Events

February 24

• Doug Grafe, Wildfire Programs Director, Governor’s Office, Oregon
• Bill Messner, Director of Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency with Portland General Electric (PGE)
• Boone Zimmerlee, Fire Adapted Communities Coordinator for Deschutes County, Oregon

March 3

• Christian Kessler, Nuclear Policy Expert, Formerly Director of Export Control & Conventional Arms Nonproliferation Policy, U.S. State Department, and UN Security Council Panel of Experts for the Iran Sanctions Committee

April 27

• • Diane Turchetta, Senior Advisor to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and a Specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation 
  • Joseph Britton, Executive Director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA)
  • Nick Nigro, Founder of Atlas Public Policy
  • Britta Gross, Managing Director of Rocky Mountain Institute’s Carbon Free Mobility Global Program Utility Commission.

 Moderator

• • John Gardner, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering with Boise State University

May 4, 2022

• Chiara Lo Prete, Associate Professor of Energy Economics in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

May 19, Co-hosted with the Idaho Chapter of the CleanTech Alliance

Session 1: Changing Conditions in the Natural-Built Environment for Energy, Water and Related Infrastructure  

• Steve Hall, Senior Infrastructure Analyst at Idaho National Laboratory, and Lecturer in Economics at Boise State University
• Karen Humes, Professor of Geography and Geological Sciences, University of Idaho
• Bruce Savage, Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Idaho State University

Moderators

• • Kathy Araujo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute,
  • Paul Cooperider, Lead, Idaho Chapter of the CleanTech Alliance

Session 2: Industry and Workforce Potential for Carbon Neutral Energy 

• Hope Morrow,  Labor Economist at Idaho National Laboratory,  Policy Committee Chair, Idaho Workforce Development Council, formerly with the Idaho Department of Labor
• Johnny Anderson, Economic Development and Innovation Advisor, Idaho Power
• Adam Scheerer, Talent and Employment Senior Manager, Idaho Power
• Todd Otanicar, Associate Professor and Chair of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University

• Eli Bowles, Assistant Professor of Renewable Energy and Industrial Systems Technology Trade and Industrial Education, College of Southern Idaho

• Bob Borrelli, Associate Professor, Nuclear Engineering, University of Idaho

Moderators

• • Kathy Araujo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute
  • Paul Cooperider, Lead, Idaho Chapter of the CleanTech Alliance

June 2nd

• • Bill Moomaw, National Advisory Board for the Union of Concerned Scientists; and is Chair of the Board of Climate Group North America, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy and the Founding Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at the Fletcher School with Tufts University
  • Jim McMillan, Principal Engineer with National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Lead for the IEA Bioenergy Task 39
  • Annette Cowie, Principal Research Scientist for Climate with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries in Australia, Lead for IEA’s Bioenergy Task 45
  • John  Sterman, Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Professor in the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

June 15

• • Roy Mink, Principal with Mink GeoHydro, Inc., Former Director of Geothermal Technologies Program for U.S. Department of Energy
  • Jeff Tester, Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University
  • Travis McLing, Energy & Water Lead & Research Scientist with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES)
  • Will Pettitt, Geothermal Discipline Lead with Baker Hughes

Moderator

• Kathy Araujo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute

Power Talk – Green and Sustainable Cities, September 8th

• • Steve Hubble, Climate Action Manager, Public Works, City of Boise, Idaho
    
  • John Phelan, Energy Services Senior Manager, Fort Collins, Colorado Utilities
    
  • Christopher Thomas, Senior Energy and Climate Program Manager, Salt Lake City, Utah

Companion Event – The 10th Anniversary Energy Policy Conference (virtual)
“From Disruption to Megatrends in Energy”, October 14-15, 2021.

Companion Event – Former Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz in a fireside chat
A Regional Approach to Low Carbon Energy Transition in the U.S.
October 14

Power Talk – IPCC Science and Energy: A Discussion with Scientist and Lead Author of 5 Major IPCC reports, Bill Moomaw, October 28th

• Bill Moomaw, National Advisory Board for the Union of Concerned Scientists; and is Chair of the Board of Climate Group North America, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy and the Founding Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at the Fletcher School with Tufts University

U.S. Nuclear Energy in 2021, November 10th

Part 1 – Power Talk: Small Modular Reactor Development in the West

• • Edwin Lyman, Director of Nuclear Power Safety, Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Allison MacFarlane, Director, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia/Former Chair, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • John Kotek, Senior Vice President of Policy Development and Public Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute/Former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, U.S. Dept of Energy
  • Doug Hunter, CEO, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems
  • Jason Herbert, Senior Director of External Strategy, New Nuclear Development,
    Energy Northwest
  • Moderator: Dr. Kathleen Araújo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute

Part 2 – Power Talk: Policy and Directions for Nuclear Waste Management in the US

• Allison MacFarlane, Director, School of Public Policy and global Affairs, University of British Columbia/Former Chair, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Companion Event – Transitions to Net Zero Carbon Systems: Domestic and International Strategies in Policy and Infrastructure Change, Santa Fe Institute, November 3, 2021 (virtual)

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor,
Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Companion Event – U.S. Science, Technology and Policy Imperatives for Methane: Applicability for Renewable Natural Gas, AICHE 3rd Renewable Gas Summit, December 14th, 2021 (virtual)

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor,
Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor,
Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Center for Technology, Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (virtual)
July 21, 2021

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor,
Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
Grand Challenges series
MIT (virtual)
June 16, 2021

Legal and Environmental Considerations for Small Modular Reactors
June 2, 2021
Moderator: Tara Righetti, Professor of Law, University of Wyoming College of Law and School or Energy Resources. Panel:

Todd Allen, Professor of Nuclear Engineering, The University of Michigan

Aaron Weston, Esquire, Researcher, Idaho National Laboratory

Temple Stoellinger, Esquire, Professor of Law, University of Wyoming, Haub School of the Environment and School of Law;

John Kotek, Sr. Vice President, Policy and Public Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute.

Wednesday, June 2

The RTOGov research initiative is hosting a conversation with three leading energy market scholars and a top practitioner from the clean tech industry about decisions that affect the cost and type of electricity that powers American homes and businesses.

CAES Energy Policy Institute Director Kathleen Araújo moderates this 2-part event which begins with U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson discussing energy-related priorities, followed by a panel discussion of federal energy policy as it relates to Idaho and the region with public and private sector experts.

Oil and the Oil Industry in an Age of Decarbonization
Richard Sears, Stanford University, February 17

Richard Sears, Adjunct Professor in  the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University, a National Associate of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and a licensed Professional Geoscientist; Formerly Shell Oil Company and Royal Dutch Shell, Scientific and Management roles; Chief Scientist of the National Oil Spill Commission; and co-author of the Commission’s Chief Counsel’s Report on Deepwater Horizon spill; National Academy of Engineering

The New CEQ NEPA Regulations in 2021: Potential Changes and Implications for Energy
Temple Stoellinger, University of Wyoming, March 24

Temple Stoellinger, Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and the College of Law; Co-Director of the Center for Law and Energy Resources in the Rockies; Formerly Natural Resource Attorney for the Wyoming County Commissioners Association; Formerly Natural Resource Analyst and advisor to Shell, International B.V. and Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal

Planning and Policy across Natural Gas and Power Markets
Seth Blumsack, Pennsylvania State University
April 14

Dr. Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs at Pennsylvania State University

Public Opinion and Nuclear Power in U.S. History for Defense and Energy Purposes
April 28

Dr. Sarah Robey, Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in History, Idaho State University

Hydropower in the Northwest: Decisions on Energy Resilience & Salmon with the Lower Snake River Dams, Session 2.0
May 5

Don Sampson, Chief , Walla Walla Tribe, Head Climate Change program, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and Spokesperson, Northwest Tribal Salmon Alliance.

Congressman Mike Simpsonn, House of Representatives for Idaho’s Second Congressional District

Monica Hubbard, Assistant Professor, Boise State University’s Department of Public Policy and Administration

Kurt Miller, Executive Director, Northwest RiverPartners

Energy Resilience in Idaho: The Dynamics of Energy Planning

May 19
Veronika Vazhnik, CAES Energy Fellow, Idaho Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program

Dr. Kathleen Araujo, Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy University of Michigan, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Colloquia,

December 4th

• Energy movie discussion with film-maker Scott Tinker and EPI Director Kathy Araújo
  November 6

Explore the topic of energy in the developing world by discussing Switch On with Documentary Film-maker Scott Tinker and EPI Director Kathy Araújo. The film can be watched via web SwitchOn.org. Dr. Scott Tinker is Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, the State Geologist of Texas, a professor holding the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin and is a Documentary Film-maker. Dr. Araújo is Director of the CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy at Boise State University. This event will be entirely virtual (freely accessible film web link plus discussion via Zoom).

Geothermal Energy: Development Prospects & Jobs
Roy Mink, Kathy Araújo, Jeff Tester, Travis McLing, and Will Pettitt
October 30

Dr. Roy Mink, Principal, Mink GeoHydro Inc; Former Director of Geothermal Technologies Program for U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Araújo, Director of the CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy, Boise State University

Dr. Tester,Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University

Dr. Travis McLing, Energy and Water Lead and Research Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies

Mr. William Pettitt, Executive Director of the Geothermal Resources Council.

• Hydropower in the Northwest: Decisions on Energy Resilience & Salmon with the Lower Snake River Dams
  Fred Huette, Ted Sorenson, Tom Ptak, Chase Christen, Brianna Pitcock
  October 16

Mr. Fred Huette, Senior Policy Associate, Northwest Energy Coalition

Mr. Ted Sorenson, Owner, Sorenson Engineering; Vice Chair of the Small Hydro Council, National Hydropower Association

Dr. Tom Ptak, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Idaho

Mr. Chase Christen, Graduate Student in Mechanical Engineering, Boise State University

Ms. Brianna Pitcock, Graduate Student in Public Policy and Administration, Boise State University. 

• What You May Have Missed in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Policy, if You’ve Been a Little Distracted —
  October 2

Mr. Kipp Coddington, Director, Center for Energy Regulation & Policy; Director, Energy Policy & Economics at the School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming.

• Behind and Beyond the Meter in Electricity
  September 18
  
  Dr. Fereidoon Sioshansi, President, Menlo Energy Economics

Market Rules for Energy Storage
Dr. Stephanie Lenhart
Senior Research Associate and Assistant Research Professor

Irving Institute for Energy and Society, Dartmouth College: New Energy Speaker Series (virtual)
September 8th

Energy Transition and Policy Outlook: The United States
Dr. Kathleen Araújo
Director and Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Center for Technology, Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (virtual)
September 8th

Energy Transition and Policy Outlook: Europe
Dr. Kathleen Araújo
Director and Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Center for Technology, Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (virtual – part 2)
September 8th

Power Talk series

Dr. Stephanie Lenhart, Senior EPI Researcher
July 16

Across the United States, seven regional organizations manage wholesale electricity markets. These nonprofit organizations sit at the interface between federal and state authority and are governed through independent boards and stakeholder engagement. Among these organizations, the Western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) has a unique governance design that is currently under review. This talk highlights potential opportunities and challenges for state regulatory participation with this rapidly expanding market.

Dr. Stephanie Lenhart, Senior EPI Researcher

Panel, Wholesale Markets Summit (virtual)
American Public Power Association
July 14

Co-Hosts Kathy Araújo and Kipp Coddington talk with Marc Chupka of the U.S. Energy Storage Association, John Kotek of the Nuclear Energy Institute, Terry Jester of Solpad,  Elise Hunter of Grid Alternatives, and others in this online, half-day Zoom workshop. Sponsored by the CAES Energy Policy Institute, this event is designed for people who are interested in energy policy, in how energy policy informs research, and in collaborative opportunities that bridge research and policy.

PROGRAM – May 28, 2020

Pre-workshop event

Energy policy 101/Refresher

Workshop

Energy Policy, Jobs and Industry Conditions during COVID 19 and Economic Challenge

Moderator: Kathy Araújo

Panelists:

Marc Chupka, Vice President of Research and Programs, U.S.Energy Storage Association

Elise Hunter, Policy and Regulatory Affairs Director for Grid Alternatives

Terry Jester, CEO of Solpad

John Kotek, Vice President of Policy Development and Public Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute

(A) Advanced decarbonization

(B) Nuclear development

(C) Smarter grids and electricity markets

Power Talk series

John Chatburn, State of Idaho, Office of Energy and Mineral Resources

Steve Burgos, Public Works, City of Boise

April 8th

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Santa Fe Institute
February 27

Decarbonization of the Power Grid Workshop
February 26-28

A CAES delegation discussed energy with members of federal agencies and industry.

Washington DC
February 12-14

EPI-CAES collaborators highlight ongoing energy projects and initiatives at the Idaho Capitol.

Boise, Idaho
February 5

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
Location: Community Library
Kecthum, ID
December 17th

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
November 8th

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
Location: Boston University
Integrating Electric Mobility Systems with the Grid Infrastructure
Sloan Foundation Workshop, Boston, MA
November 6th

A tour of Boise’s historic and currently used geothermal sites is offered
by a team of geothermal experts, historians and Idaho National Laboratory.
An energy-optimized bus operated by the INL shuttles the group
from a historic pump house and Warm Springs-heated homes,
to the only geothermally-heated Capitol in the US and a family-run
greenhouse heated by geothermal energy.
September 29th

Location: Boise State University, Student Union Building
Trueblood Room
September 29th

Bodovino, 404 South 8th Street, Boise, Idaho
September 29th

“Energy Decision-Making in Times of Disruptive Change”
Boise Centre, 850 W Front Street, Boise, Idaho 83702
September 29th through October 1st
Visit Conference Website

“Energy Jobs and Innovation Hubs in Energy Transitions,” Keynote
Dr. Kathleen Araujo, Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy

Panel: “The Role of the Science Enterprise and Innovation in Energy Transitions”
Moderator: Kathleen Araujo, Boise State University
John Russell, University of Idaho
JoAnn Lighty, Boise State University, Engineering
Heidi Jarvis, Idaho Technology Council
Ray Stark, Chamber of Commerce
Nic Miller, Boise State University, Venture College

Boise Centre, 850 W. Front Street, Boise, Idaho 83702
August 27th

Western Energy Conference

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
Lecture, CAES/Idaho National Lab
iCorps Lite Program

Power Talk series

Co-sponsored by:

CAES Energy Policy Institute,
CAES Energy Efficiency Research Institute and
The Andrus Center for Public Policy

View Roundtable Details

Capitol Hill Testimony
Noel Bakhtian, Director, Center for Advanced Energy Studies
2362 B Rayburn Bldg, Washington DC
March 7th

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
MSMSE Seminar Series, Spring 2019
Location: Micron School of Material Science and Engineering
February 8th