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Sneak Peek! CUB Policy Conference Welcomes Morning Panelists

As the month of October draws closer, CUB is gearing up and getting excited for our fourth annual policy conference, Changing Climate: Adapting to New Regulations. This year’s conference theme directly addresses key issues currently facing the utility sector and its stakeholders, and we expect the day’s conversations to be robust and educational!

Remember to register as soon as possible at the CUB conference page; this conference has sold out for three years running, and we anticipate similar turnout this fall. Between now and October, CUB will be issuing sneak peeks on our blog to preview each of the panel topics and the speakers who will be participating. Today’s update focuses on the morning keynote by Commissioner John Savage, Bob Jenks’ opening presentation, the morning panel and the Pre-Lunch Keynote by Dr. Philip Mote.

CUB is thrilled to welcome back Oregon Public Utility Commissioner John Savage to deliver the opening keynote, starting at 8:30am. This presentation will highlight some of the challenges and opportunities facing the utility industry as new federal regulations are implemented to mitigate the effects of climate change. CUB extends our deepest thanks to Commissioner Savage for bringing his deep knowledge and experience to bear in kicking off this year’s CUB policy conference.

Following Commissioner Savage will be CUB’s own Executive Director Bob Jenks, with the title presentation Changing Climate: Adapting to New Utility Regulations. Bob’s presentation will provide a regional perspective on climate regulation, highlighting some of the work that is already being done in the Pacific Northwest to mitigate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the utility sector.

CUB is honored to welcome three of Oregon’s top utility executives on our morning panel, A Climate of Change: Opportunities for Utility Leadership, following Bob’s presentation. Gregg Kantor, President and CEO of NW Natural, Jim Piro, President and CEO of Portland General Electric, and Patrick Reiten, President and CEO of Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) will join Bob Jenks at the podium to discuss and expand upon the ideas put forward in the opening presentation. Sara Patton, Executive Director of the NW Energy Coalition, will moderate this group of industry leaders. Together they will share how their combined decades of industry knowledge and leadership, past successes and current projects will help generate collaborative thinking around what utilities in the Northwest can do to lead the way in adapting the industry to the demands of climate change in the 21st century. The panelists will then spend the second half of this discussion taking questions from the audience, that everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to help shape the conversation.

After the morning panel draws to a close, our lunch keynote speaker Dr. Philip Mote will take the stage. Dr. Mote is Director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and a Professor at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University.

This presentation will offer a scientific perspective on the climate challenges that necessitate the regulations we’re currently seeing at the federal level, along with some forecasts for where these changes might take us through the next few decades.

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks. Next up, we will preview our first afternoon breakout panel topic, SB 844: Utility Projects to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions! (Is the conference on your calendar? Register today!)

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