As Congress takes its Memorial Day recess in the week ahead, the California Energy Commission will hold a workshop May 30 on forecasting electricity and natural gas consumption and peak demand for 2014-2024.

The 10-year forecast will be part of the Integrated Energy Policy Report that the commission must submit every two years to the governor. Additional workshops are planned through August, before a final report is released sometime in October and adopted in November, the commission said.

The report will make energy policy recommendations based on energy assessments and forecasts, with "the intent of conserving resources, protecting the environment, providing reliable energy, enhancing the state's economy, and protecting public health and safety," the commission said.

In addition to discussing the 10-year forecast, the workshop will cover potential energy efficiency measures and impacts climate change may have on demand.

On May 31, the commission also will hold a workshop on "Challenges to Procuring Biomethane in California." The commission said input during the workshop from statekholders, industry experts, and the public will be used in the development of a Bioenergy Action Plan.

National Academies Workshop

The National Academies will hold workshop May 30-31 in Washington, D.C., on "Risks of Unconventional Shale Gas Development." The workshop will cover public health impacts, risks to water resources, implications for climate change, and other issues related to shale gas development that potentially pose risks.

Agencies to Hold Webinars

On May 29, the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership will hold a webinar on "Onsite Renewables: Lessons Learned from Idea to Implementation." The webinar will feature two EPA Green Power Partners, SC Johnson and Coca-Cola, that have implemented on-site projects powered by landfill gas and wind, respectively.

"Biomass and the Military" will be the subject of a Department of Energy webinar May 29. Staff members will discuss joint efforts between DOE and the Navy to use biopower and biofuels in military vehicles.

The U.S. Geographical Survey's National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center will hold a webinar May 30 on "The Impacts of Climate Change and Melting Glaciers on Coastal Ecosystems in the Near-shore Waters of the Gulf of Alaska." 

Energy, Climate Events

The United States Energy Association will hold its annual meeting and a public forum May 30 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Several industry speakers will be featured along with Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Philip Moeller and Christopher Smith, DOE principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary for fossil energy.

On May 29, the American Enterprise Institute will hold a discussion in Washington, D.C., on "Solar Radiation Management: An Evolving Climate Policy Option." Solar radiation management is a type of geo-engineering in which temperature increases are offset by reflecting a small percentage of the sun's light back into space, for example by adding reflective particles to the upper atmosphere to reflect incoming sunlight back into space.