Clean Energy

IS PART OF IOWA AND

AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE

Join us for the Iowa Conservative

Energy Dialogue!

Tuesday, June 18, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

World Food Prize Hall of Laureates

100 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309

The Iowa Conservative Energy Dialogue brings together energy industry leaders and advocates, state and local elected officials, and candidates to hear the latest on the economic impacts, policy perspectives, and emerging technologies in the clean energy space.

The Iowa Conservative Energy Forum Team Invites You to Attend!

David Oman, Senior Advisor

Ray Gaesser, Chair

Nick Boeyink, Executive Director

Thomas Bean, Program Director

Questions? Contact: Nick Boeyink, Executive Director - 563.260.4545 |nick@iowacef.org

Lunch, refreshments, and snacks will be served.

Please register no later than June 13th.

Speaker line-up:

Dr. Ernie Goss, Economist, Creighton University

Dr. Ernie Goss is the director of the Institute for Economic Inquiry and a professor of economics at Creighton University Heider College of Business where he holds the Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics. As an economist, Dr. Goss is a highly respected, nationally-known expert on the mid-American economy who can articulate how regional economic situations can impact the nation or the world – and vice versa. He is a trusted voice who is often tapped by government and business leaders, economists and the press to shed light on economic issues and trends in terms the average person can understand. He is often a leader in public policy debates, both regionally and nationally.

Benji Backer, Founder & Executive Chairman of the American Conservation Coalition

Benji Backer is the Executive Chairman and Founder of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), the largest right-of-center environmental organization in the country, and the author of The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future. A proud graduate of the University of Washington, Benji has been awarded the Fortune 40 Under 40, Forbes 30 Under 30, GreenBiz 30 Under 30, and Grist 50. He serves as a Board member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Climate Change Commission, the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum, and BridgeUSA. A frequent contributor to national media outlets, Benji is one of the leading youth environmental voices in the country. Above all, Backer is an avid outdoorsman who spends most of his free time in the mountains out West.

Waylon Brown, Commerce Committee Chairman - Iowa Senate

Senator Waylon Brown is an Iowa State Senator from the 30th District. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa Senate since 2016. Brown is a farmer and a small businessman who owns a construction company, also serving as the Vice President of the Mitchell County, Iowa Farm Bureau Board. He currently resides in St. Ansgar, Iowa, with his wife Julie and two children.

Jeremy Bries, Director of Nuclear Projects - Pacificorp

As a nuclear energy sector leader, Jeremy has spent more than two decades of his career in nuclear operations and development. Currently serving as the Director of Nuclear Projects for PacifiCorp, he leads his utility’s nuclear development activities as well as preparing the Mountain West workforce and communities for a coal-to-nuclear transition. As an operator-turned-developer, he is uniquely poised to serve the needs of both utility and industrial clients, as well as navigating the mostly uncharted water of nuclear development as the industry looks to potentially deploy 300 GW of advanced nuclear by 2050. Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University, is a father of six children, and is active in his family’s church and the Illinois foster care system.

Agenda:

9:00 AM – Doors Open & Networking Breakfast

10:00 AM – Welcome from the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum

10:15 AM – Opening Remarks
- Ambassador Terry Branstad

10:30 AM – Iowa: A Renewable Energy Juggernaut
- Dr. Ernie Goss, Economist – Creighton University

11:30 AM – Catered Lunch

12:00 PM – Keynote Speaker
- Benji Backer, Founder & Executive Chairman – American Conservation Coalition

1:00 PM – The Future of Nuclear Energy
- Waylon Brown, Commerce Committee Chairman – Iowa Senate
- Jeremy Bries – Director of Nuclear Project – PacifiCorp

2:00 PM – Local Energy Siting Expert Panel
- Corey Eberling, APEX Clean Energy & Former Franklin Co. Supervisor
- Dave Johnson, Howard County Landowner
- Harry Finch, Invenergy
- Kathy Law, Nyemaster Goode, P.C.
- Corey Wilkinson, ITC Midwest
- Joshua Byrnes, Iowa Utilities Board

Thank you to our event sponsors!