• EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi Testifies at Senate Budget Committee Hearing “Left Holding the Bag: The Cost of Oil Dependence in a Low Carbon World”

    The U.S. Senate Budget Committee has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office. In that position, its roles are to draft the U.S. Congress’ annual budget and to monitor that budget’s implementation.

    Under the chairmanship of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the Committee has held five hearings since the 118th U.S. Congress was seated in January. Four of these hearings have focused on the risks and costs of extreme events and weather such rising seas, wildfires, and hurricanes, with the balance on President Biden’s 2024 Fiscal Year Budget Proposal.  

    Using the novel definition of “stranded assets” that is gaining currency in certain parts of economic academic literature and some general interest publications, the Committee held a hearing titled: “Left Holding the Bag: The Cost of Oil Dependence in a Low Carbon World”  at 10am on Wednesday March 29, 2023. Lucian Pugliaresi (on Twitter at @LPugliaresi), President of the Energy Policy Research Foundation (EPRINC), testified along with four other witnesses. His testimony can be found here, and the testimony of the other witnesses as well as a video recording of the event are accessible at the link above.

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  • EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi Participates in Congressional Roundtable on American Energy Security

    The leadership of the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee (E&C) under Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers are hosting a series of roundtables in order to help establish its agenda for the 118th Congress. Critically, some of these roundtables are focused on Energy. The first one was held on January 10th, 2023 with the theme of “Unaffordable Energy Costs” (the link is here). The second, with the broad theme of Energy Security, took place on Thursday, January 26th, 2023.

    EPRINC’s President Lucian Pugliaresi presented at this E&C Roundtable. His remarks and associated charts can be found here. The Committee also invited David Gattie, Associate Professor of Engineering, University of Georgia, and Senior Fellow, Center for International Trade and Security, Pat O’Loughlin, President and CEO, Buckeye Power, Inc. and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, and Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, Founder, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. The recording of the Roundtable is accessible at this link.

    EPRINC has been at the forefront of U.S. policy discussions relating to Energy Security. During the early 1970s and under the leadership of John Lichtblau and Larry Goldstein, EPRINC (then known as PIRINC) were critical in informing leadership of the U.S. Congress on the importance of the establishment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a key component of America’s energy security apparatus/architecture (choose one).

    Per its mission, EPRINC has continued to be involved in energy policy discussions, security and otherwise, providing its perspective on the need for efficiency and matching benefits to costs. More recently, beginning in November 2021, EPRINC has presented testimony four times on a broad range of energy matters (RFS, leasing on public lands, cost challenges of the Energy Transition) to the U.S. Senate’s EPW Committee as well as the U.S. House E&C and Natural Resources Committees.

    Based on the expertise that EPRINC presented at these Hearings, EPRINC received further inquiries from commercial and governmental entities for comment, perspective, and data on the energy matters of the day.

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  • Lucian Pugliaresi Testifies Before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

    On Tuesday, November 16 2021, EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi participated in a marathon hearing with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Some of the notable comments he made, pulling from EPRINC’s research on the ongoing energy transition, are listed below. In addition, the full testimony with charts is here and a video of the hearing in its entirety can be found here.

    1. The Energy System is highly complicated, inter-connected regionally and globally in ways that are not always apparent. The energy transition presents a new set of supply and price risks for consumers and manufacturers. Fully implementing an energy transition over the next 30 years is neither easy nor can it be assured.

    2. Achieving net zero in the developed world will reduce carbon emissions by only a small amount, likely no more than 20 percent of expected global emissions.

    3. Regulatory programs as well as private sector commitments to accelerate the energy transition – whether it be mandates, targets, financial and procurement guidelines create uncertainty and financial risks that limit investment commitments to current legacy fuels, many of which are likely to remain in demand for years to come.

    4. Most of the recent escalation in energy prices can be tied directly to dislocations in energy supplies (largely oil and gas) from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, government policies, such as the halt on leasing on federal lands, the cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline, the potential cancellation of line 5 from Canada, rising regulatory requirements and permitting delays are all threatening North American oil and gas production. We undermine this strategic asset at our peril if we abandon these fuels before the energy transition is well established.

    5. Policy Matters. The US should see the current energy crisis in Europe as a cautionary tale and learn from it.

    6. Policy initiatives that seek to accelerate the U.S. to a fully renewable energy complex will have global implications for energy security.

    7. The transition will establish new environmental challenges and energy security issues in addition to the old.

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  • P1010565-roated

    Testimony on February 24, 2016 by Lucian Pugliaresi before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment& Public Works

    On February 24, 2016, Lucian Pugliaresi testified before the Senate Committee on Environment& Public Works on the Renewable Fuel Standard.

     

     

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    biodiesel,Biofuels & Renewables,Ethanol,government programs,Natural Gas,Policy and Regulation,Refining,RFS,Transportation
EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi Testifies at Senate Budget Committee Hearing “Left Holding the Bag: The Cost of Oil Dependence in a Low Carbon World”

The U.S. Senate Budget Committee has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office. In that position, its roles are to draft the U.S. Congress’ annual budget and to monitor that budget’s implementation.

Under the chairmanship of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the Committee has held five hearings since the 118th U.S. Congress was seated in January. Four of these hearings have focused on the risks and costs of extreme events and weather such rising seas, wildfires, and hurricanes, with the balance on President Biden’s 2024 Fiscal Year Budget Proposal.  

Using the novel definition of “stranded assets” that is gaining currency in certain parts of economic academic literature and some general interest publications, the Committee held a hearing titled: “Left Holding the Bag: The Cost of Oil Dependence in a Low Carbon World”  at 10am on Wednesday March 29, 2023. Lucian Pugliaresi (on Twitter at @LPugliaresi), President of the Energy Policy Research Foundation (EPRINC), testified along with four other witnesses. His testimony can be found here, and the testimony of the other witnesses as well as a video recording of the event are accessible at the link above.

EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi Participates in Congressional Roundtable on American Energy Security

The leadership of the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee (E&C) under Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers are hosting a series of roundtables in order to help establish its agenda for the 118th Congress. Critically, some of these roundtables are focused on Energy. The first one was held on January 10th, 2023 with the theme of “Unaffordable Energy Costs” (the link is here). The second, with the broad theme of Energy Security, took place on Thursday, January 26th, 2023.

EPRINC’s President Lucian Pugliaresi presented at this E&C Roundtable. His remarks and associated charts can be found here. The Committee also invited David Gattie, Associate Professor of Engineering, University of Georgia, and Senior Fellow, Center for International Trade and Security, Pat O’Loughlin, President and CEO, Buckeye Power, Inc. and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, and Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, Founder, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. The recording of the Roundtable is accessible at this link.

EPRINC has been at the forefront of U.S. policy discussions relating to Energy Security. During the early 1970s and under the leadership of John Lichtblau and Larry Goldstein, EPRINC (then known as PIRINC) were critical in informing leadership of the U.S. Congress on the importance of the establishment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a key component of America’s energy security apparatus/architecture (choose one).

Per its mission, EPRINC has continued to be involved in energy policy discussions, security and otherwise, providing its perspective on the need for efficiency and matching benefits to costs. More recently, beginning in November 2021, EPRINC has presented testimony four times on a broad range of energy matters (RFS, leasing on public lands, cost challenges of the Energy Transition) to the U.S. Senate’s EPW Committee as well as the U.S. House E&C and Natural Resources Committees.

Based on the expertise that EPRINC presented at these Hearings, EPRINC received further inquiries from commercial and governmental entities for comment, perspective, and data on the energy matters of the day.

ICYMI: Lucian Pugliaresi’s June 2022 Testimony Before the House E&C Committee’s “Legislative Hearing to Strengthen Energy Infrastructure, Efficiency, and Financing”

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing titled, “Legislative Hearing to Strengthen Energy Infrastructure, Efficiency, and Financing.” Under consideration were several pieces of legislation including the “Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act” (H.R. 1599), the “Energy Accountability Act” (H.R. 5292), the “Guaranteeing Resilient Installations for Defense Act” or the “GRID Act” (H.R. 8053), and the “Tribal Energy Investment Act of 2022” (H.R. 8068). Along with the legislation, Subcommittee Members pursued broader themes focusing on the recent increases in transportation fuel prices. EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi was invited to testify along with five other experts from trade associations, universities, and think tanks.

 
A key highlight of the hearing was captured in a Twitter posting when Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia asked what would be the key things that could be done in the short-term to lower U.S. gasoline prices.
 
Lucian Pugliaresi’s reply included the following three points:
 – lower RVO/RFS
 – national RVP standard
 – temporarily suspend the Jones Act
 
The Tweet can be found here.
 
The video of the hearing can be found here.
 
Lucian Pugliaresi’s testimony can be found here.

EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi Testifies Before Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on RFS

On Wednesday, February 16 2022, EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at a hearing called “The Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Challenges and Opportunities.” Lou was joined by Cory-Ann Wind from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Emily Skor from Growth Energy, and LeAnn Johnson Koch from Perkins Cole, LLP. Lou’s testimony was later extensively quoted by Politico’s E&E News (link is behind a paywall), and one of the highlights of these quotes was:

“The principal drawbacks and risk factors of the program are not the use of biofuels as blendstock for gasoline and diesel fuel, but the statutory mandate which requires ever-larger blending volumes without regard to market conditions, costs or technical constraints,” Pugliaresi said. “Price risks to consumers from higher transportation fuel costs rise substantially as mandates push biofuel blending above 10 percent of the gasoline pool.”

The link to the full video of the event and each testimony is here, and Lou’s testimony can be found here.

Lucian Pugliaresi Testifies Before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

On Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 12:00 pm EDT, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hosted a remote oversight hearing titled, “What More Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Leasing Means for Achieving U.S. Climate Targets.” EPRINC President Lucian Pugliaresi was one of the witnesses called to testify at this hearing, and in addition to his testimony he was asked many questions by committee members. His testimony as well as the accompanying slides are found here, and a full video of the hearing is here. The EMR website has full information about the hearing at this link.

In addition to his testimony, Lou was asked several questions for the record by Republican Members after the hearing was over. His response to those questions can be found here.

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