Energy Policy Watch

Texas congressional candidate Wesley Hunt gives his take on the importance of oil and gas and what makes the new 38th Congressional District the “energy district of the world.”

The president recently signed into law the long-awaited infrastructure bill. However, according to Congressman Bill Johnson, the $1.2 trillion bill had “very little” to do with actual infrastructure.

When it comes to climate policy in the U.S., it might appear that there are only two options: you're either for or against oil and gas.“This idea that there are Republican fuels in energy and Democrat fuels in energy has really stalled any kind of progress and advancement in solving a very large, global issue,” said Heather Reams, executive director of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES).Reams recently joined Energy Policy Watch for a frank discussion on a bipartisan approach to strong energy and climate policies. “I think it's time to stop the rhetoric and start inviting Republicans to the table,” she told host Jack Belcher.CRES is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit focusing on engaging Republican policymakers and the public about responsible, conservative solutions to address our nation's energy, economic and environmental security while increasing the U.S.'s competitive edge.

This year is proving especially critical for the U.S. oil and gas industry with the budget reconciliation bill moving through the House, which could be harmful to oil and gas companies and the economy more broadly.U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas, 8th) recently joined Jack Belcher on Energy Policy Watch for a discussion on the budget reconciliation bill, including a repeal of oil and gas tax incentives plus unprecedented tax hikes.The White House is proposing $145 billion of tax hikes, which according to Brady, land on everyone within the industry, from the smallest producers to all the way up the chain.

The oil and gas industry is facing many challenges on the public policy front, including the Biden administration's push to transform the U.S. power sector into an engine of clean energy growth.However, it will be the oilfield services (OFS) sector that plays a critical role in this energy transition, according to Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, as renewables are missing key technologies needed for an immediate shift.

Government reports show that pipelines are the safest mode of transportation of moving oil—and only getting safer.However, these facts appear to largely have been ignored by the seemingly growing opposition to pipelines. Perhaps, there is no better example of this than the executive order made by President Joe Biden earlier this year revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit—effectively killing the project.

The growing energy transition trend has garnered a lot of attention—and capital—as the global push for decarbonization increases in recent years.However, it has become clear that the widely used term has come to mean different things to different people, which is the crux to many of the challenges arising from the transition, according to Thomas J. McNulty, ValueScope principal and head of its energy practice.“Regardless of where you stand on the climate issue, the transition has to happen in such a way that it works physically,” McNulty said during the latest episode of Energy Policy Watch.

The 87th Texas Legislative session concluded on May 31 and, as usual, there was a lot of left to decipher and analyze throughout the summer months. This year's session; however, was not so usual. As Martin Hubert, principal, senior vice president and counsel at Cornerstone Government Affairs, working in the firm's Austin office, pointed out in this episode of Energy Policy Watch, this year's session was made quite a bit challenging by COVID-19 and the Texas winter storm and power outages.  Coming on the heels of a national power change in the White House and in Congress, the Texas Legislature engages in what has been described as its most conservative session ever, according to Hubert.  A number of bills passed through the session on religious, social and business issues that were championed by the conservative majority, Hubert told his colleague Jack Belcher.Hubert had several other insights into the session and discussed them in more detail with Belcher for this episode.Jump to topic: A new budget for the State of Texas (2:11) Bills to reform ERCOT (3:12) Addressing natural gas issues during the power outages (4:23) Eminent Domain legislation (5:21) Carbon capture and storage (CCUS) (6:48) Methane emissions and flaring (8:12) Oil and gas provisions that were addressed by the legislature (8:47) Minimizing federal policy effects on Texas oil and gas (10:48)

Energy can be a constructive part of solving climate change. While many aim to group oil and gas and the energy sector as a whole as culprits of climate change, the truth is many within the industry are working just as hard, or even harder, to solve the challenges of establishing a low-carbon future. The industry isn't alone.The Environmental Defense Fund's (EDF) energy program works to find ways “to generate energy more cleanly, with less carbon, so that energy can be a constructive part of transitioning us to that zero-carbon future that we really want,” according to Mark Brownstein, senior vice president, energy, at EDF. Unlike many advocacy groups, EDF has a long history of pointing to science, economics and law to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.EDF has worked with industry and other partners, such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, to monitor methane, establish carbon capture technology, establish low-carbon trends and expectations among industry and consumers, and to lobby and establish congressional proposals. It is among the oldest environmental advocacy groups in the worldBrownstein recently joined Cornerstone Government Affairs' Jack Belcher for this edition of Energy Policy Watch to discuss those topics and more.Topics: About the EDF (1:14) Methane emissions/field studies (2:18) Teaming with Jeff Bezos and World Resources Institute (4:10) Utilizing satellite methane data (5:41) Cooperative efforts with oil and gas producers (7:59) Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (10:02) Low-carbon efforts of national oil companies (11:51) CCUS and decarbonization efforts (13:11) Congressional proposals and incentives (15:43) Lower carbon alternatives (20:31) Emerging sensibilities on emissions (21:45) ESG Performance (25:01)

Could Texas face more blackouts this summer? According to John Harpole, founder and owner of Mercator Energy, a gas brokerage firm based in Littleton, Colo., it is a growing possibility given the damage to the state's power grid from the severe winter storm earlier this year that still needs to be addressed.“There are experts that are predicting there could be two or three rolling blackouts again this summer when peak day of demands increase,” Harpole told Cornerstone Government Affairs' Jack Belcher in this edition of Energy Policy Watch. “They've never seen this peak day of demand in the winter before, but I don't believe that the grid issues have functionally been addressed yet.”In the latest edition of Energy Policy Watch, Harpole, an expert on all aspects of the natural gas value chain and natural gas power markets, joined Belcher for a post-analysis discussion on the 2021 Texas power crisis plus an examination of solutions for the state's power grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).Harpole been his career in the late 1980s, sourcing gas for General Electric (GE), where he saw the deregulation of natural gas where the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opened up access to pipelines so that GE could transport its own natural gas, he said.“As we saw the deregulation unfold on energy and the effort to integrate the electric grid really with the natural gas grid, I saw a number of issues that I was concerned about,” he said. “Most recently, those concerns were lived out in the Texas rolling or, in some areas, permanent blackouts back in February.”According to Harpole, ERCOT has some critical, fundamental flaws in the design of the transmission grid in Texas and how it responds. A second fundamental flaw he said hasn't been considered is when ERCOT was forced to cut off demand, also known as a “shed load,” ERCOT cut off supply to critical natural gas infrastructure.“One of the things that I've been worried about over the last 10 years is as we march on into this world that certain politicians would like to think that we'll never burn anything, any time, any more and rely exclusively on renewable energy, they forget about that the dispatchable ability—the ability to turn on and turn off—for natural gas, coal and, to lesser extent, nuclear, when much needed is critical,” he said.“In essence, electricity supply was cut off to natural gas infrastructure when natural gas infrastructure and natural gas, the commodity itself, could've answered a lot of the issues related to a shortage of electric generation,” he continued.Topics: Harpole's background in natural gas (1:45) What makes the ERCOT market different in Texas (3:05) Comparing generation resources—wind, natgas & coal (5:35) “Renewable energy landed on a soft pillow” (7:15) Natural gas production during the winter storm (9:35) Drive to electrify natural gas production (11:40) Fatal flaw in natural gas market (13:05) Cost of natural gas storage (16:50) What does Texas need to do (19:00)

It may seem like Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX 7th) is in a unique position in the House of Representative as a pro-energy Democrat from the heart of the “Energy Capital of the World.”U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX, 7th) Residence:HoustonDistrict:TX-7th (West Houston and unincorporated Harris County to Katy)Elected:2018, 2020Committees:House Committee on Energy & Commerce, House Science & Technology Committee Representing West Houston, Fletcher knows the importance of sound energy policy that addresses the complexities of the domestic energy future to the country and to her home district. (Full disclosure: Hart Energy is headquartered in Fletcher's congressional district.) But, Fletcher says there is a diversity of opinions on energy, even within in the Democratic caucus.She, herself, has opposed recent moves by the Biden administration to limit oil and gas drilling.  “I opposed the President's executive order to slow down new oil and gas drilling permits on federal lands, and I also don't believe we should be slowing down oil and gas offshore,” she told Cornerstone Government Affairs' Jack Belcher in this edition of Energy Policy Watch.Fletcher, co-chair of the natural gas caucus and a member of the oil and gas caucus, added, “Experts agree that demand is going to continue to grow and it comes down to who do we want producing oil and gas. Companies here in the United States know how to produce cleaner energy on our lands and off of our shores.”“In my view, the best thing we can do for everyone is to de-politicize the conversation about our energy future.”—Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX 7th)In this conversation Fletcher also addresses climate and energy policy likely to pass through Congress, identifying areas of bipartisan support, and finding shared values and objectives in energy policy.Topics: Rep Fletcher's perspective on the energy future (1:06) Excitement, uncertainty and the complexity of energy policy today (2:18) Challenges of being a pro-energy Democrat in Congress (2:57) Diversity of opinions and experience on energy in the Democratic caucus (3:38) Bringing the perspective of the ‘Energy Capital of the World' to the discussion in Washington, D.C. (4:46) Climate and energy legislation that is likely to pass through Congress (5:27) Modernizing the energy market and infrastructure, and addressing market barriers (6:50) Areas of bipartisan support and investment (7:46) The importance of technology and innovation to meeting climate challenges (8:29) Addressing concern about President Biden's recent oil and gas executive orders (10:44) Emphasizing the importance of sound policy on permitting (11:05) Finding shared values and shared objectives in energy policy (12:15) Energy Policy Watch is a partnership between Hart Energy and Cornerstone to bring regular video updates on legislative and regulatory actions affecting the energy industry. Guests range from key representatives or congressional staff to relevant cabinet-level officials and executive branch personnel. View More Energy Policy Watch Episodes Here.

Energy Policy Watch is a partnership between Hart Energy and Cornerstone. Hart Energy and Cornerstone will bring regular video updates on legislative and regulatory actions affecting the energy industry. Guests will range from key representatives and senators or congressional staff to relevant cabinet-level officials and executive branch personnel.Subscribe to receive notifications about new Energy Policy Watch episodes.Will the United States be able to lead the world in oil and gas production and emissions reduction? That quest is being put to the test as the Biden administration pushes to prioritize climate change in its energy policy. So, what is the energy policy to watch?Anne Bradbury, CEO of the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC), whose membership is composed of 25 of America's premier independent natural gas and oil exploration and production companies, joined Jack Belcher for our latest Energy Policy Watch to discuss the already busy energy policy landscape merely three months into the Biden administration.Right out of the bat there was the concerning decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline. That was following by two sweeping executive orders, all of which Bradbury says are “essentially directives to the agencies.” As the oil and gas industry begins engagement with the agencies, Belcher and Bradbury, who have an extensive history working on Capitol Hill, offer up a primer of the energy policy to watch as we move through the second quarter of 2021.Among the topics: AXPC's representation of the industry (0:38) Specific energy policy to watch (1:49) Areas of commonality in energy policy (3:13) Which legislation will move through Congress (3:49) Infrastructure package (6:23) Avoiding negative impact of executive orders (8:53) Importance of oil and gas jobs in energy policy debate (11:37) Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. is a full-service, bipartisan public affairs firm with more than 100 professionals in 13 offices across the country. Through its federal and state government relations; strategic communications; and business consulting/strategic advisory brands, Cornerstone represents a diverse group of clients from myriad industries and sectors, and maintains expertise in a wide range of issue areas, including agriculture, cyber security, defense, education, energy, health, homeland security, international affairs, tax policy, telecommunications, and transportation and infrastructure.For more information, please visit Cornerstone's website at www.cgagroup.com.

Energy Policy Watch is a partnership between Hart Energy and Cornerstone. Hart Energy and Cornerstone will bring regular video updates on legislative and regulatory actions affecting the energy industry. Guests will range from key representatives and senators or congressional staff to relevant cabinet-level officials and executive branch personnel.Subscribe to receive notifications about new Energy Policy Watch episodes.As President Joe Biden looks to up the government's game on energy policy and oil and gas, 2021 has become, and is poised to become even more so, a challenging time for the industry. The new administration has signaled its intent to view energy policy and oil and gas through the lens of climate change, even while it struggles to balance its own center-left nature and the progressive pull of the Democratic party to the far left.So, what's an oil and gas executive to make of this 180-degree change in energy policy and oil and gas following four years of the much friendlier Trump administration?The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) has been a central figure in representing the U.S. industry when it comes to energy policy and oil and gas in Washington, D.C. The man in the middle of it all is Dan Naatz, senior vice president of government relations for IPAA.Naatz has appeared on several national news outlets in recent times to discuss energy policy and oil and gas. Now he's sitting down with another Washington insider, Jack Belcher, principal of advisory services at Cornerstone Government Affairs and host of Energy Policy Watch, a new video series presented by Hart Energy and Cornerstone focused on examining the ever-changing and increasingly vital state of energy policy and oil and gas.In this episode, Belcher and Naatz discuss: Public policy challenges and their meaning to the oil and gas industry (0:53) Impact of Biden's executive orders on activity beyond federal lands (2:06) New energy policy impact on the financial capabilities of oil and gas (3:59) Cumulative impact of oil and gas opponents' multi-faceted focus (6:00) Meeting the challenges and mitigating the impact (8:28) An insider's look at the process of energy policy on Capitol Hill (13:14) Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. is a full-service, bipartisan public affairs firm with more than 100 professionals in 13 offices across the country. Through its federal and state government relations; strategic communications; and business consulting/strategic advisory brands, Cornerstone represents a diverse group of clients from myriad industries and sectors, and maintains expertise in a wide range of issue areas, including agriculture, cyber security, defense, education, energy, health, homeland security, international affairs, tax policy, telecommunications, and transportation and infrastructure.For more information, please visit Cornerstone's website at www.cgagroup.com.

Presented by:Energy Policy Watch is a partnership between Hart Energy and Cornerstone. Hart Energy and Cornerstone will bring regular video updates on legislative and regulatory actions affecting the energy industry. Guests will range from key representatives and senators or congressional staff to relevant cabinet-level officials and executive branch personnel.Subscribe to receive notifications about new Energy Policy Watch episodes.The past year has been one unlike any other for the oil and gas industry with a global oil price war, a pandemic and collapse in oil demand, below-zero prices, calls for prorations, along with a new U.S. presidential administration and transforming energy policies. The Railroad Commission of Texas (the Railroad Commission) dealt with all of this, plus a deep freeze and widespread power failure throughout the state.Chairman Christi Craddick speaks with Cornerstone Government Affairs' Principal Jack Belcher in this first establishment of Energy Policy Watch to provide unique insights into how the Commission managed these crises and maneuvered the oil and gas industry through this series of unprecedented events.Established in 1891, the Railroad Commission is the oldest regulatory body in Texas and one of the oldest of its kind in the nation. The Railroad Commission has primary regulatory jurisdiction over oil and gas in the state and has historically been a global leader in setting innovative regulatory standards and best practices on important issues like royalties, pooling, unitization and well spacing.  Craddick explains how the Railroad Commission worked with industry, state and federal government entities and other important stakeholders to get industry through the price collapse and oil glut, including facilitating a healthy debate and hearing over prorationing. She discusses the Railroad Commission's role in managing February's deep freeze and blackouts. Commissioner Craddick also provides a number of initiatives related to the blackouts, encouraging and facilitating a reduction in gas flaring and venting and the challenge of funding the Railroad Commission priorities and functions under a greatly impacted state budget. Looking into the future, Craddick speaks about the Railroad Commission's role, and that of the state of Texas, in managing and mitigating the impacts of executive orders, federal regulatory actions and potential legislative initiatives from the Biden administration and Congress.Jump to a topic: Texas Railroad Commission's role in the last year (1:13) Oil and gas services companies beginning to hire back (8:40) New era of U.S. presidential administration plus challenges faced for the oil and gas industry and the Texas Railroad Commission (9:50) February deep freeze and Texas blackouts (16:28) Opportunities and lessons learned from the freeze in Texas (26:30) Natural gas, methane emissions (28:37) Oil and gas revenues, budgets (33:53) Long term recovery (38:32) Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. is a full-service, bipartisan public affairs firm with more than 100 professionals in 13 offices across the country. Through its federal and state government relations; strategic communications; and business consulting/strategic advisory brands, Cornerstone represents a diverse group of clients from myriad industries and sectors, and maintains expertise in a wide range of issue areas, including agriculture, cyber security, defense, education, energy, health, homeland security, international affairs, tax policy, telecommunications, and transportation and infrastructure.For more information, please visit Cornerstone's website at www.cgagroup.com.