Spring 2011

Excerpts from a panel titled Climate Finance Show Me the Money? from VX2011 Los Angeles follow the jump. This panel has taken place all four years of the conference, proving to be one of the most popular panels among attendees of the conference, even if the mood has changed substantially in that time. At VX2011, the panel had good news to report in terms of fund performance, despite lagging clean tech investment due to the effects of the global recession. The panel included moderator Allan Emkin, PCA Managing Partner and panelists included; Brian Rice, CalSTRS investment officer; John Babcock, partner, Rustic Canyon; and Jon Naimon, founder and managing partner, Light Green Advisors.

The political winds in Washington D.C. shifted in November. Just when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was expanding its powers to regulate carbon emissions in lieu of comprehensive federal legislation, the U.S. House of Representatives moved the “Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011,” which would effectively strip the EPA of the power to regulate carbon emissions under the authority of the Federal Clean Air Act.  After the jump is an exclusive op-ed with California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, who details the consequences of such legislation.

Jim Kelly, senior vice president of Regulatory and Environmental Policy for Southern California Edison, details the fun and frustration of the process of building-out a smart electricity grid for California electricity consumers.