Dan Brouillette joined EEI as president and CEO-elect in October 2023, and became EEI’s president and CEO at the start of this year. Before joining EEI, Brouillette served as president of Sempra Infrastructure, a leading global energy transition company. He previously served as the 15th U.S. Secretary of Energy and before that as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, the chief operating officer of the department. Brouillette is the only person ever to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve in both ...
Feb 07, 2024•20 min•Ep. 78
On this episode, Sandi Safro, EEI associate general counsel of energy and technology regulation, and Patrick Arness, EEI senior director of government relations, discuss a few recent Department of Energy program announcements funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Grid Innovation and Resilience Partnerships (GRIP) Program and the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program, which will help enhance energy grid reliability and resilience, advance the use of hydrogen as a clean energy ...
Dec 19, 2023•26 min•Ep. 77
At the end of the year, after serving America’s electric companies and their customers for more than 30 years, EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn will step down from his current role. Kuhn has effectively worked with America’s electric companies to navigate major policy issues in Congress, throughout the federal agencies, and at the state and local levels. He also has led the development of strong-industry government partnerships, and has been extremely engaged in international dialogues that aim to...
Dec 13, 2023•22 min•Ep. 76
In late September, the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations held a hearing on the role of electric infrastructure in the wildfire that occurred in Lahaina on Maui on August 8. Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura, along with Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Leo Asuncion, and Hawai’i State Energy Office Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick, provided testimony and answered questions from the committee members, who had launched an in...
Nov 17, 2023•16 min•Ep. 75
November 15 is Utility Scam Awareness Day, and we’re raising awareness of tactics being used by utility impostor scammers that target customers of electric, gas, and water companies. Customers of all ages and backgrounds should be vigilant because anyone can be a target of this type of scam, but scammers especially target low-income or elderly customers. On this episode, Monica Martinez, executive director of Utilities United Against Scams, and Chris Peters, vice president and chief security off...
Nov 09, 2023•21 min•Ep. 74
EEI is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and on this episode, we have a special guest to help us recognize this cultural observance. EEI Chair Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, joins Courtney Peterson, EEI vice president, chief diversity officer, and chief human resources officer, to discuss what it means to be EEI’s first Hispanic board chair, how he stays connected to his culture, the leadership lessons he has learned as head of one of the largest electric compani...
Sep 22, 2023•21 min•Ep. 73
This episode is part of our EEI 2023 highlights series. In this episode, you will hear conversations about topics including Inflation Reduction Act customer tax incentives and rebates, the future of natural gas, new approaches to financing transmission, and keeping the clean energy transition equitable and affordable. The speakers are: Dan Hahn, Partner at Guidehouse, Dr. Michael Webber, Chief Technology Officer at Energy Impact Partners and Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Author...
Sep 06, 2023•41 min•Ep. 72
The Inflation Reduction Act established the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office and appropriated $5 billion to help fund certain clean energy and carbon reduction projects through fiscal year 2026. In June, the Loan Programs Office released new guidance for the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, which includes the EIR Program. On today’s episode, Jigar Shah, director of DOE’s Loan Programs Office, joins Alex Bond, E...
Aug 28, 2023•34 min•Ep. 71
This episode is part of our EEI 2023 highlights series. In this episode, you will hear conversations about topics including clean energy policy and implementation, workforce development, and grid resilience featuring: Breakthrough Energy Senior Director, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Robin Millican, Carolyn Amon, Research Leader, Power, Utilities & Renewables at the Deloitte Research Center for Energy & Industrials and Karen Cunningham, Managing Director of Human Capital Power, Utility &...
Aug 17, 2023•44 min•Ep. 70
EEI 2023 featured a lineup of exceptional keynote speakers. On this episode, you'll hear the full-length EEI 2023 keynote conversation between renowned technologist Elon Musk and EEI Chair Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International. The discussion spans topics such as electrification across the economy, the future of electric transportation, Tesla’s decision to open up its Supercharger network to other automakers, and much more. You also can watch the keynote on EEI's YouTube ch...
Aug 03, 2023•45 min•Ep. 69
Lineworkers maintain and enhance the energy grid and play a critical role in delivering America’s resilient clean energy future. They also work around the clock and in dangerous conditions following extreme weather events to ensure that the customers and the communities they serve have access to safe and reliable electricity. On July 10, EEI will join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association in celebrating National Lineworker ...
Jul 07, 2023•25 min•Ep. 68
On May 11, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, which targets carbon pollution standards for fossil-fuel based plants. Over the past several months, EEI has engaged constructively with EPA and outlined several important priorities for these regulations that are consistent with the ongoing clean energy transition that EEI's member companies are leading. On this episode, Emily Fisher, EEI executive vice president of clean energy...
Jun 29, 2023•35 min•Ep. 67
EEI's member companies make significant investments to enhance the energy grid every year. One of many grid modernization and improvement projects that is underway to ensure reliable and resilient clean energy can be delivered to customers now and in the years to come is Georgia Power's Grid Improvement Plan. On this episode, Georgia Power Vice President of Strategy and Support Cleve Fann and Pike Electric President Matt Fisher dive into the details of Georgia Power's Grid Improvement Plan. They...
Jun 07, 2023•23 min•Ep. 66
America's electric companies are working together to identify opportunities to enhance mitigation, detection, and response capabilities as part of our wildfire mitigation strategy. The electric power industry has built trusted relationships with partners across the federal government who have key roles to play in our collective wildfire mitigation efforts. On this episode, U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore and EEI Vice Chair Maria Pope, who is president and CEO of Portland General Electric (...
May 18, 2023•26 min•Ep. 64
Island environments face unique challenges as we transition our energy systems. What are the ways island providers are preparing for the transition? What role does employee experience play in ensuring successful business operations? How can we attract more women to the energy workforce? Ruth Forbes, President and CEO of FortisTCI, joins this episode of Global Circuit to discuss the company’s operations in the Turks and Caicos Islands, renewable energy, partnerships, workforce, and more. The Glob...
May 15, 2023•27 min•Ep. 63
Our path toward a resilient clean energy future depends on new and developing carbon-free technologies. The Institute for the Energy Transition (IET) was launched earlier this year to advance the commercialization of breakthrough technologies, which will allow electric companies to reach net-zero emission goals while keeping customer reliability and affordability front and center. The IET will build off the foundation set by the Carbon-Free Technologies Initiative (CFTI). (You can listen to a pr...
Apr 27, 2023•30 min•Ep. 62
Studies have shown that transmission infrastructure in the U.S. will have to double – maybe even triple – in order to reach a net-zero economy by 2050 and to support widespread electrification. But one persistent challenge to expanding the transmission system and deploying more clean energy is the inefficient siting and permitting process for critical infrastructure such as transmission lines. EEI advocates for a coordinated, consistent, and efficient siting and permitting regulatory framework t...
Apr 14, 2023•28 min•Ep. 61
EEI's member companies are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their own workforces and to creating new economic opportunities in the communities that they serve. As we aim to deliver a resilient clean energy future to customers, we know that our success depends on us creating new pathways for diverse candidates to enter the energy workforce. On this episode, Calvin Butler, president and CEO of Exelon, and Courtney Peterson, EEI vice president, chief diversity office...
Mar 22, 2023•29 min•Ep. 60
March is Women’s History Month, and EEI honors and recognizes the achievements and contributions of women throughout the electric power industry. As our member companies make progress on their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, it’s important to create career pathways for employees that can lead to leadership opportunities. In this episode, EEI Executive Vice President of Clean Energy and General Counsel Emily Fisher speaks with Puget Sound Energy President and CEO Mary Kipp about how...
Mar 14, 2023•23 min•Ep. 59
In late February, executives from the Edison Electric Institute briefed Wall Street analysts, bankers, investors, and other industry stakeholders on the state of the U.S. electric power industry at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City. Today's episode will feature a recap of the briefing. EEI’s leadership team covered several high-priority topics, including ESG; the role of new and developing carbon-free technologies; electric transportation; energy grid reliability, resilience, and security; ...
Mar 06, 2023•33 min•Ep. 58
America’s electric companies prepare year-round for extreme weather events, and they make investments and upgrades to help prevent power outages and to speed up restoration when they do occur. In the Sunshine State, Florida Power and Light (FPL) has made significant investments to help withstand hurricane-force winds across its service territory. On this episode, FPL Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness Tom Gwaltney discusses how the company prepares for hurricanes, the proactive investm...
Jan 31, 2023•34 min•Ep. 56
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) marks one of the greatest investments in clean energy in U.S. history. As part of the $369 billion investment to promote domestic energy production and manufacturing, the IRA established the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program under the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office and appropriated $5 billion to help fund certain clean energy and carbon reduction projects through fiscal year 2026. On this episode, Jigar Shah, director of DOE’s Loan Pr...
Jan 19, 2023•41 min•Ep. 57
Storms and natural disasters are increasing in frequency and severity, and EEI’s member companies are working to harden the energy grid against these threats to ensure customers can receive the reliable and resilient energy they need to power their lives. To bring the electric power sector together and strengthen the industry’s approach to managing climate risk to the energy grid, EPRI created the Climate Resilience and Adaptation (READi) initiative. On this episode, Morgan Scott, EPRI’s directo...
Jan 11, 2023•31 min•Ep. 55
This episode is the third and final part of our series featuring the highlights of EEI 2022, our annual thought leadership forum. Tune in to hear leading experts discuss energy resilience, geopolitics and the impacts to supply chains, hydrogen rising as a clean fuel, and innovative workforce development programs. Guests include Rod West, Entergy group president of utility operations; Laszlo von Lazar, Black & Veatch president of energy and process industries; Matt O' Keefe, head of O Power, ...
Nov 22, 2022•48 min•Ep. 52
Ten years ago, Superstorm Sandy brought severe winds and devastating flooding to New Jersey and New York. At one point, it engulfed 800 miles between the East Coast and the Great Lakes region, impacting customers in several additional states. The storm caused one of the most massive power outages in U.S. history, with about 8.5 million customers losing power at some point in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and the Ohio Valley. The electric power industry always has focused on strengthening...
Nov 15, 2022•36 min•Ep. 54
November 13-19 is International Fraud Awareness Week, and November 16 is Utility Scams Awareness Day. EEI’s member electric companies will join other utilities to raise customer awareness of imposter utility scams and ways to stop them with the help of Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS), a consortium of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian electric, water, and natural gas utilities (and their respective trade associations). On this episode, we are joined by UUAS Executive Director Monica Martinez ...
Nov 15, 2022•20 min•Ep. 53
As electric companies focus on increasing reliable electricity access within their communities, they are working alongside Indigenous community stakeholders to provide communities services they need. What are the ways in which electric companies can co-create energy solutions with their local communities? What should leadership look like to support employees and customers? And why is it critical to make the energy decision-making process more inclusive? Jay Grewal, President and CEO of Manitoba ...
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 51
There has been tremendous progress on the climate policy front over the past year in the United States, including the bipartisan infrastructure law, the robust clean energy tax package included in the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act. Taken together, these new laws firmly place the United States at the forefront of global efforts to deploy new carbon-free technologies and to drive down carbon emissions. On this episode, we are joined by Eric Holdsworth, EEI managing directo...
Oct 11, 2022•27 min•Ep. 50
This week is National Drive Electric Week, and we are highlighting the substantial investments that America’s electric companies are making to accelerate the electrification of transportation and the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Kellen Schefter, EEI senior director of Electric Transportation, is joined by Scott Barrios, Entergy manager of Business Development, and Aki Marceau, Hawaiian Electric Electrification of Transportation director, to discuss their efforts to install EV fast charge...
Sep 23, 2022•48 min•Ep. 49
The energy transition requires an evolution of the customer experience and customer-centric strategies. How does approaching the transition from a tech perspective help? What can electric companies do to facilitate customer acceptance for the energy transition? How can electric companies help customers in times of crises? Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Group joins this episode of Electric Perspectives Global Circuit. The Global Circuit is brought to you by EEI International Prog...
Sep 15, 2022•51 min•Ep. 48
