Barry Ingold

For most of the summer, unrelenting and record-breaking heat has been scorching large portions of the nation. From California to the Southeast, millions of Americans have been baking in tandoori oven-like heat. They are being urged to limit their outdoor activities and seek relief in air-conditioned places, including homes, shopping malls and public libraries. Utilities, and those who worry about the effects of losing electricity, have been on tenterhooks. Heat is statistically the leading killer of elderly people in the United States. If the electric supply fails, those deaths spike. The performance of utilities under the heat dome is rapidly becoming the stuff of heroic legend. The United States Energy Association (USEA) will hold a press briefing on Zoom — another in its virtual press briefing series — on Tuesday, August 1, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time to look at the performance of the utilities this summer, and the lessons for the future for the United States and the world. As usual, a panel of experts will answer questions from a panel of reporters who cover energy. Mark Menezes, USEA president and CEO, will welcome the panels and the audience, and will explain the work of the association. Journalist Llewellyn King has organized the briefing and will moderate it.   EXPERTS: Michael Bryson, Senior Vice President – Operations, PJM Interconnection Barry Ingold, Chief Operating Officer, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Lanny Nickell, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Southwest Power Pool Morgan Scott, Director for Climate READi (REsilience and ADaptation initiative), Sustainability & Ecosystem Stewardship, EPRI REPORTERS: Markham Hislop, Energi, Canada Ken Silverstein, Forbes Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal Herman Trabish, Utility Dive The general audience can submit questions using the Zoom Q&A function, but members of the media will be given preference.  A recording will be made available after the briefing.