Last week, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) brought together Washington’s leading energy voices in government, industry, advocacy and academia to kick off their Energy Leadership Summit.
With hundreds of attendees, the Summit was a smash hit. The Summit focused on the importance of embracing an all-of-the-above approach as we advance America First energy policies. The event included 4 policy panels, a keynote from U.S. Energy Association President & CEO Mark Menezes, and remarks from five members of Congress: Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa). Over the course of the day, over 250 people attended this first-of-a-kind event.
CRES President Heather Reams opened the event with remarks welcoming attendees and thanked CRES’s supporters for the ability to bring so many stakeholders together during such a crucial and busy time in Washington.
Following Reams, Reps. Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Chair and Vice-Chair the Conservative Climate Caucus respectively, delivered opening remarks discussing how President Trump, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have demonstrated their commitment to growing American-made, homegrown energy. Together, they emphasized the importance of pragmatic, pro-growth solutions to strengthen America’s energy future. Their leadership is helping bridge policy and innovation.
Then, CRES kicked off the first panel, titled “Let America Build: Permitting Reform to Unleash Energy Dominance,” moderated by Emily Domenech of Boundary Stone Partners. Joining her on the panel were representatives from the American Exploration and Production Council, South32, Pattern Energy and the Edison Electrical Institute. Together, they talked about federal permitting reform and the policies that can truly unlock homegrown energy resources while boosting U.S. economic and national security. All eyes now turn to Congress in 2025 for how this issue will play out.
Next, Christina Baworowsky, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at CRES, took the stage to moderate the second panel, “Accelerating Energy Abundance: The Role of Federal Tax Policy.” In a “smart-brevity” format, Christina held brief, in-depth conversations with each expert panelist about the role of certain tax credits in their industries. Panelists included Roger Martella of GE Vernova (45X), Erin Duncan of the Solar Energy Industries Association (45Y and 48E), Andrew Neil of the Nuclear Energy Institute (45U) and Sasha Mackler with ExxonMobil (45V and 45Q).
After a short networking break, CRES’ Director of Congressional Policy, Michael Yancey, introduced the manufacturing panel “Accelerating Innovation: Investing to Become a Manufacturing Superpower.” Joining moderator Marty Hall, Senior Policy Advisor at CRES, was Michael McAdams from the Advanced Biofuel Association, Jessica Olson from Topsoe and Mike Davin from the National Association of Manufacturers. Together, Marty led a compelling discussion about the challenges and opportunities to re-shoring American supply chains and ensuring the competitiveness of American manufacturing.
Following the manufacturing panel, Heather Reams returned to the stage and proudly introduced Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who talked about his work in Congress and the Conservative Climate Caucus. During his remarks, Rep. Carter also discussed how important it is to ensure smart energy policy is adopted to maintain American energy dominance and why it’s critical to remain ahead of adversarial nations like China.
After Rep. Carter spoke, CRES’s Jaime Werner, Vice President of External Relations, introduced the Summit’s keynote speaker, Mark Menezes, former Deputy Secretary of Energy under President Trump and now President and CEO of the United States Energy Association. Menezes spoke about the Trump Administration’s current progress on energy policy and the transformative action Secretaries Burgum and Wright have taken within the first 100 days.
Following Menezes, Reams returned to the stage to host the final “smart brevity” panel, “Future of Energy Is All-Of-The-Above.” This discussion explored how a balanced approach to energy will secure America’s energy dominance. Leaders from Westinghouse Electric Company (nuclear), Turn Forward (offshore wind), Fervo Energy (geothermal), Invenergy (renewables and energy infrastructure) and Electric Hydrogen (hydrogen) explored how a diversified national energy portfolio can make energy more affordable, more reliable and cleaner than ever.
Rep. Latta (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, followed the smart brevity panel and spoke at length about how clean energy tax credits are driving economic growth in his district and the importance of taking a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, to existing clean energy tax incentives. Many of the clean energy tax credits have been strong job creators across his district in northern Ohio. Rep. Latta highlighted the importance of incentives such as the 45X advanced manufacturing production tax credit.
After Rep. Latta, Sen. Curtis (R-Utah) joined Reams for an insightful conversation about reaching out to Republicans on climate and energy issues. Noting he won a crowded primary with 50 percent of the vote in a deep red state, he reiterated his success didn’t require ignoring climate issues. In fact, the Senator said that addressing clean energy head-on helped him to win. Curtis has been an integral part in changing the narrative when it comes to Republicans and climate policy.
Following Sen. Curtis, and finishing the Summit’s congressional remarks, Rep. Kiggans (R-Va.) spoke with Heather Reams about how her coastal district in eastern Virginia is benefiting from targeted clean energy tax credits. Kiggans noted that Virginia as whole has received more than $445 million in private investments supported by existing clean energy tax credits and, by 2035, clean energy investments are expected to contribute nearly $40 billion to Virginia’s economy. Furthermore, the Congresswoman explained how these investments are integral to ensuring America’s military installations are powered with affordable, reliable energy.
In closing, Reams thanked the Members and stakeholders for their attendance and thoughts on the future of American energy under the new Administration. The audience and speakers remained enthusiastically optimistic about the promise of advancing all-of-the-above policies and the undeniable economic benefits that are intertwined.
CRES is proud to partner with Members who understand the importance of advancing durable energy policies that support all forms of domestic production—and the critical role Republicans play in these conversations. As we look to the future, CRES will continue to advocate for these efforts to bolster American energy security, encourage economic growth and build a cleaner future for generations to come.
CRES is also grateful to our many supporters, especially our Platinum Supporters, Invenergy and Pattern Energy, our Gold Supporters ExxonMobil and PG&E, and our Silver Supporters, CIP, Crux, Electric Hydrogen, GE Vernova, Honeywell, Nexans, Ocean Winds and Topsoe. Their support makes our work and events like this possible!
If you are interested in being a supporter of CRES, please contact us at [email protected].