency response in the event of a breach in cybersecurity and the impact of a breach on everyday life. Elizabeth Rogers, Michael Best and Friedrich LLP Partner (Moderator) Kip Fox, President, Electric Transmission Texas • Click to view PDF slides Dave Darnell, CEO, Systrends • Click to view PDF slides |
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3:30 – 4:30 |
Panel 2: Is there a political consensus on carbon pricing? 10 years after the Waxman-Markey bill, what does the future for carbon pricing in the US look like? Despite increasing numbers of conservative think tanks and multinational oil and gas companies pledging support for carbon pricing, even relatively liberal states such as Washington are struggling to gather enough political consensus to legislate carbon pricing. This panel will evaluate if there is an agreeable political middle ground that could be reached to pass carbon legislation. Panelists will offer opinions on some of the key hurdles to achieving carbon pricing, how revenue from carbon taxes should be distributed, how states should (and are) responding to a lack of policy consistency at the federal level, and environmental justice concerns. David Adelman Harry Reasoner Regents Chair in Law, UT Austin (Moderator) Yoram Bauman, Stand-up Economist • Click to view PDF slides Pam Giblin, Senior Policy Advisor, Climate Leadership Council Robert Bryce, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute Nick Schulz, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, ExxonMobil |
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4:30 – 5:30 |
Panel 3: Power Relations between the US, China, and Russia The geopolitics of energy is increasingly important in expanding globalized energy markets. This panel will examine the geopolitics of energy and dissect the current obstacles to a profitable global energy market. What are currently the most important international energy trends? How might these trends play out over time? The panel will focus on relations between the United States, Russia and China. Fred Beach, Assistant Director for Energy & Technology Policy, The University of Texas Energy Institute (Moderator) • Click to view PDF slides David Firestein, UT China Public Policy Center Matthew Bey, Senior Global Analyst, Stratfor • Click to view PDF slides Svetlana Ikonnikova, Research Scientist, Bureau of Economic Geology • Click to view PDF slides |
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5:30 – 7:00 |
Networking Reception and Research Poster Competition |
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7:00 |
Entertainment from “the world’s first and only stand-up economist,” Yoram Bauman PhD, who also founded and co-chaired the first-ever carbon tax ballot measure in the USA. |