January 2019 WIA Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes

January 11, 2019

PUBLIC BOARD MEETING

7:00 a.m.

• Roll-call, Establish Quorum  
  • Board Members: Mark Stege, Ken Miller, Mike Easley, Dave Sparks, and Don Collins
  • WIA Staff: Jason Begger, Sarah Young, Jami Blosmo and Briana Long
• Approve Agenda
  • Ken Moves
  • Mike Seconds
  • Agenda Approved
• Approve Minutes
  • KenMoves
  • Don Seconds
  • Minutes Approved
• Approve Financial Report – Jami
  • Jami has a meeting next Monday with MHP to review ITC transactions 0 booked monthly for accrual basis
  • Meet with Jonah Bank to discuss investments for ITC funds
  • Don Moves
  • Mike Seconds
  • Financial Report Approved
• New Business
  
  • Governor Gordon
    • No energy/natural resource staff yet – plans to rely on agencies for the time being
  • State of the State Update
    • A couple of news articles were published after he spoke about coal exports
      • Gov. mentioned the ITC, energy office and carbon capture
  • JCoal/KHI
    • Conducting a feasibility study
    • Planning to make a pitch to the Ministry of Environment soon
    • Try to arrange a phone call between Governor Gordon and JCoal/KHI with the new administration
    • WIA potentially will plan trip to Japan for 2019
  • Legislature
    • Energy Authority
      • Looking at making some improvements/change via amendments
      • The legislation is like to go to committee as soon as next week
      • Introduced to the Senate Wednesday, 1/9
      • Oil and gas community fears of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission being pulled into this authority mostly eased
      • Jason will speak next Wednesday afternoon at the Petroleum Association meeting to walk them through the bill
    • Low-carbon pilot funding
    • On Thursday we will be doing our annual luncheon with the legislature
      • Will be giving an update on various projects
        • MTR, TDA, and UK are all new since last year, JCoal has been updated.
  • Sarah will slowly be coming back to work
    • Starting again part-time next week
    • Back full-time in March
• Old Business
  • Energy Conference
    • March 27th-29th
    • Location: Snow King
    • Topic ideas
      1. Godby update on communication impacts
         • Mark mentioned this might be helpful
      2. EnergyFairness.org
         • Confirmed topic at conference
      3. RMP and PCW updates
         • Also confirmed topic
      4. Scott Smouse from DOE and Carlos Fernandez Alvarez, Chairman of the IEA Coal Market Group on global coal market dynamics, issues and opportunities
      5. IEA authors for the IEA WEO 2018 to discuss transformations in the energy sector
      6. NREL
      7. An update on how people are using the latest 45Q federal legislation and opportunities to improve
      8. Community Solar Project from Jackson
         • Suggested by Ken
      9. SER update
         • Suggested by Mike
      10. Update on Carbon Fiber Project
          • Suggested by Don
          • 1/3 years complete
  • ITC
    • University of Kentucky came out in early December to look at doing a large-scale project at the ITC
      • Traditional solvent-based capture system
      • If both UK and MTR make it to phase III, we can look into splitting the test center
    • TDA
      • Small skid they are looking to test this spring
      • Membrane and sorbent system
      • Currently working on permits
    • XPRIZE
      • Still a challenge – many teams still not fully funded
      • No final designs in place, no DEQ permits started, no construction started
      • Facing delays
      • They have reached out to get teams back in Wyoming – Will suggested we focus on getting them phone meetings with DEQ
      • Might decrease the scale requirement to make the competition not require as much funding
      • New XPRIZE finalist
        • A space opened in Canada so CarbonCure moved since they were producing too much concrete for Gillette’s market
        • New team, Dimensional, photo-catalytic conversion of CO2 to methanol
• Public Comment Opportunity
  • No members of the public present
• Adjournment
  • Ken moves
  • Don seconds
  • Meeting Adjourned