The Lot Sixteen Blog
How a Hill Staffer Navigated the Shift to Energy Lobbyist
In this short Q&A, Kellie Donnelly, Lot Sixteen EVP and General Counsel and a well-known name in the energy sector in Washington, D.C., talks career building in the nation’s capital, advice she’s taken and given over the years, and some of the harder parts of transitioning from the Hill into a lobbyist role.
Permitting Reform – More to Come This Congress?
President Joe Biden signed legislation lifting the debt ceiling for two years and making modest changes to the National Environmental Policy Act. Since the deal was announced, we’ve been pessimistic that there’s enough oxygen left on Capitol Hill for a purported second bite at the permitting apple that members from both parties have insisted is in the cards. We’re still skeptical of the odds for more permitting reform in the 118th Congress, but we are also more optimistic after surveying the post-debt deal landscape over the past week.
Climate Change Policies in a Changing Political Climate
Up this week: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) debt limit bill includes permitting, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) rollbacks as threat of default looms and the European Union (EU) approves new carbon border tax. Here’s what you need to know.
South Africa’s Energy Crisis is a Stress Test for the Global Energy Transition
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing one of his toughest challenges yet as Africa’s most advanced economy buckles under the pressure from the country’s deepening energy crisis. The South African government has declared a state of national disaster to address the crisis, and accelerating the growth of South Africa’s nascent renewable energy industry features prominently among proposed solutions.
Perplexing Policy Paradoxes
After scoring some major legislative victories in its first two years, the Biden administration's climate agenda is running headfirst into political realities in year three – exposing divisions and contradictions that are manifesting themselves in the congressional agenda.
The GOP ❤︎’s Carbon Tariffs
In case you've missed it, no fewer than three Republican senators are working on legislation that would create a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). After years of deriding Democrats for offering overly complicated cap-and-trade schemes and other command-and-control regulations to reduce carbon emissions, it's notable that Republicans are moving ahead with their own equally complex proposals that aim to tackle climate change.
The 118th Congress: Who to Watch
It was obvious from the point when it took Rep Kevin McCarthy 15 roll call votes to win the Speakership that the 118th Congress was getting off to a rocky start.
Only time will tell whether Congressional members can work across the aisle and enact policies that support, strengthen and benefit Americans. We’ll be watching carefully.
But in the meantime, we thought it might be interesting to take a look at a few of the interesting people, pairings and personalities that will make – or break – the 118th Congress.
Puerto Rico’s Clean Energy Future
Last week, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made her third visit to Puerto Rico, focusing much needed attention on the island’s ailing electric grid. As a former Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, I thought it was worth using the Secretary’s visit as an opportunity to look back at how the island’s grid challenges have evolved over the last few years as a guide to point us toward a more successful future.
Driving the Energy Transition with the Nation’s Largest Electric Bus Charging Depot
Alongside a fleet of electric buses that gently hummed under towering canopies of solar panels, Biden administration officials, federal, state and local policymakers, and corporate leaders gathered on a chilly, wet Monday morning to celebrate a milestone in sustainable transportation: the official launch of the first microgrid to power electric buses in the Washington region.
Climate Policy: What’s Next for a Divided Congress?
With the approaching midterms and the very real possibility that Republicans will control one or both chambers in the 118th Congress, what are the next steps on energy and environmental issues, and how can the parties work collaboratively to reach agreement? To help answer that question, Kellie Donnelly, previously the Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, recently joined “Unpacking Republican Energy and Environmental Policy,” a panel discussion hosted by Columbia University.
What’s it Like Interning in the Nation’s Capital?
What’s it Like Interning in the Nation’s Capital?
Four key takeaways from Lot Sixteen’s summer interns and fellows
A Turning Point for U.S. Climate Policy?
A Turning Point for U.S. Climate Policy?
The Inflation Reduction Act and the Democrats’ unprecedented investment into clean energy may actually be big and broad enough to help usher in a new post-partisan era on climate policy. An early test may be how the parties negotiate permitting reform.
Successful Deployment of Hydrogen Technology Will Require Clear Regulations and an Efficient Permitting Process
Lot Sixteen VP Bud DeFlaviis’ Op-Ed Puts a Spotlight on the Future of Hydrogen Technology.
Global Crisis Preparation: A Discussion
Lot Sixteen VP Jennifer M. Storipan Discusses Global Crisis Preparation
Lot Sixteen Lends a Hand
The Lot Sixteen team banded together for a day of volunteer service in support of the Capital Area Food Bank.
Suddenly, Hydrogen is Hot Again
Earlier reports of hydrogen’s death were greatly exaggerated.
After the News Cycle Ends, We’re Still Black
While the injustice that black people suffer is most visible when police brutality dominates news headlines, a more insidious iteration of it presents itself everyday in American professional life.
Nick Offerman Encourages Vaccinations on Capitol Hill
What do you get when you cross a beloved television character, an earnest American small business owner and an important cause? A lot of good, it turns out!
A Night to Support the Anti-Plastic Movement
Having spent the past year working remotely, Lot Sixteen employees have definitely missed each other.