In which we sit down with one of FERC’s newest voices, Commissioner Allison Clements, and delve into her perspectives on transmission, public participation, the grid of the future and many other topics, not to mention her love of the band Wilco and live music in general, split allegiances in the age-old Michigan-Ohio rivalry, and advice for how the white-male-dominated energy sector can increase representation and inclusion of everyone.
In which we pressure Cheryl LaFleur, the former-FERC commissioner and current distinguished visiting fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, for hot takes on her fields of expertise – specifically the ones where her beloved New England Patriots are playing. Hustling as efficiently as a Tom Brady two-minute drill, we also go deep into the nuances of carbon pricing, how annoying fellow former-FERC Commissioner Rob Powelson was, the importance of not imputing bad intent from colleagues, maintaining FERC/state relationships, ensuring someone is responsible for and authorized to maintain reliability (we’re looking at you, California…), the ongoing transition to the grid of the future, being put in “the odd position of trying to explain climate skepticism” and the idyllic atmosphere for a dirty vodka martini. Don’t miss a minute!
In which we sit down with Calpine President/CEO Thad Hill for our first “executive interview” and end up picking his brain about everything from insights from leading the company back to private ownership in 2018 to how Vice President Biden can earn cred for his campaign’s environmental platform to whether the Ivy League or the SEC has the most insufferable fans. Oh yeah, there’s also carbon pricing, capacity markets, what’s gone wrong (and right) in California, which Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is currently on his nightstand and our requisite (but brief) ruminations on sports. It’s worth a listen during your one-hour workout.
In which we task Todd Snitchler, President/CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), with leveraging his experiences as both a state legislator and utility-commission chairman in Ohio to help us break down the FirstEnergy and ComEd nuclear-subsidy legislation scandals, offer unsolicited advice to state officials across the board and ponder whether the way things are will ever change. The responses may surprise you… We go on to discuss EPSA’s role as the vanguard of competition in electricity markets, Todd’s roots in the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York, a comparison of dive bars in capital cities and the best golf course for somewhat-middling skills.
