Plenary Session

Read The Climate Center CEO Ellie Cohen’s opening remarks

See the plenary agenda on Eventleaf

Plenary Panel Slides

• Alicia Rivera, Communities for a Better Environment slides (PDF)

Breakout Sessions

Please note that the transcripts provided below are AI-generated and intended for reference. They may contain missing words, misspellings, or other small errors. To request a correction or clarification, please contact info@theclimatecenter.org. Only the speakers with “PDF” after their organization below provided slides.

California’s Energy Future

Solving the Electricity Affordability Crisis in California	Panel transcript Moderator: Kurt Johnson, The Climate Center Adria Tinnin, The Utility Reform Network (PDF) Edson Perez, Advanced Energy United (PDF) Roger Lin, Center for Biological Diversity (PDF)
Virtual Power Plants, Microgrids, and California’s Grid for the Future	Panel transcript Moderator: Alexandra McGee, MCE Gregg Fishman, SMUD (PDF) Alex Ricklefs, Clean Power Alliance (PDF) Samer Fakhro, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (PDF) Tim Frank, Construction Trades Workforce Initiative
Using Bidirectional EVs to Build a More Resilient, Reliable Grid	Panel transcript Moderator: Zach Woogen, Vehicle-Grid Integration Council (PDF) Vincent Weyl, California Energy Commission (PDF) Anna Bella Korbatov, Fermata Energy (PDF) Maya Iñigo–Anderson, Communities for a Better Environment (PDF)

Phasing Out Polluting Fuels

The Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery Closure: A Test Case for Justice in Transition	Panel transcript Moderator: Veronica Wilson, Labor Network for Sustainability Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, California State Assembly Alicia Rivera and Julia May, Communities for a Better Environment (PDF) Gary Holloway, USW Local 675
Securing a Polluters Pay Climate Superfund	Panel transcript Moderator: Sara Shor, Fossil Free Media Jason Pfeifle, Center for Biological Diversity and Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, California EnviroVoters  (PDF) Kylie Baranowski, Assemblymember Dawn Addis
Designing California’s Transportation Fuels Transition Plan for Success	Panel transcript Moderator: Shruti Sarode, UC Berkeley Law Connie Cho, APEN (PDF) Quentin Gee, CEC (PDF) Tim Frank, Construction Trades Workforce Initiative

Carbon Drawdown

Biomass Happens: Can We Safely and Cost-Effectively Sequester Carbon?	Panel transcript Moderator: Bob Epstein, Project 2030 (PDF) Elizabeth Betancourt, California Department of Conservation (PDF) Dan Ress, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (PDF) Colin Murphy, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (PDF) Thomas Hobby, Yosemite Clean Energy (PDF)
How Nature-Based Solutions Can Make Communities Resilient to Climate Impacts	Panel transcript Moderator: Dan Kalb, Civicwell Virginia Jameson, California Department of Food and Agriculture (PDF) Ryan Burnett, Point Blue Conservation Science (PDF) Alejandra Chiesa, Green Schoolyards America
California Set Nature-Based Solutions Targets. Now What?	Panel transcript Moderator: Clesi Bennett, California Natural Resources Agency (PDF) Sydney Chamberlin, The Nature Conservancy (PDF) Erika Lovejoy, Sustainable Conservation (PDF) Breanna Owens, Carbon Cycle Institute (PDF)

Cap and Trade Reauthorization, Reform, and a Revenue Plan	Panel transcript Moderator: Jasmin Ansar, The Climate Center (PDF) Katherine Valenzuela, Everyday Impact Consulting (PDF) Lolly Lim, The Greenlining Institute (PDF) Michael Wara, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment (PDF) Barbara Haya, UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy (PDF)
Reducing Inequity and Improving Health Through Clean Energy Appliances	Panel transcript Moderator: Vicki Veenker, Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board Beckie Menten, Building Decarbonization Coalition (PDF) Greg Nudd, Bay Area Air District (PDF) Anthony Eulo, Silicon Valley Clean Energy (PDF) Viet Tran, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Advanced Geothermal Energy Systems: Ultra-Low-Emission Electricity With Benefits for Labor and Communities	Panel transcript Moderator: Charlene Wardlow, CalGEM (PDF) Sarah Harper, Fervo Energy (PDF) Miles Horton, Sonoma Clean Power Matt Cremins, CA-NV Conference of Operating Engineers