Policies & Additional Information

Please register for the Academy and reserve your lodging as soon as possible. CNEE is providing lodging at the Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center in Breckenridge, CO from Tuesday, July 18 through Friday, July 21.

If Participants wish to arrive earlier or stay through the weekend, they are free to do so at their own expense. Please note arrival and departure dates on the registration form, and CNEE will make those arrangements with the Resort (longer stays are based on availability). Payment for extra nights will be made by Participant at time of check-in.

Some rooms in the Beaver Run Resort have a small set stairs up to the bedrooms; please note on your registration form if you need a room without stairs. Keep in mind that Breckenridge has an altitude of 9600 feet, so please plan accordingly. 

CNEE will email your hotel confirmations along with additional logistical information in early July.

CNEE will provide light appetizers for the opening reception and dinner on Tuesday. CNEE will also provide breakfast and lunch on Wednesday (Wednesday’s dinner is on your own), breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Thursday, and breakfast on Friday. CNEE is unable to cover any additional meal costs incurred. If the participant needs special meal accommodations, these should be noted on the initial registration form.    

Because we want to encourage productivity throughout the entire conference, additional guests are not permitted to come to meals. This is to encourage break and meal time to be used for the purposes of networking and strategizing with other legislators. The goal of the Academy is that even at meals, attendees are creating meaningful connections and collaborating with one another. This includes building connections with expert faculty presenters and speakers. As a reminder, participants have the opportunity to have dinner on their own in the town of Breckenridge on Wednesday evening. Also, we traditionally go into downtown Breckenridge on the final evening (Thursday night) for informal music and drinks, which all are welcome to join.

Unless there are clear mitigating factors that are clarified and agreed upon in advance, the Participant is expected to adhere to the following policies when booking travel for the Clean Energy Legislative Academy (CELA) convening in Breckenridge, Colorado. Please advise Evelyn Peterson (Evelyn.Peterson@colostate.edu) as soon as possible should you require special travel accommodations. The Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) reserves the right to refuse reimbursement for expenses deemed excessive. (This policy covers travel only for the Participant.)

Car Travel: Travel by automobile will be reimbursed at the federal reimbursement rate in effect on January 1, 2023. CNEE will reimburse other legitimate expenses including airport parking and tolls, with receipts.

Air Travel: CNEE requests that the Participant book air travel to Denver International Airport (DIA) in the most cost and time effective manner. CNEE will reimburse airfare for coach/economy class fare up to $600 (some exceptions for higher fares allowed, depending on departure city) after the event and upon receiving receipts with proof of purchase within two months of the Academy. We also ask that Participants book airfare early enough to take advantage of low fares (by the end of May). CSU is unable to reimburse anything other than coach fare tickets. 

Please email scanned receipts in a .pdf file and a mailing address for the reimbursement check to Evelyn Peterson (Evelyn.Peterson@colostate.edu). Participants should plan to arrive in Breckenridge, CO no later than 5 pm MT on Tuesday, July 18 and plan their departure after the closing session ends at 11 am MT on Friday, July 21. This requires that departure flights are scheduled for no earlier than 2:30 pm MT on July 21 to provide travel time from Breckenridge to DIA (est. 90 min.-2 hours). 

Travel to/from airport: Please make your airport shuttle reservation in advance with Epic Mountain Express (Epic) online or by phone at 970-754-74233. Be sure to request the lower Academy group rate by using the code “CELA2023.” This expense can be submitted for reimbursement after the Academy. CNEE will reimburse the cost of a shared shuttle ride to and from DIA (approximately $56 each way). If Participant chooses to book a private shuttle with Epic or to rent a vehicle, CNEE will reimburse the amount of the shared shuttled ride (up to $112) upon receipt of proof of purchase after the Academy. Please be aware that it is approximately 90 minutes to two hours from DIA to the resort. 

On the registration form, participants should select two “break-out” policy areas of interest. The participant will focus equally on these two topics in detail throughout the Academy, as well as participate in full group discussions and keynote presentations. The four topics to choose from are:

ELECTRIFYING TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The electrifying transportation workshop will examine trends in the electric vehicle market and the impacts of increasing electrification on electric utilities. The workshop will consider potential policy adjustments that may be necessary to address the authority of utility regulatory bodies as well as policy levers to facilitate the electrification of the transportation sector. 

MODERNIZING THE GRID AND EMPOWERING CONSUMERS

Nearly all aspects of modern life rely on effective management of data and the energy sector is no different. The grid modernization workshop will look at policies to advance a more modern and intelligent grid to enable utility management of resources and consumer management of costs. The workshop will look at the policy objectives of a modern grid and ways in which legislatures can develop policies to ensure a grid capable of advanced energy data management. 

ENERGY STORAGE AND RENEWABLES 

The energy storage workshop will focus on policies to promote greater market penetration of energy storage technologies and will provide an overview of the various value streams that should be considered when developing energy storage policies. The workshop will also include a discussion of costs and benefits to the energy system and market drivers for utility-scale and customer-sited energy storage. 

In the past decade, the costs of renewable resources have dropped dramatically, making them not only the lowest pollution resources, but also, in many cases, the least expensive resources. This workshop will highlight the next generation of renewable energy policies to reduce barriers to both consumer and utility participation in the renewable energy market. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

This workshop will examine the pathways to increase the energy efficiency of U.S. homes and buildings and unlock building sector decarbonization through electrification. The workshop will explore how more efficient, flexible, and electrified buildings can help reduce energy costs, reduce pollution, and provide more resilient, comfortable, and healthy buildings. The workshop will help legislators identify policies that address existing and emerging market barriers and streamline the adoption of efficient, electric technologies.