Friday, October 20
All events take place in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom unless otherwise noted.
8:30 – 8:40 a.m. // Welcoming Remarks
Charles L. (Larry) Harris
Director, Chairman of the Board, Appalachian Stewardship Foundation
8:40 – 8:55 a.m. // The Demands of the New Energy Economy
Brian J. Anderson, Ph.D.,
Director, WVU Energy Institute
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. // Panel 1: Taking Advantage of Opportunities for a Low Carbon Economy
Irrespective of federal policies regarding regulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the carbon markets continue to develop and to provide incentives for developing low-carbon strategies and reaching the goals of GHG reduction. This panel will examine opportunities in West Virginia to pursue these strategies.
Moderator
Aimee E. Curtright, Ph.D.
Senior Physical Scientist, Professor
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Panelists
Patrick C. McGinley
Charles H. Haden II Professor of Law
WVU College of Law
Sarah Forbes
U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, DC
Thomas Minney
State Director
The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia
10:30 – 10:40 a.m. // Break
10:40 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. // Panel 2: Minimizing the Environmental Impact of Energy Production and Distribution.
While energy extraction, processing and distribution represent large portions of West Virginia’s current economy, measures can be taken to reduce the environmental impact of these activities. This panel will explore these measures, which include restoration of former production sites, strategic siting of energy facilities to minimize environmental impact, and pursuing sustainable practices in shale gas development.
Moderator
Joshua P. Fershee
Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development and Professor of Law
WVU College of Law
Panelists
Todd Miller
Canaan Valley Institute
Davis, WV
Angie Rosser
Executive Director, WV Rivers
Charleston, WV
Susan Packard LeGros
President and Executive Director
Center for Sustainable Shale Development
Pittsburgh, PA
12:10 – 1:40 p.m. // Lunch and Presentation of Case Studies // Event Hall
Case Study 1: Jobs in West Virginia in Industrial Energy Efficiency
Henry Love, Executive Director, American Jobs Initiative, Berkeley, CA
In May 2017, the American Jobs Project issued a report, THE WEST VIRGINIA JOBS PROJECT: A GUIDE TO CREATING JOBS IN INDUSTRIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY, that described the opportunities for job creation in industrial energy efficiency in West Virginia.
Case Study 2: Climate Change Air Quality, Energy Production and Conservation Goals
Mark Wenzler, Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs, National Parks Conservation Association
Energy jobs don’t need to come at the expense of clean air and healthy lands. Hear
about national park communities that found ways to develop energy resources while
preserving their air, lands, water, and climate.
1:50 – 3:20 p.m. // Panel 3: The Role of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
The new energy economy features a more prominent role for energy efficiency and renewable energy. This panel will describe the efforts currently underway in West Virginia to ramp up utility investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, empower individuals to install distributed solar, and municipal strategies and commitments to achieve GHG reductions.
Moderator
L. Jeremy Richardson, Ph.D.
Senior Energy Analyst
Union of Concerned Scientists
Washington, DC
Panelists
Jim Fawcett
Director of Customer Services and Business Development
Appalachian Power
Charleston, WV
Autumn Long
Program Director
Solar United Neighbors of West Virginia
Charleston, WV
Evan Hansen
Founder and Principal
Downstream Strategies
Morgantown, WV
3:20 – 3:30 p.m. // Break
3:30 – 5:00 p.m. // Panel 4: Policy Initiatives to Position West Virginia to Benefit from the New Energy Economy
This panel will examine the policies open to West Virginia in order to better position the state for the opportunities available in the new energy economy.
Moderator
James M. Van Nostrand
Professor and Director
WVU Center for Energy & Sustainable Development
Panelists
Emmett Pepper
Executive Director
Energy Efficient West Virginia
Charleston, WV
Dan Conant
Founder
Solar Holler
Walton Shepherd
Staff Attorney
Natural Resources Defense Council
Washington, DC
5:00 – 5:15 p.m. // Concluding Remarks
Gregory Bowman
William J. Maier, Jr. Dean and Professor of Law
WVU College of Law
5:15 – 7:00 p.m. // Reception // Event Hall