As 2020 comes to a close, the energy sector is readying itself for the possibilities, challenges, and uncertainties of the coming year. In 2021, the United States will see the start of a new presidential administration, newly elected members of Congress, and the continuing deployment of the new COVID-19 vaccines. New federal policy goals and our adaptation to the evolving pandemic may continue to affect how we work, live, and use energy in 2021.
On December 16, OurEnergyPolicy hosted a webinar to consider what we might expect for energy in 2021. The featured speakers—Melanie Kenderdine (Energy Futures Initiative) and Jeffrey Tannenbaum (Titan Grove)—discussed potential priorities for the new Administration, including workforce training, modernizing electricity market structures, and fostering innovation for emerging technologies such as carbon capture, hydrogen, and long-term energy storage. Tannenbaum, who is also an advisor for the CLEEN Project (Clean Economy Employment Now), explained how his team has been compiling a list of actionable clean economy job creation ideas that may be provided to federal leaders. All of these priorities may be important for the energy sector as we move into 2021.
December 16, 2020
Moderated by: Kate Frucher (The Clean Fight and New Energy Nexus NY)
1) What energy sector actions should the new administration prioritize?
Good question. The two obvious priorities are to zero out net CO2 from making electricity and from ground vehicles, at minimum cost as quickly as possible. What worries me most… Read more »
The most critical energy sector policy the United States should initiate is to work on developing a comprehensive strategic plan to reduce the country’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions towards… Read more »
2) What are opportunities for bipartisan energy legislation in the new Congress?
Better measures for climate in ag and related sectors may be the easiest path to bipartisan legislation, breaking new ground for other nations to imitate. Back when I worked for… Read more »
3) How do you think that changes in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 will affect the energy sector and energy demand compared to 2020?
Many real scientists believe that covid resulted from bad agricultural practices, and that worse pandemics of the same family may be on the way. SEE QUESTION TWO for a way… Read more »
Covid-19 will significantly increase energy use in large cities while creating large incentives to move to the outer suburbs. That will begin to be seen late 2021 but really become… Read more »