Events

Past Event

February Freeze in the Lone Star State

March 16, 2021
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
America/New_York
Online

Join the Center on Global Energy Policy for our second session in this series of student-only virtual discussions with David Hill, CGEP Adjunct Senior Research Scholar, and Cheryl LaFleur, CGEP Distinguished Visiting Research Scholar and former Commissioner and Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, addressing current energy topics from a policy and legal perspective. 

In mid-February, Texas experienced unprecedented cold weather that led to widespread power outages, with harsh human consequences and likely policy implications for the energy system in Texas and beyond. Those events highlighted the interdependence of the electric, gas and water systems and the complex regulatory and political structure that oversees them. They have implications for future wholesale and retail markets, generation choices, and grid operations. 

In this session, Cheryl LaFleur will discuss what happened in Texas, what we have learned so far, and where we go from here. 

This session will be highly interactive, with a majority of the time devoted to discussion among the participants. Upon registration, students will receive a list of articles or other materials to review prior to the session.

Biography

Cheryl A. LaFleur

Cheryl A. LaFleur is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, focusing primarily on the adaptation of the electric and natural gas sectors to the challenges of climate change. LaFleur also serves on the Board of Directors of ISO New England, the organization that plans and operates the power system and administers wholesale electricity markets for New England. 

Previously, LaFleur was one of the longest-serving commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), nominated by President Obama in 2010 and serving until 2019. She served as Chairman from 2014-15 and as Acting Chairman from 2013-14 and during 2017. During a decade of change in the nation's energy industry, power supply, and political leadership, she helped FERC respond to challenges and opportunities across the electric, natural gas, and oil sectors.

Prior to joining FERC, LaFleur had more than 20 years’ experience as a leader in the electric and natural gas industry, including as executive vice president and acting CEO of National Grid USA. She began her career as an attorney at Ropes and Gray in Boston. She has a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an A.B. from Princeton University.

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Registration is required. This series is open only to currently-enrolled Columbia University students. To register, you must use the email address that contains your UNI. Upon registration, students will receive a list of articles or other materials to review prior to the session.

This event will be hosted via Zoom and capacity is limited. We ask that you register only if you can attend this event in its entirety.

For more information, contact Kaïme Désiré ([email protected]).

 

Contact Information

Center on Global Energy Policy Events