The Current

Join the discussion this week to learn about energy transition, just transition and what the energy industry is doing as it adapts. Brad discusses what is currently happening within the industry and what is coming on the horizon. To provide expert industry insights Brad is joined by Mallory Huggins, a senior project director at the Keystone Policy center. 

This week, Brad dives into the world of crypto mining and how energy plays a critical role in the rise of this technology. To understand how blockchain and cryptocurrencies work, and their relationship with electricity use, Brad is joined by Thomas Mapes, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Chamber of Digital Commerce, and Fred Thiel, Chairman & CEO at Marathon Digital Holdings.

Over the course of the pandemic, we all became familiar with the saying “we're in this together.” Power companies stepped up in unexpected ways to support customers and invest in communities they serve. One company that stood out was DTE Energy. The Current highlighted DTE’s partnership with Detroit early in the pandemic to provide Detroit school students laptops and internet connections to s...

Transportation electrification is undergoing a revolution as demand increases for private and commercial EV options. However, expanding access to charging infrastructure will require untangling a web of regulatory hurdles spanning different states and different regulatory jurisdictions. In this episode of The Current, Brad unpacks how the electric power and transportation industries are collaborat...

LIHEAP, or the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, has helped millions of Americans struggling to pay electricity bills, especially since the pandemic. Joining Brad to explain LIHEAP’s importance for struggling families and how the program has evolved is Katrina Metlzer, Executive Director of the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC), and Theresa Kullen, Manager of the...

Can Democrats save the Build Back Better plan? Supreme Court politics and other legislative priorities are taking up precious time in the legislative calendar before the midterms, but President Biden and Democrats remain hopeful that components of BBB can pass. EEI’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Eric Grey, sits down with Brad to discuss what vehicles are available to pass the energy compo...

In our first episode of 2022, Brad talks about nuclear energy with Beverly Marshall, Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). Nuclear energy is at an inflection point, as policymakers and companies increasingly rely on its potential to decarbonize the economy and meet ESG goals. Bev talks about recent developments in nuclear and how federal and state action are...

This week, Brad sits down with Lon Huber, Vice President of Rate Design and Strategic Solutions at Duke Energy. Lon and Duke Energy recently entered into The South Carolina Solar Choice Settlement. The settlement – and the proceeding that led to the settlement’s outcome – was unique compared to others. Lon lays out how parties were able to put aside differences and formulate an innovative rate des...

We all grew up hearing “think globally, act locally” when it comes to environmental issues. Who is better positioned to do that than our own mayors and local officials? This week, we have the honor of being joined by the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Melvin Carter, who has pushed building code updates and transportation electrification projects in his city. Mayor Carter discusses those and other...

This week, we’re celebrating National Drive Electric Week by sitting down with Dan Bowerson, Senior Director of Energy and Environment at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. Dan shares with us the car industry’s perspectives on the electric vehicle (EV) landscape, what needs to happen on the policy and consumer levels to accelerate EV deployment, and how the automotive and electric power indus...

Congress returns from the August recess with an eye toward passing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, which received overwhelming bipartisan support in August, and the more controversial $3.5 trillion budget. This week, Brad sits down with Capitol Hill expert Bob Russell, Partner at the Simmons & Russell Group, to help break down the infrastructure bill, budget reconciliation, and the p...

From expanding cleaner energy resources to enhancing grid reliability, state policymakers are at the center of shaping how electricity is generated and delivered. Tim Fox, Vice President & Research Analyst at ClearView Energy Partners, sits down with Brad this week to walkthrough the different policy approaches red and blue states are implementing toward the electric power industry. 

July 10 is Lineworker Appreciation Day. To celebrate the men and women who brave the elements in and around hazardous conditions to keep the power on, Brad sits down with three guests to discuss the training and day-to-day work that confront lineworkers and the ways the trade is evolving and diversifying. Joining Brad is a panel of experts on the trade: Shannon Skinner – Foreman with NV Energy and...

On this week’s episode, The Current sat down for our very first interview on the social media platform Clubhouse to discuss the February winter storms that struck the South. Texas electricity consumers were particularly hit hard, with millions of Texans going without power in freezing temperatures for days. It could have been worse. The grid was just minutes away from being wiped out. The storm re...

Cyberattacks are expanding and becoming ever more sophisticated, and the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in May highlighted the scale to which these attacks can penetrate critical infrastructure and upend millions of Americans’ lives. Joining Brad this week to discuss the attack and what policymakers – and companies – need to be doing to prevent and respond to cyberthreats is former Texas c...

In this special edition of The Current, Brad sits down with three guests to discuss the different ways that government agencies and electric power companies prepare for and respond to wildfires. Jessica Gardetto, Chief of the Office of External Affairs at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), gives insights into the challenges of firefighting and how local and federal agencies coordinate wi...

Brad sits down this week with Ralph Cleveland, Interim President and CEO of American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), to discuss AABE’s policy focus and its upcoming national conference, taking place virtually on May 25-27. The theme of this year’s conference is “Connecting the Dots,” and speakers include an array of experts from business, academia, and politics to speak about emerging poli...

Todd Manuel, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Transformation at EEI, joins Brad to discuss what initiatives member companies are taking to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the ranks of the electric power industry, and how last summer’s racial justice events impacted the industry. 

Bhavani Amirthalingam, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer at Ameren Services, joins Brad to discuss the intersection between the electric power industry and telecommunications and what steps the industry is taking to boost access to broadband and the evolving smart grid. 

This week, Brad discusses the electric industry’s priorities with the new Congress and the Biden administration, particularly as they relate to clean energy. Joining Brad is Emily Fisher, General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Clean Energy at EEI, who will discuss the issues facing the larger industry. Sarah Venuto, Vice President of Public Policy at Duke Energy, will provide perspective on...

This week, Brad sits down with Brian Wolff, Executive Vice President of Policy & External Affairs at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), to discuss the top policy priorities the electric power industry is watching with the new Biden administration and Congress, including Covid relief, infrastructure, broadband, clean energy legislation and much more. 

In our first episode of 2021, The Current dives deep into the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, a  framework that factors into which companies investors support. To talk about ESG, Brad is joined by Steve Fleishman, Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Wolfe Research, and Richard McMahon, Senior Vice President of Energy Supply and Finance at the Edison Electric Institute (E...

This week, Brad sits down with Sandra Safro, Partner at K&L Gates LLP. Sandi recently launched a hydrogen practice at her firm, and she joins The Current to discuss hydrogen as a source of energy and how it’s transforming industries. 

This week, Brad is joined by Eric Grey, Managing Director of Government Relations at EEI, to discuss the 2020 elections and what impact divided government may have on the Biden administration and federal policy-making.

This week, Brad is joined by Lawrence Jones, Vice President of International Programs at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), to discuss COVID-19’s global impact and how the electric industry is responding around the world.