Category

Podcast

Climate, Energy, Podcast, Policy

Columbia Energy Exchange: Steve Mufson, Amy Harder

March 20, 2017

New markets dynamics, technological innovation, and evolving climate and geopolitical issues have made the energy sector incredibly dynamic and increasingly complicated to understand for policymakers, business leaders, academia and the general public alike. To help decode and explain these issues and their significance within a greater global context, journalists covering the energy beat have never been more important. On this episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange host Bill Loveless sits down with veteran energy reporters Steve Mufson from the Washington Post and Amy Harder, who has recently moved from the Wall Street Journal to a new startup called Axios, to discuss the importance of energy literacy and how the energy beat has dramatically changed in the last decade. Among many topics Bill, Steve and Amy discussed, several include: The importance of energy literacy and key challenges journalists face when covering the energy beat;…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Climate, Energy, Government and Politics, Podcast, Policy, Regulations

Columbia Energy Exchange: Robert Powelson

March 6, 2017

Host Bill Loveless speaks with Robert Powelson, the new President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). Robert is a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, he has chaired the NARUC Committee on Water and he formerly served as the President of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry. Bill and Robert discussed: what state utility regulators expect to see from the Trump Administration and how it will differ from regulation under President Obama; the future of the Clean Power Plan and state approaches to decarbonization; nuclear waste and the future of Yucca Mountain; the need for a renaissance in energy infrastructure; and energy innovation. (Listen)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Energy, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Riccardo Puliti

February 20, 2017

Host Bill Loveless talks to Riccardo Puliti, the Head of the Energy and Extractives Global Practice at the World Bank Group who oversees $52 billion in loans. They discussed: the World Bank’s energy portfolio, financing targets, and its role in the fight against global poverty; the need for private sector partnerships to finance World Bank projects; the variety of instruments used to energy access and climate change issues; regional differences and needs, with respect to energy; and the role of a carbon price in aligning incentives. (Listen)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Government and Politics, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Kevin Cramer

January 23, 2017

During his campaign for President of the United States, one of the many advisors Donald Trump turned to on energy issues was Kevin Cramer, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota, the second leading state in oil production as a result of the boom in shale drilling.On this episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange host Bill Loveless talks with Congressman Cramer about his vision for American energy and environmental policy. They discuss: What being a climate skeptic means to the Congressman and where he stands on the issue; Insights on being tapped to advise Donald Trump on energy issues; What energy and environment issues the federal government should be regulating; Whether or not climate change is an urgent issue; Donald’s Trumps commitment to the Paris Accord; The Congressman’s advice to EPA-nominee Pruitt on the environment. (Listen)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Climate, Energy, Government and Politics, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Gina McCarthy

January 2, 2017

Bill Loveless sits down with the current Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, who has overseen major environmental initiatives in the Obama Administration. Gina, who was previously Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has also worked at both the state and local levels on critical environmental issues. They discuss: the legacy of the Obama Administration on climate change and other environmental issues; the endurance of the Clean Power Plan under the Trump Administration; the future of the Paris Agreement; reaching bipartisan consensus in a world where social media drives and exaggerates opposition; and reconciling demands to “keep it in the ground” with benefits of domestic energy production. (Listen)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Climate, Government and Politics, Organizations, People, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Carl Pope

November 21, 2016

Following COP22 in Marrakech where global leaders were overcome with uncertainty about the United States’ commitment to greenhouse gas reduction under a new Trump Administration, host Bill Loveless speaks with Carl Pope, former executive director and chairman of The Sierra Club, about the path forward against climate change through both international and local initiatives. Pope is also a senior climate adviser to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the U.N. Secretary General’s special envoy for cities and climate change. They discuss: Reactions to Donald Trump’s election and other challenges and opportunities coming out of the Marrakech Climate Summit; The heightened roles for cities, states, investors and business in providing U.S. direction for climate initiatives; A sneak peek at the upcoming book by Carl and Michael Bloomberg called, “Overheated: How Cooler Heads Can Cool the World” that seeks to reset the conversation about…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Corporations, Organizations, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Hosnia Hashim

November 7, 2016

For many years, the petroleum industry has had the reputation of being a male club. With far more men than women occupying jobs and running the business, the sector faces the challenge of bridging the gender gap. On this episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange, host Bill Loveless speaks with Hosnia Hashim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company, who has more than 25 years of experience in the sector. Their conversation followed a Women in Energy event at the Center on Global Energy Policy in New York where Hashim was a guest speaker. Among the topics they discussed include: How Hashim arrived in Kuwait’s petroleum industry and her path through the ranks; Opportunities for women in Kuwait’s petroleum sector compared to other Middle East nations; Steps taken by Kuwait’s government to promote education of women in science,  technology, engineering and…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Government and Politics, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Byron Dorgan

October 24, 2016

The 2016 elections come at a transformative time for energy and the environment, with major decisions faced by the next president and Congress having far-reaching implications for the world. In the second episode of a two part series on the elections and what they mean for energy and environment policy, host Bill Loveless sits down with former Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan who spent 30 years in the U.S. House and Senate representing North Dakota. During their talk, Bill and Byron discussed: Priority energy and environmental issues facing the new president and Congress; Prospects for changes in Congress that will make it possible to reach bipartisan agreement on energy and environmental legislation; The inherent conflicts between the need to curb emissions and to promote development of oil and natural gas resources in the U.S.; Differences between a Clinton and Trump presidency when it comes to energy and the…

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Energy, Government and Politics, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Trent Lott

October 17, 2016

In the first episode of a two part series with former U.S. senators on the challenges an opportunities when it comes to energy and the environment for the next president of the United States, host Bill Loveless sits down with Trent Lott, a former U.S. Senate Majority Leader who served his home state of Mississippi in both the House and Senate from 1973 to 2007. They talk about: the breakdown in relations between Republicans and Democrats and whether Congress can work on a bipartisan basis to legislate on energy and the environment; energy challenges since the 1970s, and how Congress dealt with them; how a Clinton and Trump presidency would differ on energy and climate policies. (Listen here.)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless
Climate, Energy, International, Podcast

Columbia Energy Exchange: Said Mouline

October 10, 2016

Officials from around the world will soon gather in Morocco, a country that is increasingly investing in renewable energy technologies, to discuss implementation of the newly ratified climate agreement reached in Paris last December. On this episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange host Bill Loveless talks with Said Mouline, director general of Morocco’s national agency for the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and a member of Morocco’s steering committee. They discussed: What to expect at COP22 in Marrakech and to what extent renewable energy can help address the goals of the Paris agreement; Morocco’s development of the world’s largest concentrated solar plant, the Noor complex; How Morocco might serve as a model for other nations, especially within Africa, to integrate renewables into their energy mix; The role of public-private partnerships in meeting Morocco’s renewable energy goals and the challenges posed by this model. (Listen here)

Continue reading
by Bill Loveless