FROM: Ostroff Associates

DATE: September 24, 2020

RE: Climate Action Council - Energy-Intensive & Trade-Exposed Industries Panel

Chair

• Eric Gertler–Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate, Empire State

Development

Members

• Keith Hayes, Senior Vice President, Clean Energy Solutions, New York Power Authority
• Heather Briccetti, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Business Council of New York
State
• Tristan R. Brown, Associate Professor, Sustainable Resources Management, SUNY College of
Environmental Science and Forestry
• Jason Curtis, Vice President & General Manager, Nucor Steel Auburn, Inc.
• Carlos García, Energy Planner, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
• Leah George VanScott, Vice President of Business Development, Greater Rochester
Enterprise
• Doug Grose, President, NY CREATES
• Michael LeMonds, Vice President, Environment, Land and Government Affairs,
LafargeHolcim
• Melanie Littlejohn, Vice President and Regional Executive Director-Upstate New York,
National Grid
• Elisa Miller-Out, Managing Partner, Chloe Capital
• Stephen Tucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northland Workforce Training
Center
• David Wasiak, Assistant to the Director, United Steelworkers District 4
• Lourdes Zapata, President and Chief Executive Officer, South Bronx Overall Economic
Development Corporation

Brief testimonies:
Jason Curtis: Have been in the steel industry for 20 years, and nuclear power industry eight years
prior. Very excited to help drive things towards environmentally and economically sustained long
term solutions.
Carlos Garcia: Excited to understand more about this industry and implement any goals and ideas
we have on this panel.
Doug Grose: Involved in the semi-conductor industry. Pleased to be a part of the panel and hopefully
able to give some perspective on the semi-conductor side.
Leah George VanScott: Work on large business and expansion projection, and work along with semi-
conductor industries.
Michael LeMonds: Work for the largest cement manufacturer in the U.S. Very excited during NY
Climate Week, we are the first to announce net zero by 2050. We are pushing to bring the rest of the
material sector with us. Cement is an energy intensive trade exposed industry. I have a tremendous
amount of knowledge and information to share from past experience. I was also involved in the
western climate initiative.
Melanie Littlejohn: Based on role at National Grid, there are multiple perspectives that I can bring to
the table. A perspective that I can bring is not only the voice of our business customer, but our
residential customer as well. We also have to think about infrastructure in energy intensive
businesses. We have to think of how to get to where we are trying to go collectively.

E3 Presentation – Tory Clark & Sharad Bharadwaj:

Questions:
Brown: Do infrastructure constraints play a role in this?
Clark: Costing is a goal for what we hope to do next with some input from this panel. We are trying
to capture incremental cost. We are trying to see what incremental costs could be. We have to know
what industries we are trying to target and what those constraints could be.
Gertler: Do technologies not exist right now? And are we depending on new technologies to see the
massive percentage reductions that we will see in the future?
Clark: I think it is a mix. If we get input from this panel on priorities, then we can incorporate that.
Garcia: How are you guys thinking about hydrogen, or any type of hydrogen gasses fitting within
CLCPA guidelines of non-carbon emitting?
Clark: In terms of bio energy, we are focusing on low carbon pathways that focus on in-state
resources. Also followed existing greenhouse gas inventory protocols that treat bio energy as
carbon-neutral, so we know this may be updated with ongoing conversations with advisory panels,
NYSERDA, and DEC in terms of accounting for bio energy combustion in-state, so that accounting is
reflected here but we know it may be updated. In terms of bio-energy that we are considering, we
are focusing on sectors that are most difficult to electrify. In terms of hydrogen, most hydrogen is
produced through methane reformation associated with using natural gasses of heat stock. If we
see a role for some type of low carbon fuel, then hydrogen could be competitive, especially to help
us decarbonize some of those sectors that are really difficult to find other low-cost alternatives.
Cost hasn’t been looked at too much in this study.
Garcia: I would like to see more research done on potential R&G and hydrogen. Would love to see
some E3 economic studies. It may not be possible in-state when we are talking about bio methane
capturing. It is a really slippery slope when talking about technology and a higher cost, even in
comparison to California. Certain things are not allowed in the CLCPA, so we have to come up with
some more practical alternatives.
Gertler: This is a point that we should continue to discuss on this panel.
LeMonds: Good presentation, there are sectors such as the cement sector that have process
emissions that exceed combustion emissions, this was a slide that we brushed over pretty quickly
but I’d like to hear comments on that. I appreciate the shift of low carbon fuels; it is 100 percent
necessary for sectors like cement but it is very difficult to get a permit to do that in NYS. Not sure if
this came into the model that you looked at. These things are easy to model, but hard to do.
Clark: We haven’t looked at some of those secondary questions that you are talking about, we are
thinking of ways to get to particular points through infrastructure and energy. For cement, there
are much different opportunities, there could be potential for carbon capturing storage. We look
forward to engaging with other experts around on this.
Eric Gertler & Keith Hayes’ Presentation:
Questions & Wrap-up discussion:
Keith Hayes: Concerned about having a lot to cover in such a short period of time. When you look at
what is happening around us (such as bad storms recently), people can see that these actions are
very urgent and timely. We will have a number of staff from agencies that have been appointed to
assist us. We could also speak with our experts (which is E3). I encourage the panel to provide input
in where they feel it is needed.
Gertler: We do have support of a great group, thank you for emphasizing those points.
Elisa: Can you elaborate more on the work plan component and deadline? In terms of what you see
this of including.
Gertler: The exact scope depends on what we decide to address and what the Climate Action Council
offers to us. Some of this will come from staff. We will look at suggested reduction targets,
technology strategies, etc. All depends on what we want to focus on and what is important to us.
Jason Curtis: I think E3 mentioned that they were not conducting the macroeconomic analysis of
CLCPA, is that being done in some fashion?
Gertler: This is also something we can bring to the Climate Action Council
Clark: My understanding is that there are plans for at least one macroeconomic modeling
assessment to happen as part of the Just Transition working group and maybe others at the higher
level of the Climate Action Council with collaboration.
Brown: There is a lot of overlap in work that we will be doing when looking at the technologies that
will be employed by other panels such as transportation and forestry. What’s the procedure to
utilize and involve discussions with other panels?
Gertler: We will have another meeting soon, and I will be talking with other panels as well. We will
make sure there are opportunities to talk with other groups and seeing where they come out on, on
particular issues.
Gertler: Hoping to schedule a meeting for the week of October 5th, we will be refining our work plan
to share with the Climate Action Council, and start to discuss the scope and work plan. Main
objective will be around refining our work plan so we can share with Climate Action Council in
October.
Wasiura: It may be helpful as we talk about future meetings, to do some kind of polling around to
the panelists to make sure we capture as many people on these work groups. Maybe something
coming out asking “who can participate on this or that.” Things will be tough to schedule as we get
closer to the end of the year.
Gertler: We will recommend this to schedulers.
Miller-Out: We have been working with start-ups that are looking to do pilots in some of these
industries, how could this apply in terms on our work here and our work plan with these industries
and pilots with new technologies? Looking to hear thoughts from those on cement or steel side.
What policies may help to pave the way for these startups.
Curtis: I would be more than willing to take a look at what these folks have to offer – as far as pilots
and as a company in NYS, we are always willing to try new technology, assuming it is reasonable
and makes good sense. As far as policies in place, I am not sure what you are looking for there.
Miller-Out: On policy side, hearing there’s a lot of expenses and infrastructure sometimes involved
in pilots and getting these off the ground to get technologies into the industries to make an impact
on our emissions. At times in other places, there are certain types of credits and programs that help
encourage these pilots and make it easier to adopt them, or make it more affordable to adopt them.
Trying to make the path smooth for these connections.
LeMonds: There is a massive connection between startup companies and the future – especially for
steel and cement industries, technology can be the answer. We have partnerships across the
country with startups. We want to help grow some of these businesses that are the future.
Garcia: If there was some kind of research that we want to perform, is there a process for this on
this panel?
Hayes: We need to have a discussion around these needs and figure out what the process will be.
Then we can seek to get the resources that are necessary to achieve our goal.
Gertler: We can turn to staff and consultants to get whatever we would need for members on the
panel for research purposes. It is important to have the background that panel members need.
Garcia: Best way to submit research or any materials to panel?
Gertler: Send to me, and I will make sure to distribute to group.
Hayes: There is a shared drive that documents are being held in to share with the panel.