Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC)

10/15/2026

⏰ Last chance for early bird pricing!
Registration for the 18th Annual Lesley K. McAllister Symposium on Climate and Energy Law — Powering the Future: Navigating the Impact of AI Data Centers and Electrification — closes for early bird rates on October 16. Prices increase October 17th.

Don't miss your chance to hear from our Keynote Panel featuring California State Senator Steve Padilla, CPUC President John Reynolds, and CEC Vice Chair Siva Gunda, plus leading policymakers, industry practitioners, and academics tackling the future of energy and AI data centers.

Prices increase after October 16 — register today to lock in the lowest rate.
🎟️ Register now: https://www.givecampus.com/s/b3m5ui
📅 November 6, 2026 | USD School of Law
📋 MCLE credit offered, pending approval

09/28/2026

ONLY A FEW WEEKS LEFT FOR DISCOUNT PRICING!
REGISTER BEFORE PRICES GO UP.

Registration is open for the 18th Annual Lesley K. McAllister Symposium on Climate and Energy Law!
📅 November 6, 2026
📍 University of San Diego School of Law

This year's theme, Powering the Future: Navigating the Impact of AI Data Centers and Electrification, will bring together policymakers, industry practitioners, academics, and other experts to explore the drivers of electric load growth and the policy solutions, regulatory strategies, and emerging technologies needed to manage it.

🎟️ Register by October 16 for early bird pricing
📋 MCLE credit offered
📄 Full agenda available at link below

Register now: https://www.givecampus.com/s/b3m5ui
Co-hosted by EPIC and the San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law.

09/25/2026

Thinking about buying your first electric vehicle? The federal EV tax credit ended in September 2025, but California has launched its own program to help fill the gap.

MyFirstEV offers $3,500 off a new zero-emission vehicle (MSRP $50,000 or less) or $1,750 off a qualifying certified pre-owned ZEV. There's no income cap, no advance application, and the discount is applied right at the dealership. It can even be stacked with other programs like Clean Cars 4 All.

The catch? Funding is first-come, first-served, and one automaker's allocation ran out in just four days.

On the EPIC Energy Blog, Emily Sanchez compares the new state rebate with the expired federal credit and looks at what each means for buyers: https://epicenergyblog.com/2026/09/25/californias-new-electric-vehicle-credit-myfirstev-vs-the-federal-ev-tax-credit-what-changed-and-what-it-means-for-buyers/

09/10/2026

Meet our Keynote Panel! 🎤
We're thrilled to welcome these leading voices in California energy policy to the 18th Annual Lesley K. McAllister Symposium:

✨ California State Senator Steve Padilla
✨ John Reynolds, President, California Public Utilities Commission
✨ Siva Gunda, Vice Chair, California Energy Commission

Join the conversation on Powering the Future: Navigating the Impact of AI Data Centers and Electrification — November 6 at USD School of Law.
🎟️ Early bird pricing through October 16
📋 MCLE 6.5 hours General
Link in bio to register! https://www.givecampus.com/s/b3m5ui
University of San Diego School of Law

09/08/2026

With a research grant from San Diego Foundation, EPIC launched a new interactive webpage San Diego Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Outlook and Gap Analysis showcasing the San Diego regional GHG reduction progress since 2012, and barriers and opportunities for progressing long-term GHG reduction goals.

Local jurisdiction and public agency sustainability staff, climate advocates, and community members can explore three GHG scenario tools and adjust parameters including EV adoption rate and renewable grid electricity rate to see how they impact our regional trajectory through 2050. The scenario tools are followed by discussion and 14 policy briefs outlining federal and state impacts on local climate policy implementation, while highlighting key opportunities for high-emitting sectors to achieve long-term reduction goals, including a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Primer.

Learn more at: https://www.sandiego.edu/epic/gap-analysis/

09/08/2026

Registration is now open for the 18th Annual Lesley K. McAllister Symposium on Climate and Energy Law!
📅 November 6, 2026
📍 University of San Diego School of Law
This year's theme, Powering the Future: Navigating the Impact of AI Data Centers and Electrification, will bring together policymakers, industry practitioners, academics, and other experts to explore the drivers of electric load growth and the policy solutions, regulatory strategies, and emerging technologies needed to manage it.
🎟️ Register by October 16 for early bird pricing
📋 MCLE credit offered, pending approval
📄 Full agenda coming soon
Register now: https://www.givecampus.com/s/b3m5ui
Co-hosted by and the San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law.

08/27/2026

Registration is now open for the 18th Annual Lesley K. McAllister Symposium on Climate and Energy Law!
📅 November 6, 2026
📍 University of San Diego School of Law
This year's theme, Powering the Future: Navigating the Impact of AI Data Centers and Electrification, will bring together policymakers, industry practitioners, academics, and other experts to explore the drivers of electric load growth and the policy solutions, regulatory strategies, and emerging technologies needed to manage it.
🎟️ Register by October 16 for early bird pricing
📋 MCLE credit offered, pending approval
📄 Full agenda coming soon
Register now: https://www.givecampus.com/s/b3m5ui
Co-hosted by EPIC and the San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law. University of San Diego School of Law

06/26/2026

The San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative and The Energy Policy Initiatives Center are recruiting applicants for the fifth cohort of the San Diego Regional Energy Academy!

The Energy Academy is a free educational program for diverse community leaders across the San Diego Region to increase their understanding of the complex energy landscape in California and our region.

Cohort 5 Application Deadline – July 17, 2026

🔗 Learn more about the program and apply now! https://forms.gle/EvBVMXLAKFCjmfof6

04/20/2026

🌎 Last chance to RSVP!
Join EPIC, ELS & JCEL for our Earth Day Mixer — Tuesday, April 22 from 5:30–7pm on the back patio of La Gran Terraza University of San Diego School of Law.

Connect with students, alumni, faculty & energy/environmental legal professionals over food & drinks.

🌿 RSVP via
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7452030182351110145

03/24/2026

EPIC’s Executive Director Scott Anders recently joined Congressman Scott Peters on his podcast 72 & Sunny to talk about something that should be on everyone’s radar: after decades of flat growth, U.S. energy demand is projected to surge by up to 25%.

What’s driving it? AI data centers, electrification of everything from cars to buildings, and a grid that wasn’t built for any of it. Did you know a single Microsoft data center can demand as much power as 750,000 homes — roughly the entire peak demand of the San Diego region?

Scott and Congressman Peters dig into California’s 67% carbon-free energy mix, why 30% of your utility bill goes toward wildfire mitigation, and the “permitting paradox” — how decades-old laws like NEPA and CEQA are now some of the biggest obstacles to building the clean energy infrastructure we desperately need.
Meanwhile, China is building 260 gigawatts of inter-regional transmission. The U.S. needs to move faster.

🎙️ Listen to the full episode of 72 & Sunny

After decades of flat growth, U.S. energy demand is projected to surge by up to 25%. What is driving this massive shift? In this episode of 72 & Sunny, Congr...