Events

Power Talks is a virtual series relating to energy decision-making and policy that is hosted by the Director of the CAES Energy Policy Institute, Dr. Kathleen Araujo. These events are held via Zoom, bringing together leading authors, researchers, and technologists with those who are interested in energy to share insights and engage in discussion. All events are free and open to the public. Zoom links will be provided to registrants upon registration, and within 24 hours of the event.  For questions, contact the CAES Energy Policy Institute at epi@boisestate.edu or Cassie Koerner at cassiekoerner@boisestate.edu.

Registration links for Power Talks are included with each event.

Power Talk: Green and Sustainable Cities, September 8th, 2-3 pm MDT

• • 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
  • Moderator: Kathleen Araújo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute

Register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GBMP9P8

**The following two events are special companion activities to Power Talks**

• Join us for the 10th Anniversary Energy Policy Conference (virtual)
  “Disruption and Megatrends in Energy”, October 14-15, 2021 Register
• Former Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz will also engage in a fireside chat, discussing A Regional Approach to Low Carbon Energy Transition in the U.S. October 14, 9am-10am MDT. This includes a study completed by the  CAES Energy Policy Institute team with MIT, Harvard and Carnegie Mellon University.  Register

Power Talk: IPCC Imperatives and Energy: A Discussion with Scientist and Lead Author of 5 Major IPCC reports, Bill Moomaw, ***Rescheduled from September 22nd to October 28th, 1-2 pm MDT**

• Emeritus Professor of International Environmental Policy and Founding Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at Fletcher; serves on the boards of Earthwatch Institute, Center for Ecological Technologies, and the Consensus Building Institute; past chair of the Woodwell Climate board; Union of Concerned Scientists

Register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BillMoomawtalk

U.S. Nuclear Energy in 2021, November 10th, 2-part event

Power Talk: Small Modular Reactor Development in the West, 12:30 pm-1:45 pm MST

• • 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: Kathy Araújo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute

Register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H76WNKL

Power Talk: Policy and Directions for Nuclear Waste Management in the US, 2-3 pm MST

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

Upcoming:

• U.S. Policy on Clean Energy Infrastructure and Jobs
• Tribal Energy Decision-making

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

ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES – Legal and Environmental Considerations for Small Modular Reactors

June 2, 2021, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM MDT

Wednesday, June 2, 11-12:15 pm MDT

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.

Details: https://bit.ly/RTOGovWebinarJune2

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.

April 27, 2021 3:30 PM – 5 PM MST

PANEL
Paul Kjellander, Idaho Public Utilities Commission President and President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
John Kotek, Nuclear Energy Institute President
Jeff Malmen, Idaho Power Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Brianne Miller, INL Government Affairs Director
Bear Prairie, Idaho Falls Power General Manager

Oil and the Oil Industry in an Age of Decarbonization
Richard Sears, Stanford University, February 17, 11:30 am MT.

Richard Sears is 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. He worked with Shell Oil Company and Royal Dutch Shell for 33 years in technical and managerial positions including exploration geophysicist, technical instructor, economist, strategic advisor and planner, and general management. He spent seven years as Vice President, Global Subsurface Deepwater Technical Services. Richard was also Chief Scientist of the National Oil Spill Commission and is a co-author of the Commission’s Chief Counsel’s Report which details the technical and managerial failures leading to the Deepwater Horizon blowout and spill. He has served on several committees through the National Academy of Engineering, advising the US Government on safety in offshore energy operations.

The New CEQ NEPA Regulations in 2021: Potential Changes and Implications for Energy
Temple Stoellinger, University of Wyoming, March 24, 11:30 am MT.

Temple Stoellinger is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming where she has a dual appointment with the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and the College of Law where she is the Co-Director of the Center for Law and Energy Resources in the Rockies. Before joining the University of Wyoming, Temple served as the natural resource attorney for the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA). Prior to working for the WCCA, Temple also worked for Shell, International B.V. and previously served as a natural resource analyst and advisor to Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal.

Planning and Policy across Natural Gas and Power Markets
Seth Blumsack, Pennsylvania State University
April 14, 11:30 am MT.

Dr. Seth Blumsack is Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs at Pennsylvania State University. His research centers on the electricity and natural gas industries; regulation and deregulation in network industries; network science; risk analysis; and managing complex infrastructure systems. He has been studying the electric power industry through academic and consulting affiliations for more than fifteen years.

Public Opinion and Nuclear Power in U.S. History for Defense and Energy Purposes
Sarah Robey, Idaho State University
April 28, 11:30 am MT.

Dr. Sarah Robey is an Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in History at Idaho State University. She holds a PhD in History from Temple University with an emphasis on the history of science and technology and nuclear history. Her current book project, Atomic Americans: Citizens in a Nuclear State, examines how the threat of nuclear war changed American ideas about participatory democracy, the role of the state, and civic responsibility during the early Cold War (Cornell University Press, forthcoming). Sarah will also have a chapter on industry-sponsored science education films included in the upcoming energy humanities collection, American Energy Cinema (University of West Virginia Press, forthcoming). Sarah is beginning work on her second book-length manuscript, a regional history of Idaho National Laboratory and its place in the landscape of the Nuclear West.

Hydropower in the Northwest: Decisions on Energy Resilience & Salmon with the Lower Snake River Dams, Session 2.0
Moderator: Kathleen Araujo, Director, CAES Energy Policy Institute and
Associate Professor, Boise State University; Panel: Don Sampson, Walla Walla Tribe; Congressman Mike Simpson, U.S. House Representative from Idaho; Kurt Miller, Northwest River Partners; and Monica Hubbard, Boise State University
May 5, 11:30 am MT.

Don Sampson is Chief of the Walla Walla Tribe, head of the climate change program from the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and spokesperson for the Northwest Tribal Salmon Alliance. Congressman Mike Simpson is is serving his eleventh term in the House of Representatives for Idaho’s Second Congressional District. Monica Hubbard is an Assistant Professor for Boise State University’s Department of Public Policy and Administration. Her research includes water resources, emerging technologies, natural disasters, and energy. Kurt Miller is the executive director of Northwest RiverPartners, an organization that focuses on communities served by not-for-profit utilities and other hydropower supporters across the Pacific and Inland Northwest.

Energy Resilience in Idaho: The Dynamics of Energy Planning
Veronika Vazhnik, CAES Energy Fellow, Idaho Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program
May 19, 11:30 am MT.

Dr. Veronika Vazhnik is the CAES Fellow in the first cohort of the Idaho Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program. Veronika is currently working in the Idaho State Office of Energy and Mineral Resources. She earned her PhD in biorenewable systems with a minor in operations research from Pennsylvania State University.

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, 2020

• Energy movie discussion with film-maker Scott Tinker and EPI Director Kathy Araújo
  November 6, 3pm MT.
  
  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, 2020, 11:30am MT.
  
  Dr. Roy Mink is the principal with Mink GeoHydro Inc and former Director of Geothermal Technologies Program for U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Araújo is Director of the CAES Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy at Boise State University. Dr. Tester is Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Travis McLing is the Energy and Water Lead and Research Scientist with Idaho National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. Mr. William Pettitt is the 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, 11:30am MT.

  This discussion follows up on evaluations, including a student project, considering the removal of four dams on the Lower Snake River in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Fred Huette is a Senior Policy Associate with the Northwest Energy Coalition. Mr. Ted Sorenson is Owner of Sorenson Engineering and Vice Chair of the Small Hydro Council, National Hydropower Association. Dr. Tom Ptak is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Idaho. Mr. Chase Christen is a Graduate Student in Mechanical Engineering, Boise State University. Ms. Brianna Pitcock is a 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 — Kipp Coddington
  October 2, 11:30am MT.Mr. Kipp Coddington is Director, Center for Energy Regulation & Policy, and Director, Energy Policy & Economics at the School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming.
• Behind and Beyond the Meter in Electricity — Fereidoon Sioshansi
  September 18, 11:30am MT
  
  Dr. Fereidoon Sioshansi is President of Menlo Energy Economics and Book Editor of select titles, including Behind and Beyond the Meter (2020), Competitive Electricity Markets (2011), and Electricity Market Reform (2006).

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, 2020

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, 2020

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, 2020

Power Talk series

Dr. Stephanie Lenhart, Senior EPI Researcher
July 16, 2020
2-3:15pm via Zoom.

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, 2020
2:45-3:45pm MT

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

Noon-12:30 pm MT  Energy policy 101/Refresher

Workshop

12:45-12:55 pm MT,  Welcome

1:00-2:15 pm MT,  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

2:15-2:30 pm MT, Break

2:30-3:25 pm MT, Lightning talk research session

3:25-3:40 pm MT,  Break

3:40-4:40pm MT, Break-out sessions for research roadmap discussions

(A) Advanced decarbonization

(B) Nuclear development

(C) Smarter grids and electricity markets

4:45-5:00 pm MT,  Take-aways and next steps

Power Talk series

John Chatburn
State of Idaho, Office of Energy and Mineral Resources
– and –
Steve Burgos, Public Works, City of Boise

April 8th, 2020
6:00 PM

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

Santa Fe Institute
February 27, 2020

Decarbonization of the Power Grid Workshop
February 26-28, 2020

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

Washington DC
February 12-14, 2020

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

Boise, Idaho
February 5, 2020.

Dr. Kathleen Araujo
Director, Energy Policy Institute and Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Systems, Innovation and Policy
Location: Community Library
Kecthum, ID
December 17th, 2019
5:00 p.m.

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, 2019

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, 2019

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, 2019
11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location: Boise State University, Student Union Building
Trueblood Room
September 29th, 2019
3:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Bodovino, 404 South 8th Street, Boise, Idaho
September 29th, 2019
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

“Energy Decision-Making in Times of Disruptive Change”
Boise Centre, 850 W Front Street, Boise, Idaho 83702
September 29th through October 1st, 2019
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, 2019
2:45 p.m.

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, 2019

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, 2019