Announcing Major Conference on IRA Implementation and the Energy Transition

On Wednesday, November 8, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the Georgetown Climate Center, and the Georgetown Environmental Law and Policy Program will host a day-long conference bringing together thought leaders from government, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and academia to advance conversations focused on Implementing the IRA and Accelerating the Energy Transition: Legal and Policy Challenges on the Road to Net Zero.

This important conference is Co-Chaired by Arnold & Porter Partner Ethan Shenkman, who is also an ELI Board Member and an adjunct professor of environmental law at Georgetown Law. Arnold & Porter is a proud sponsor of this conference and ELI’s Greentech initiative, which is exploring the intersection of law, policy, and the energy transition.

Tickets for in-person participation are limited, so please act quickly if you would like to attend. For anyone unable to attend in person, the conference will be livestreamed virtually as well. Further details on the conference, a draft agenda, and registration information can be found here.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has the potential to become the most impactful climate legislation in history, mobilizing an estimated US$370 billion in federal incentives to facilitate a clean energy transition. Realizing the IRA’s promise, however, will require new, innovative legal and policy frameworks to guide such a significant economic and societal transformation. The Energy Transition team at Arnold & Porter is at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field, advising clients on the full span of clean energy technologies, from renewable energy and electric vehicles to hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel, and from building clean energy infrastructure to permitting for carbon capture and sequestration.

The November 8 conference, taking place on the campus of Georgetown Law, will feature:

Updates from top government officials from key federal agencies (such as Department of Energy, Department of the Treasury, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)), as well as state representatives, responsible for IRA implementation

• Presentations by leading economic analysts on the magnitude of the transformation envisioned by the IRA and the scope of the challenges to developing clean energy technologies at scale
• Discussions with leaders from a diverse array of environmental justice organizations focused on a forward-looking vision of an equitable energy transition
• In addition to keynote remarks and plenary discussions on cross-cutting issues, there will be three focused breakout tracks, including:

1. A “Power Sector” breakout track, with a panel on the intersection of the IRA and EPA’s proposed power plant rule — pathways for renewables, natural gas, and hydrogen; as well as a solutions-oriented discussion of siting and permitting of energy infrastructure
2. A “Transportation Sector” breakout track, with a multi-modal discussion of policy challenges confronting advanced technologies for road, marine, and rail transportation; and a panel on decarbonizing the manufacturing supply chain with a focus on critical minerals
3. A “Carbon Management and Measurement” breakout track, featuring a panel on the role of carbon capture and direct air capture, as well as a practical discussion of the importance of measurement, reporting, and verification in achieving net zero

This conference promises to be a pioneering event on the roadmap to effective implementation of the IRA, and we can't wait to see you there! Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

© Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP 2023 All Rights Reserved. This blog post is intended to be a general summary of the law and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with counsel to determine applicable legal requirements in a specific fact situation.