Submitted by United States Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
WASHINGTON (September 30, 2024) – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced the slate of keynote speakers and panelists for his upcoming summit, “Louisiana Energy Security Summit: Unleashing American Abundance in a Changing Global Landscape,” in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
Registration is open to attend in-person HERE.
Press must RSVP to shawn_hanscom@cassidy.senate.gov.
Key speakers include:
- Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), U.S. Senate
- Hon. Mark W. Menezes, Former Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
- Hon. Neil Chatterjee, Former Chairman, US. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Hon. James Connaughton, Former Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Director of the White House Office of Environmental Policy
- Hon. Kimberly A. Reed, Former Chairman, U.S. Export Import Bank
- George David Banks, Former Special Assistant for International Energy and Environment at the National Economic and National Security Councils
- Drew Marsh, Chairman of the board and CEO, Entergy
- Mark Widmar, CEO, First Solar
- David Hardy, President of North America, Orsted
- Massimo Toso, President and CEO, Buzzi UnicemUSA
- Caroline Reily, Co-Founder & CEO, Aluminum Technologies
- Tom Neyhart, Founder and Executive chairman, Posigen
- Dr. Paul Schubert, CEO, Strategic Biofuels LLC
- Tommy Faucheux, President, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA)
- Greg Bowser, President and CEO, Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA)
- Will Green, CEO, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI)
- Mike Moncla, President, Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA)
- Vikrum Aiyer, Head of Climate Policy & External Affairs, Heirloom
- Douglas Chan, Chief Operating Officer, Climeworks
- Bob Pender, Executive Co-chairman and Founder, Venture Global LNG
- Michael Manteris, Co-President, Blue Sky Infrastructure
- T. Lane Wilson, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Williams
- Kevin Gundersen, Vice President of Global Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, Huntsman Corp
- Calvin Hart, Vice President and General Manager, Nucor Steel Louisiana
- Jerae Carlson, Sr. Vice President, Cemex
- Scott Nielson, Vice President of Environmental, Sustainability & Innovation, Ash Grove Cement Company
- Linda Dempsey, Vice President, Public Affairs, CF Industries
- Will Latta, Vice President, BrightLoop
- Matt Barr, Vice President of State Government & Community Affairs, Cheniere Energy
- Maureen Hinman, Co-Founder and Chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator
- Sarah Stewart, CEO and Executive Director, Silverado Policy Accelerator
- Nate Hill, Head of Energy Policy, Amazon
- Benjamin T. Reinke, Vice President of Global Business Development, X Energy
- Andrey Shuvalov, Vice President US Energy Transition, Shell
- Bradley Ives, Executive Director, Institute for Energy Innovation, Louisiana State University
- Lynn Abramson, President, Clean Energy Business Network
- Christen Campbell, North America Energy & Sustainable Technologies and Site Development Director, BASF
- Andrew Connolly, Vice President and General Manager, Low-Carbon Hydrogen Large Projects, Hydrogen Large Projects, Air Products
- Greg Upton, PhD, Executive Director & Associate Professor-Research, Center for Energy Studies Louisiana State University
- Dr. Robert R. Twilley, Vice President, Office of Research & Economic Development, Louisiana State University
- Xan Fishman, Senior Director, Energy Program, Bipartisan Policy Center
- Catrina Rorke, Senior Vice President, Policy and Research, Climate Leadership Council
- Tom Hassenboehler, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at CO2EFFICIENT
- Patrice Lahlum, Vice President of Carbon Management, Great Plains Institute
- Bob Stout, Senior Fellow, Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
- Colleen Moss, Managing Director, ClearPath
Last week, Cassidy announced key themes for the summit. They include:
- Advancing Energy Security in a Changing Global Landscape
- Exposing Threats to Global Trade and Energy Security
- Implications for U.S. Industries and Competitiveness
- Supporting Accountability and Fair Competition in Global Trade
- Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness Through Louisiana’s Industrial Exports
- Strengthening U.S. Geopolitical Influence and Advancing Energy Security
WHAT: Energy Security Summit
WHO: Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 from 9:00am – 4:00pm Central Time
WHERE: Louisiana State Museum – Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Background
Cassidy frequently highlights the geopolitical challenges confronting U.S. manufacturers operating internationally. Adversaries exploit lax environmental and labor standards to gain an unfair trade advantage over American companies. Cassidy advocates for a U.S. foreign policy integrating national, economic, and energy security.
He and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced their Foreign Pollution Fee Act to level the playing field with Chinese manufacturing and expand American production.
Earlier this month, he released the 3rd episode of Bill on the Hill, which highlights his Foreign Pollution Fee Act and discusses China’s growing economy and military at the expense of the American worker. After hearing fellow Americans share his concerns, Cassidy presented his plan to address the nexus between economic development, national security, and the environment. His Foreign Pollution Fee Act would even the playing field while holding China accountable.
He penned editorials in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Times, and jointly in the USA Today Network with State Senator Caleb Kleinpeter (R-Port Allen), and State Representative Blake Miguez (R-Erath) discussing the geopolitical threats China poses to U.S. global standing. Cassidy also joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss his foreign pollution fee, noting the competitive advantage China receives from intentionally ignoring environmental standards.
Last Spring, the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue an industrial manufacturing and trade policy to counter competition from China. Learn more here.
Last Congress, Cassidy released a landmark energy policy outline in response to the Biden administration’s assault on domestic energy. The outline details how we can successfully reset U.S. energy policy, including Cassidy’s plan for an Energy Operation Warp Speed to cut permitting red tape and unleash domestic energy and manufacturing. In support of this complete vision and in addition to the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, Cassidy led Republican colleagues in opposition to a domestic carbon tax and introduced the first comprehensive judicial reform for permitting bill. He also pushed back on disastrous proposals from the Biden administration to limit development in the Outer Continental Shelf with the introduction of the WHALE Act and the Offshore Energy Security Act of 2023.