Know Your Regulator

The cleantech industry has the potential to be a major economic driver for the United States and is already one of the largest venture capital investment categories. However, the development into cleantech must be cultivated carefully and environmental regulations must accompany public policy. Developers of cleantech products and services often need to respond to environmental compliance or government policies that require particular performance characteristics. Environmental regulations can assist in streamlining and expediting permitting, providing interconnection standards for distributed generation, encouraging Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), and provide a framework for geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, cleantech innovations in nanomaterials, biodegradable materials, battery materials, recycling technologies, packaging, water purification, and air filtration systems will necessitate development of regulations to spur the growth of the cleantech industry. Additional examples that require the application of environmental regulation include establishing regional emissions targets, new environmental standards for constructions of green buildings, and requirements for reformulation of fuels. The growing clean energy economy is driven by an energy market that is influenced by regional, federal, and international standards. Additionally, many states have passed initiatives to recruit green businesses, and many have passed laws mandating or encouraging clean energy technology development. This has caused a complexity of compliance to mushroom and many of these initiatives are wrapped in newly minted, and largely untested, regulations. This panel session will address the vision for environmental regulations in the cleantech industry. Panelists will address questions on regulatory steps, state-specific programs, and relationships between new cleantech markets with regulations. Moreover, the panel will discuss agencies and law firms in the city of Austin and in the state of Texas that can help guide cleantech entrepreneurs through the environmental regulations process. Topics will include:

• *  What is a regulation and how does it apply to individuals, businesses, state or local governments, and non-profit institutions?
• * When are regulations needed? Why must innovative technologies attain permits in order to grow to pilot-scale and production-scale?
• * Who are the environmental regulators and what are the state-specific regulation programs?
• * What are the steps involved in the process of developing environmental regulations?
• * What are that are the major factors that must accounted for when creating regulations that are scientifically sound, cost-effective, fair, and successful in achieving environmental goals?
• * When is traditional “command and control” regulation unnecessary or inappropriate?
• * What are the existing laws and Executive Orders (E.O.s) that influence environmental protection?
• * How can tightening environmental regulation spur growth for the emerging cleantech industry?
• * What can clean energy interest groups and industries and state and local government do to get involved with creating new regulations or participate in efforts leading towards better regulation?
• * How can developing, adopting, and implementing environmental regulations create new markets for cleantech?

Event Details

About the CleanTX Forum

The CleanTX Forum provides the networking and environment for professionals interested in learning more about clean technologies and building the Texas clean technology community. Our mission is to promote entrepreneurship in the field of clean technology and renewable energy in Texas, by providing a forum for executives, entrepreneurs, investors and analysts to share real-world experiences, opportunities, and challenges in the field. The CleanTX Forum will also schedule ad hoc events when clean technology leaders are available to travel to Texas. We will also announce and support workshops, provide demonstrations of new technologies in the community, deliver leading clean technology content, and highlight Texas’ growing list of clean technology successes.

For more information, visit www.cleantx.org