California Air Resources Board

The California Bioresources Economy Summit was held on January 29 & 30, 2019 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California, co-hosted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the University of California, Berkeley, and the California Air Resources Board. 

Speakers’ slide deck presentations are linked within the agenda below. 

Day 1 Agenda and Presentations

7:30 – 8:30 am              Registered Attendee Check-In

8:00 – 8:45 am              Continental Breakfast Sponsored by the California Life Sciences Association

8:45 – 9:00 am              Announcements from the Summit Facilitator

Floyd Vergara, Industrial Strategies Division Chief, California Air Resources Board 

9:00 – 9:45 am              Welcome & Keynote Address

Welcome: Dr. Glenda Humiston, Vice President, UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California

Introduction & Framing: Richard Corey, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board

Keynote: Dr. Mary Maxon, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

9:45 – 11:00 am             Session 1: Overview of Available Bioresources Information

Moderator: Dr. Corinne Scown, Staff Scientist/Engineer, Energy and Environmental Policy, LBNL

Speakers

• Dr. Kevin Fingerman, Assistant Professor, Energy and Climate, Humboldt State University
• Rachelle Hedges, Project and Policy Analyst, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, UC Berkeley
• Kyle Pogue, Environmental Program Manager, CalRecycle
• Angela Lottes, Assistant Deputy Director for Climate and Energy, CalFIRE  

11:00 – 11:10 am            Break

11:10 am – 12:25 pm     Session 2: Current and Future Technologies and Strategies

Moderator: Dr. Blake Simmons, Division Director, Biological Systems & Engineering, LBNL

Speakers

• Eric McAfee, Chairman/CEO, Aemetis  
• Dr. Jay Keasling, CEO and Director of New Pathways and Metabolic Models, Joint BioEnergy Institute; CSTO for Biosciences and Faculty Senior Scientist, LBNL
• Dr. Mark Philbrick, Waste-to-Energy Coordinator, Bioenergy Technologies Office, US Department of Energy  
• Eric Steen, CEO, Lygos

12:25 – 1:30 pm              Plant Based Products Council Announcement & Sponsored Networking Lunch

1:30 – 2:45 pm                Session 3: Learning from Global Experience

Moderator: Dr. Jack Saddler, Professor, Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia  

Speakers

• James Spaeth, Program Manager, US DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office, Advanced Development & Optimization
• Dr. Glaucia Souza, Full Professor, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Brazil
• Dr. Johanna Buchert, President/CEO, Luke Natural Resources Institute, Finland
• Dr. Sarah Teter, Senior Manager, Technology Scouting and Assessment, Novozymes

2:45 – 4:00 pm               Session 4: Learning from Biomass Supply Chains

Moderator: Dr. Stephen Kaffka, Director of the California Biomass Collaborative, Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis

Speakers

• Dr. Karen Lapsley, Chief Scientific Officer, Almond Board of California
• Jeff Welch, Vice President of Strategic Projects, Aemetis
• Steve Brink, Vice President of Public Resources, California Forestry Association
• Paul Relis, Senior Vice President, CR&R Incorporated

4:00 – 4:15 pm               Break

4:15 – 5:30 pm               Session 5: Regulatory and Technical Challenges

Moderator: Graham Noyes, Executive Director, Low Carbon Fuels Coalition

Speakers

• Julia Levin, Executive Director, Bioenergy Association of California 
• Lyle Schlyer, President, Calgren Renewable Fuels
• Dr. Howard Levenson, Deputy Director, Materials Management and Local Assistance, CalRecycle
• Shai Sahay, Senior Regulatory Counsel, POET

5:30 – 7:30 pm               Networking Reception Sponsored by the Almond Board of California

Refreshments and networking with policymakers, bioresources experts, technology innovators, researchers, and community leaders

Day 2 Agenda and Presentations 

7:45 – 8:30 am              Hot Breakfast Sponsored by the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition

8:30 – 8:45 am              Announcements

8:45 – 9:00 am              Welcome and Introductions

Dr. David Ackerly, Dean, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley

9:00 – 10:25 am            Session 6: Financing, Incentives, and Market Development

Moderator: Christopher Hessler, Founder, AJW Inc. (Slides are combined for all speakers.)

Speakers

• Laurie ten Hope, Deputy Director, Research & Development Division, California Energy Commission
• Rohit Shukla, CEO, Larta Institute
• Ted Kniesche, Vice President of Business Development, Fulcrum Bioenergy
• Jeff Passmore, CEO, Passmore Group, Inc.

10:25 – 10:40 am          Break

10:40 am – 12:15 pm    Session 7: Effective Governance and Stewardship

Co-Moderator: Dean Florez, Board Member, California Air Resources Board; President & CEO, Balance Public Relations, Inc.; Former California State Senator

Co-Moderator: Kevin Hamilton, CEO, Central California Asthma Collaborative 

Speakers

• Dr. Louise Bedsworth, Executive Director, California Strategic Growth Council
• Michael Boccadoro, President, West Coast Advisors
• Jana Ganion, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs, Blue Lake Rancheria
• Nayamin Martinez, Director, Central California Environmental Justice Network
• Samir Sheikh, Air Pollution Control Officer, San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District

12:15 – 12:45 pm         Summary and Call to Action

Speaker

• Ashley Conrad-Saydah, Deputy Secretary for Climate Policy, California Environmental Protection Agency  

12:45 – 12:50 pm         Closing Remarks