| Time | Agenda Item | Location |
|---|---|---|
| THURSDAY: MARCH 7th, 2024 | ||
| 8:00am | Introductions and Opening Remarks | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| Session 1: Industrial Decarbonization of Appalachia Panelists will discuss the barriers and opportunities facing industry as they develop strategies and goals to transition to clean energy solutions and reduce carbon emissions, including potential impacts to job creation and other economic and environmental benefits to the region. | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B | |
| 8:30am | Plenary Talk 1: Louie Krak Energy Infrastructure Coordinator; PA Dept. of Environmental Protection | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 9:00am | Panel Moderator: Colby Hall Executive Director; Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Panelists: Bob Jewell Associate Director; University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) Louie Krak Energy Infrastructure Coordinator; PA Dept. of Environmental Protection Aron Patrick Head of Research & Development; PPL Corporation Shibani Shinde Patil CEO; Appalachian Renewal Technologies, LLC Amanda Woodrum Co-Director; ReImagine Appalachia | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 10:30am | Networking Break | |
| Session 2: Nuclear Power in Appalachia Companies in this region face unique challenges to meet the needs and increasing demands of their residential and commercial customers, while also working to hit net-zero target goals. Panelists will discuss their approaches and share best practices and lessons learned from their decarbonization efforts with a focus on nuclear power generation in Appalachia. | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B | |
| 10:45am | Plenary Talk 2: Glenn Davis Director, Virginia Department of Energy | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 11:15am | Panel Moderator: April Wade Executive Director of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (VNEC); Founder and President of Wade Strategic Communications (WSC) Panelists: Andrew Campbell Transformative Innovation Initiatives; Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Glenn Davis Director, Virginia Department of Energy Jeff Olson Vice President of Business Development & Finance; Kairos Power Benjamin Reinke Vice President, Global Business Development and Advisor to the CEO; X-Energy Curtis Sharpe International Representative; IBEW Tenth District | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 12:30pm | Working Lunch Guest Speaker: Crystal E. Wilkinson Poet and University of Kentucky Professor Crystal E. Wilkinson will read from her latest book, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. Professor Wilkinson is a recent fellowship recipient of the Academy of American Poets, and she was Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of Kentucky where she is a Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professor. | Magnolia Jr. Ballroom (1st Floor) |
| Session 3: Sustainable Utilization of Appalachian Resources From timber to minerals, extraction and utilization of natural resources is a critical element of the regional economy, impacting everything from power generation to industrial manufacturing. Panelists will discuss efforts to reduce carbon emissions and waste in these sectors, while developing ways to positively impact the environment and communities they serve and operate in. | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B | |
| 2:00pm | Plenary Talk 3: Greg Meade Cumberland Forest Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 2:30pm | Panelists: Dr. Evan Blumer OsoMono, LTD / CONSOL Energy Brad Clark Director of Workforce Solutions; Edelen Renewables Dr. Neeraj Gupta Technical Director for Carbon Management; Battelle Ushakar Jha Vice President, Project Engineering; Rye Development Greg Meade Cumberland Forest Project Manager; The Nature Conservancy (TNC) | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 4:15pm | Networking Break | |
| 5:00pm | Reception | Magnolia Jr. Ballroom (1st Floor) |
| 5:30pm | Bourbon Tasting and Special Speaker Dr. Seth DeBolt Director of the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits | Magnolia Jr. Ballroom (1st Floor) |
| 6:00pm | Dinner | Magnolia Jr. Ballroom (1st Floor) |
| FRIDAY: MARCH 8th, 2024 | ||
| Session 4: Resiliency in Appalachia Climate impacts, from floods to wildfires, are increasing across Appalachia. On this panel you’ll hear from: a climate scientist at ORNL about the latest modeling on the risk of weather-related events in the region; state and local officials in Kentucky about the response to the 2022 flood in Kentucky; and community perspectives from West Virginia and Virginia about disaster preparedness and recovery strategies, especially in socially vulnerable communities. | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B | |
| 9:00am | Plenary Talk 4: Rebecca Goodman, Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary; State of Kentucky | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 9:30am | Panel Moderator: Eric Dixon Senior Research; Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI) Panelists: Nicole Dias Conservation Coordinator; Coalfield Development Amanda Killen New Economy Program Coordinator; Appalachian Voices Jeff Noble Breathitt County Judge/Executive; KCJEA Kenya Stump Executive Director; Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Peter Thornton Section Head for Earth Systems Science, Director of Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 10:45am | Review of Discussions | Grand Kentucky Ballroom: Salons A/B |
| 12:00pm | Adjourn Box Lunches Provided | Pre-Function Area |