Tuesday 2020

9:30 – 9:45

Opening Remarks

9:45 – 10:45

Opening Keynote: Emergent or Ephemeral: Macro Themes in Power
Paul Hudson, President, General Infrastructure • Click to view PDF slides

10:45 – 11:45

Panel 1: Geopolitical Ramifications of the Energy Transition
Beyond 2020, how will the energy transition reshape the geopolitical landscape? The system of energy supply and demand has always been a key factor in international relations and geopolitical conflict. The current energy transition, which pits renewable energy sources and technologies against their fossil-fuel counterparts, has the potential to considerably disrupt the geopolitical landscape. This panel will explore geopolitical dynamics of the energy transition, considering uncertainties such as: will the transition shift power from and create instability within national fossil-fuel exporters? Will technological breakthroughs and falling costs fracture geopolitics along US vs. China lines? Will political nationalism and an obsession with energy independence destroy any hope of international cooperation and plunge us further into a global climate crisis?
William Inboden (Moderator)
Morgan Bazilian, Professor and Director of the Payne Institute of Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines • Click to view PDF slides
Fred Beach, Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin
Samantha Gross, Fellow, Foreign Policy, Energy Security and Climate Initiative, Brookings Institution

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12:00 – 1:00

Lunch Keynote Address
Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the Department of Energy, Daniel R. Simmons leads EERE to promote affordable and reliable energy to enhance America’s economic growth and energy security

1:15 – 2:15

Panel 2: Making Minerals Great Again
In 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13817, directing enhanced federal engagement in mineral security. A year later, the US Department of Interior published a list of 35 mineral commodities considered critical to the economic and national security of the United States but which have highly vulnerable supply chains. Many of these critical materials are fundamental components of new energy technologies including gallium, indium, and tellurium for solar cells; lithium, graphite, cobalt, and nickel for batteries; and aluminum, copper, and rare earth elements for wind turbines. As energy-critical materials take on spotlight in federal policy, commercial operations meanwhile are assessing opportunity in the face of uncertain mineral supply and demand, policy changes across the globe, and more. This panel convenes experts in mineral geology, policy, and commercial enterprise and will explore the importance of critical material opportunities and vulnerabilities in the energy sector. The panel will discuss the geography and politics of critical mineral dominance as well as whether and how certain critical mineral supplies may constrain the energy transition.
Richard Chuchla (Moderator) • Click to view PDF slides
John Thompson, PetraScience Consultants • Click to view PDF slides
Roderick G. Eggert, Viola Vestal Coulter Foundation Chair in Mineral Economics, Colorado School of Mines
Diana Walters, Board of Directors, Atmos Energy and Alta Mesa Resources • Click to view PDF slides

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2:30 – 3:30

Panel 3: Fuels for Tomorrow’s Transport This panel will explore the role of competing fuel sources in a transitioning transportation sector. Petroleum-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles have dominated transportation for about a century. Increasingly, however, energy security and environmental considerations are placing pressure on the transportation industry to evolve. As this evolution unfolds, biofuels, electricity and hydrogen may gain a larger share of the transportation fuel mix that oil has traditionally dominated. During this hour, panelists will discuss the emerging technologies, business opportunities, and policy decisions shaping the transportation industry, focusing especially on which fuels may dominate various transportation market segments in the coming decades.
Kara Kockelman, Dewitt Greer Centennial Professor of Transportation Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin (Moderator)
Terry Alger, Director, Powertrain Engineering,Southwest Research Institute
David Raney, General Manager, Portfolio and Compliance Strategy, Toyota Motor North America • Click to view PDF slides
Zifei Yang, Passenger Vehicles Program Lead, International Council on Clean Transportation • Click to view PDF slides
John Reese Downstream Policy & Advocacy Manager, Americas, Shell Oil Products US

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3:45 – 4:45

Panel 4: Energy Development in Emerging Economies: Legal Challenges
Sponsored by Texas Law’s Institute for Transnational Law
The future of the global energy system goes well beyond the borders of the world’s industrialized countries. The development of energy infrastructure in emerging economies of Latin America, Africa, and Asia will play a huge role in the outcome of the global energy transition effort. Policymakers in these regions face the unprecedented task of trying to advance their economies into the increasingly industrialized and globalized 21st century while adhering to mounting environmental pressures from the international community. This panel discusses the legal challenges for the development of energy projects in emerging markets. To what extent do the development policies of these countries take into account climate change/energy transition issues? How do outside investment interests from public and private entities shape the legal frameworks within these markets?
Richard Amato, Director, ATI Energy and ATI Mobility (Moderator)
Sean T. Long, Founder, President, and CEO, Endeavor Energy • Click to view PDF slides
José María Lujambio, Energy Practice Director, Cacheaux, Cavazos, and Newton
Carlos St. James Director of Business Development, Americas, Voltabox

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5:00 – 7:00

Student Research Competition

5:00 – 7:00

Networking Reception

6:00 – 7:00

Panel 5: Energy Tradeoffs: A Better Understanding of the Issues Shaping the World’s Energy Needs
Hosted by the McCombs Energy Initiative
During this forum, panelists will engage in a discussion about careers in the energy industry and the need for communication, engagement and collaboration across diverse sectors and geographies as energy companies seek to meet the growing energy demand. The panelists will shed light on some of the myths about the industry.
Richard Chuchla Director, Leslie Bowling Professor in Geological Sciences, Energy and Earth Resources Master’s Program, Jackson School of Geosciences
Reginald Devaul, Senior Structuring Analyst, BP NAGP
Garry Morehead, Surface Excellence, Assurance & Development Manager, Shell Unconventionals
Tristan Aspray, Vice President, Research and Technology Development, ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company

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7:30

Student Research Competition Awards Ceremony

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