Upcoming Oregon Citizens' Utility Board Conference — Destination: Decarbonization

The Oregon Citizens' Utility Board is pleased to announce its eighth annual CUB Policy Conference, taking place on Friday, October 19, 2018 at the Downtown Portland Hilton. Registration for Destination: Decarbonization, is now open! Early Bird pricing is in effect through Friday, September 28.

In Oregon, the nature of our discussions about climate change and utilities has changed. We have moved from talking about how we consider the risk of carbon regulation, to actively working to decarbonize our utilities. The next step is to use our clean, decarbonized electricity to decarbonize transportation and the wider economy. We used to talk about the state’s carbon goals as aspirational. But now we are planning around those goals. This is a dramatic shift with big implications, which we will explore at our 2018 Policy Conference.

What effect will this have on our communities? As decarbonization drives digitalization of the grid, what are the implications for consumer privacy, and how do we avoid a new “digital divide” in the energy sector? What role will using electricity to manufacture natural gas (Power-to-Gas) play as we attempt to utilize periods of renewables over-generation? Will Power-to-Gas and renewable natural gas allow us to decarbonize our gas sector? Do we need to change how we manage parts of the system – from utility business models, to regulatory incentives, to regional grid management? And most importantly, can we fix our energy systems so they are sustainable in a carbon constrained world?

This CUB Policy Conference is specifically designed to educate analysts, attorneys, advocates, regulators, utility executives, and others working in and around the energy industry. CUB will be applying for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits for this conference from the Oregon and Washington Bar associations. 

Stay tuned for updates on the day’s agenda, panelists, sponsors, and supplemental curriculum. See the CubCon website, and follow conference news by joining CUB's email list, reading the CUB blog, and on Twitter at #CUBCon18.