Join us on May 20th for the launch of
PowerLines101.org!
This new resource from LittleSis seeks to support current and emerging
campaigns focused on taking on the power of electric utilities.
What is PowerLines101?
A crash course on how utilities operate and push their agenda while
driving climate injustice
First-hand accounts from campaigns going up against utilities around
the country
Research guides to help uncover the power behind utilities
Case studies illustrating how power research can inform your strategy
The May 20th
launch will
include a walkthrough of these new resources, inspiring stories from the
frontlines with organizers from Work for Me,
DTE, We Power DC, and others, opportunities to
connect with fellow organizers and activists, and information on future
trainings and collaborations that you can get involved in!
Whether you’re involved in a current campaign, looking to get involved,
or just want to know why your local utility seems to be everywhere you
turn, this resource is for you.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Chair of the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene an executive session
at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2021, to consider the nomination of
Eric S. Lander to be the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP). Directly following the executive session, the
committee will consider the presidential nominations of Pamela A. Melroy
to be Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA); Carlos A. Monje, Jr. to be Under Secretary of
Transportation for Policy; and Richard W. Spinrad to be Under Secretary
of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Witnesses:
Col. Pamela A. Melroy (USAF, Ret.), of New York, to be Deputy
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Carlos A. Monje, Jr., of Louisiana, to be Under Secretary of
Transportation for Policy
Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, of Oregon, to be Under Secretary of Commerce
for Oceans and Atmosphere
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
This
hearing
will explore the ways that upgrading and expanding the electric grid can
create jobs, integrate higher levels of renewable energy, boost grid
reliability, and protect public health.
Witnesses
Linda Apsey, President and CEO, ITC Holdings
Corp. Apsey is responsible for the strategic vision and overall
business operations of ITC, the largest
independent electricity transmission company in the United States.
Based in Michigan, the company owns and operates high-voltage
transmission infrastructure in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois,
Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, with plans underway to expand to
Wisconsin.
Donnie Colston, Director, Utility Department, International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Colston manages issues
related to collective bargaining agreements, working conditions,
safety-related work practices, and apprenticeship training. A utility
lineman, he started his career in transmission and distribution
construction before working as an electric troubleman. He has been a
member of the IBEW Local Union 2100, which
represents the employees of Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E)
and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU), for more than four decades.
Michael Skelly, Founder and President, Grid United. Skelly is a
renewable energy entrepreneur and pioneer in the U.S. wind industry
who currently leads Grid United, an early-stage transmission
development company. He was previously the founder and president of
Clean Line Energy, a company that successfully permitted some of the
longest transmission lines in the United States in the last 50 years.
Emily Sanford Fisher, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Senior
Vice President, Clean Energy Edison Electric Institute (EEI). Sanford
Fisher manages EEI’s litigation and legal
affairs at EEI, an association that
represents all investor-owned electric companies in the United States.
She also oversees and coordinates strategic clean energy engagement
across EEI and across the federal
government.
On Wednesday, May 19, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, the Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations, led by Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.), will
hold a virtual, fully remote oversight
hearing
on taxpayer benefits given to the oil and gas industry, what economic
gains the public does or does not get in exchange for those benefits,
and the accuracy of industry claims about job creation and job
retention.
Witnesses:
Laura Zachary, Co-Director, Apogee Economics & Policy
Michael Patrick Smith, Author and former oil field worker
Tim Stretton, Policy Analyst, Project on Government Oversight
Republican witness
Alex Epstein, Center for Industrial Progress
The following people were invited to testify, but declined:
Richard E. Muncrief, President and CEO Devon
Energy Corporation
William R. Thomas, Chairman and CEO, EOG
Resources, Inc.
Darren W. Woods, Chairman and CEO,
ExxonMobil Corporation
Kathleen Sgamma, President, Western Energy Alliance
Tripp Parks, Vice President of Government Affairs, Western Energy
Alliance
