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Energy Communities: Institutional Investment Opportunities in America’s Energy Transition

The Energy Communities IWG hosted an event highlighting the financial and public benefits of investing in energy communities, particularly hard-hit, low-capacity coal communities in rural America. The historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act present unprecedented opportunities to revitalize communities, diversify workforces, and support energy workers. This event convened leaders in the financial sector to discuss the opportunities for private sector investment that can result in good-paying jobs, economic growth, and supply-chain resiliency across the United States.

Agenda

TOPIC SPEAKERSEASTERN TIME 
Registration and Networking Breakfast 

8:00 – 8:30 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

David Erickson, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

8:30 – 8:35 a.m.

Roundtable FramingBrian Anderson, Executive Director, Energy
Communities IWG

8:35 – 8:40 a.m.

Investing at Scale in an Equitable Energy Transition

Federal Participants:

Brian Anderson, Executive Director, Energy
Communities IWG (co-moderator)

Vaishant Sharma, Senior Policy Advisor, National
Economic Council (co-moderator)

Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor

David Crane, Under Secretary for Infrastructure, U.S. Department of Energy

Laurel Blatchford, Chief Implementation Officer for the Inflation Reduction Act, U.S. Department of the Treasury

Jahi Wise, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency

Karen Skelton, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, U.S.
Department of Energy

Non-Federal Participants:

Melissa Cummings, Beyond Carbon, Bloomberg
Philanthropies

Fran Seegull, President, Impact Investing Alliance

Libby Wayman, Breakthrough Energy

Adam Altenhofen, Senior Vice President of Environmental FinanceU.S. Bank

Matthew Runkle, Senior Managing Director and Head
of Renewables and Midstream, Blackstone

Christine Kamil, Head of U.S. Public Sector Client
Coverage, JP Morgan

8:40 – 9:40 a.m.

Open Discussion with All AttendeesBrian Anderson, Executive Director, Energy Communities IWG (moderator)

9:40 – 10:00 a.m.

Break and Networking 

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Investing in America’s Energy Communities (livestream begins) Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor

10:30 – 10:40 a.m.

Inflation Reduction Act Implementation Fireside Chat

Karen Skelton, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy (moderator)

David Crane, Under Secretary for Infrastructure, U.S. Department of Energy

Laurel Blatchford, Chief Implementation Officer for the Inflation Reduction Act

10:40 – 11:20 a.m.

A Taxonomy for Just Transition InvestingFarah Imrana Hussain, Head, Sustainable Finance and ESG Advisory, The World Bank

11:20 – 11:30 a.m.

Investing in Clean Energy Projects Panel Discussion

Jahi Wise, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (moderator)

Jerry Rickett, President and CEO, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation

Nathan Wendt, President, Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs

Harold Pettigrew, Chief Executive Officer, Opportunity Finance Network

Hy Martin, Chief Development Officer, D.E. Shaw
Renewable Investments (virtual)

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 
 Closing Remarks

Brian Anderson, Executive Director, Energy Communities IWG

Vaishant Sharma, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council

12:15 – 12:30 p.m.

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