2018
Posted November 19, 2018
2019 Gulf Coast Energy Outlook Now Available
The 2019 Gulf Coast Energy Outlook, a collaborative research initiative from the Center for Energy Studies and the E. J. Ourso College of Business, provides a broad overview of the current status and trends guiding energy markets with an emphasis on the Gulf Coast and reports on upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining and petrochemicals, as well as the contribution of the energy sector to the broader Gulf Coast economy. The report includes forecasts of future employment in relevant energy sectors.
2019 Gulf Coast Energy Outlook is available here.
Posted November 5, 2018
CES to Host Gulf Coast Energy Outlook Kickoff Nov. 16
Researchers from the LSU Center for Energy Studies and the E. J. Ourso College of Business will release the 2019 edition of the Gulf Coast Energy Outlook with a kickoff event on Friday, November 16, 2018, at 10 a.m. in the Dalton J. Woods Auditorium of the LSU Energy, Coast & Environment Building. The annual Outlook provides a broad overview of the current status and trends guiding energy markets with an emphasis on the Gulf Coast.
Authors are David E. Dismukes, executive director and professor, LSU Center for Energy Studies; Dek Terrell, director and professor, LSU Economics & Policy Research Group; and Gregory B. Upton, Jr., assistant professor, LSU Center for Energy Studies.
The collaborative research initiative focuses on upstream oil and gas production and downstream refining and petrochemicals, as well as the contribution of the energy sector to the broader Gulf Coast economy. The report includes forecasts of employment in relevant energy sectors.
Findings show that, over the past decade, worldwide energy markets have been fundamentally changed due to the advent of U.S. shale oil and gas development and that these changes have not only impacted the regions in which hydrocarbons are produced, they have also created significant changes in transportation, processing, and final products.
“Our research shows that the Gulf Coast has seen significant increases in oil and gas production, with these increases concentrated in the state of Texas,” said Upton. “Louisiana, though, has seen billions in investment in the refining, chemical and energy export side of the industry. Thus, the focus of this year’s outlook is on Louisiana’s place in the global energy industry, and how we are increasingly becoming an energy export economy.”
Admission is free for members of the media, students, faculty, university staff, and
state employees. All others: $25.
All are encouraged to pre-register online.
Event details are as follows:
Date: 16 November 2018
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Registration/check-in, coffee & danish
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Presentation of GCEO with Q&A
Location:
Dalton J. Woods Auditorium
Energy, Coast & Environment Building
93 South Quad Drive
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, La. 70803
Posted October 16, 2018
Dr. Raphael W. Bostic, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Atlanta, will be the featured guest speaker at the LSU Center for Energy Studies’
annual fall conference, Energy Summit™. The conference will take place Wednesday,
October 24, in the Dalton J. Woods Auditorium of the LSU Energy, Coast & Environment
Building.
As head of the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) of Atlanta, Bostic leads one of the 12 regional
Reserve Banks that, with the Board of Governors, make up the Federal Reserve System,
the nation's central bank. The FRB of Atlanta is responsible for the Sixth Federal
Reserve District, which encompasses Alabama, Florida and Georgia and portions of Louisiana,
Mississippi and Tennessee. Bostic is responsible for all of the Bank's activities,
including monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services.
“We are honored and delighted to have Dr. Bostic as our featured speaker this year
given the significant events going on in domestic and world financial markets,” said
Professor David Dismukes, executive director of the Center for Energy Studies. “His
insights into these events and his high-level policy perspective on their implications
for the region will be of great interest to our attendees.”
With the theme “Louisiana’s Place in the Global Energy Economy,” this year’s Energy Summit™ program will address potential impacts of federal trade policies on the state’s energy-related
industries, the outlook for offshore oil and gas development, and global LNG and crude
oil export trends.
Who attends? Energy Summit™ brings together a wide range of energy professionals from throughout
the Gulf Coast to discuss timely energy issues. The event attracts representatives
from the upstream oil and gas industry, pipeline companies, storage and mid-stream
companies, petrochemical companies, gas and power utilities, state environmental and
utility regulators, state agency heads and staff members, legislators and legislative
staff, university faculty, staff, students and the media.
New half-day format: This year, Energy Summit™ will begin at noon, with registration and lunch, and end
at 5:15 p.m., followed by a reception.
Contact Marybeth Pinsonneault
Center for Energy Studies
225-578-3948
Posted October 11, 2018
Center for Energy Studies Announces Two Faculty Positions
Apply now:
Assistant/Associate Research Professor - Center for Energy Studies (Energy Related Field)
Assistant/Associate Research Professor - Center for Energy Studies (Social Sciences)
Posted September 4, 2018
LSU Center for Energy Studies Part of Recent NSF Financial Award to Study Gulf Coast
Manufacturing Resiliency 
The LSU Center for Energy Study (CES) is part of a team led by Texas A&M University
that was recently awarded a National Science Foundation planning grant to establish
an Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Resiliency Enhancement and Disaster-Impact
Interception (READII) in the manufacturing sector. The new center will address the
critical need for examining the Gulf Coast’s manufacturing sector and its supply chains
to become more resilient to natural disasters, specifically hurricanes and floods.
Dr. David Dismukes, CES executive director, and a professor in the College of the
Coast and Environment, will be part of this multidisciplinary team that includes representatives
from institutions along the Gulf Coast who will provide expertise in system integration,
disaster mitigation, economics, infrastructure, supply chain, system modeling, and
optimization. Participants include the TEES Gas and Fuels Research Center at Texas
A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, Mississippi State University, Tuskegee
University in Alabama, and Florida Atlantic University.
The ERC READII will address a number of critical topics including the impact of natural
disasters on manufacturing facilities and their respective supply chains, the root
causes of manufacturing vulnerabilities, estimating the dynamic relationships between
manufacturing industries and their local communities, and identifying novel and proactive
strategies and decision tools to facilitate manufacturing resiliency.
“The resiliency of the manufacturing sector along the Gulf Coast is becoming more
important as the industry expands with billions in new investments” said Dismukes.
“This NSF award represents an excellent opportunity for CES to leverage over a decade’s
worth of research on the role of critical energy infrastructure in this manufacturing
resiliency process.”
Posted July 31, 2018
Updated: August 14, 2018
Symposium: The Baton Rouge Flood of 2016
What happened, what we did, what we lost, and what we learned
On Monday, August 13, the Louisiana Geological Survey, with co-sponsor Baton Rouge Geological Society, presented a symposium on the flood that devastated much of the Baton Rouge area in August 2016. The well-attended event featured individual presentations, a group panel discussion, and a public Q&A session. John E. Johnston III of the Louisiana Geological Survey served as symposium chair.
Read The Advocate's news story about the event here.
PROGRAM
John E. Johnston III, LGS, Chair – Introduction and “The Baton Rouge Flood of 2016 as a Black Swan Event”
Vincent Brown, LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology - "Synopsis of the August 2016 Southern
Louisiana Flood Event"
Frank Revitte, NWS - "Forecast Tools to Help Predict Potential Heavy Rainfall and Flood Events"
Josh Eachus, WBRZ – “Communicating Disaster: What We Know, What We Learned from the Great Flood
of 2016”
Jay Grymes, WAFB – “Have We Learned Anything?”
Yi-Jun Xu, LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources – “The 2016 Flood - Because of Rain or
River Sedimentation?”
Dietmar Rietschier, Amite River Basin Drainage and Water Control District – “The Baton Rouge Flood of
2016 and Its Consequences”
Bob Jacobsen, Consulting Engineer – “The Role of Foolish Decisions in Amite River Basin Flood
Disasters”
John Storm, USGS – “Flood Inundation Mapper (FIM) for the Amite and Comite Rivers at Central,
Louisiana”
Dek Terrell, LSU Department of Economics – “Measuring the Economic Impact of the Baton Rouge
Flood”
Josh Benoit, Providence – “Recovery from the Flood of 2016”
Panel discussion (including Rick McCulloh, LGS, and John Day, LSU)
Q&A (All questions will be held until then)
For more information, contact John Johnston III at hammer@lsu.edu.
Posted June 7, 2018
Resolution Calls for CES, LSU Public Administration Institute to Analyze Mineral Tax
Law
The Center for Energy Studies (CES) will take part in an analysis of the state mineral
tax code, as directed by a senate resolution passed during the 2018 Second Extraordinary
Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 calls for
CES, the LSU Public Administration Institute (LSU PAI) and the La. Tax Institute to
analyze the state’s mineral revenues, taxes and exemptions and provide recommendations
for improving the tax code. The resolution urges the researchers to consult with stakeholder
organizations and relevant legislative committees to formulate specific recommendations.
According to the resolution, the goals of the upcoming analysis will be
• improvement of the competitiveness of the state’s oil and gas extraction sector;
• a decrease or improvement of the difference in tax rates for oil and gas;
• creation of an equitable system of severance tax exemptions for all wells, not
only horizontal wells;
• improvement and preservation of mineral revenues for the state;
• investigation of the reasons behind the fluctuation of La. oil and gas production.
“As I travel around the state, I hear from both large and small oil and gas operators about the two challenges they face: the legacy and coastal lawsuits filed against them and our state’s tax structure,” said Senator Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell). “I am hopeful that this study will address the tax structure issues and provide the Legislature with recommendations that will make drilling and producing in the state of Louisiana more economically attractive to the industry, competitive with other states, and a stable source of revenue for our state’s budget.”
The resolution cites a current study, set to be published this fall, titled Exploring Long-Term Solutions for Louisiana’s Tax System, which was led by Professor James Richardson of the LSU PAI. For that book, CES Assistant Professor Greg Upton authored the chapter on mineral revenues.
“We’re looking forward to putting together our team and getting to work,” said Upton. “After reviewing the current code, running economic analyses and gathering input from the stakeholder organizations and legislators, we’re confident that we will be able to make solid recommendations for improving and simplifying how we tax minerals.”
The final report will be due to the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs and the House Committee on Ways and Means in February 2020.
Read the full text of the resolution.
Posted May 28, 2018
Center Awards Scholarships for 2018-19 Academic Year
LMOGA/Brooksher Scholarship: Felix Rodrigue, a sophomore majoring electrical engineering, from Slidell, La.
“I am very honored to receive the Center for Energy Studies Brooksher Scholarship Award,” Rodrigue said. “This scholarship will help tremendously in continuing my education in an energy-related field and fulfilling my dream of becoming an LSU graduate.”
The LMOGA/Brooksher Scholarship, named for the late Robert R. Brooksher, Jr., an executive vice president of Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and founding member of the LSU Center for Energy Studies’ Advisory Council, supports the educational goals of LSU students interested in energy-related fields, with a particular emphasis on energy policy related to the oil and gas industry. The annual scholarship is awarded in the amount of $1,000.
F. Malcolm Hood Scholarship: Jared Molaison, a junior majoring in finance, from Lafayette, La. 
“It is a great honor to receive the F. Malcolm Hood Scholarship Award,” Molaison said. “This scholarship will go a long way in helping me achieve my future career goals. Also, I would like to thank my family and professors for their continuous support.”
Created to honor the late F. Malcolm Hood, a highly regarded energy industry spokesman who served as an advisor when the Center was created and was a member of its Advisory Council, the scholarship supports the educational goals of LSU students interested in energy-related fields, with a particular emphasis on energy policy. The scholarship is awarded in the amount of $1,000.
David Olver Memorial Scholarship: Hunter DesRoches, a graduate student in electrical engineering, from Marrero, La.
Upon learning he had been awarded the scholarship, DesRoches said, “I am very grateful for being awarded with the Center for Energy Studies GCPA David Olver Memorial Scholarship. I have been strongly interested in the electric power field for quite some time, and this award will most certainly help me fulfill my goal to one day become a part of the electrical power industry. My hope is to use my experience to understand, improve, and maintain certain aspects of the power grid and become a successful power engineer.”
Provided by the Gulf Coast Power Association emPOWERing Foundation, the David Olver Memorial Scholarship is intended for LSU students interested in future careers in the electric power industry. The award amount is $2,500.
The Center congratulates our scholarship recipients and wishes them well as they continue their studies.
Posted May 10, 2018; updated Aug. 8, 2018
Energy Summit™ 2018 Set for October 24
The Center for Energy Studies will host its annual fall event, Energy Summit,™ on Wednesday, October 24. The theme of this year's conference is "Louisiana's Place in the Global Energy Economy."
This year, the Center is privileged to welcome special guest Dr. Raphael W. Bostic, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. As head of the Atlanta Fed, Dr. Bostic is responsible for the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses Alabama, Florida and Georgia and portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. In his role as president and CEO, Dr. Bostic oversees the Bank's monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services.
Visit the Energy Summit™ page for more details.
Posted May 15, 2018
Announcing the Louisiana Coastal Geology Symposium, July 10-11, 2018
The Louisiana Coastal Geology Symposium, presented by the La. Geological Survey and the New Orleans Geological Society, will be held July 10 & 11, 2018, at the Dalton J. Woods Auditorium in the LSU Energy, Coast & Environment Building. The event will bring together scientists, engineers and policy makers from across a range of disciplines to exchange ideas, interpretations and insights on Louisiana coastal geology both onshore and offshore and on associated topics. Learn more here.
Posted May 7, 2018
Dismukes Releases Report on MISO Long-Run Transmission Infrastructure Development
Center for Energy Studies Executive Director and Professor David Dismukes has released a report outlining emerging Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) transmission planning and infrastructure development issues. The report examines the considerable changes that have emerged over the past several years over one of the nation’s largest integrated wholesale power grids.
The report examines how MISO’s transmission grid has evolved from one primarily focused on regional reliability concerns, to one that has multiple objectives and responsibilities, including assuring open and non-discriminatory access; facilitating electricity commerce across a broad geographic region that spans 15 states and one Canadian province; integrating a wide range of generating resources that include an increasing share of renewables; and incorporating a planning sensitivity for resiliency, cyber security and economic development concerns of its member states, regulators, and customers.
The report provides background analysis and expands on a wide-ranging discussion held among stakeholders at a November 2017 event titled “MISO Grid 2033: Preparing for the Future.” The MISO 2033 event was co-sponsored by the LSU Center for Energy Studies and the Searle Center on Law, Regulation and Economic Growth at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
The CES report notes that one of the more considerable challenges for transmission planning is the recognition that while market value of capacity has diminished over the past several years, the need for new infrastructure investment has not. In fact, if anything, that need has continued to increase.
“It is becoming increasingly important that MISO maintain a transparent and inclusive process that continues to prove its value-proposition to all stakeholders,” said Dismukes. “Education and continued outreach will be integral parts of this process, particularly given how fast the industry is changing, and the changing expectations that stakeholders have for transmission system operators like MISO.”
Jennifer Curran, MISO vice president for transmission planning notes that “MISO is focused on, and looks forward to, addressing the challenges described in the report with long-term transmission planning, forward-looking, ‘no regrets’ decision-making and considerable stakeholder communication and involvement.”
The report concludes with a recognition that MISO needs to continue its long-range
strategic transmission planning and the stakeholder discussions that began at the
MISO 2033 event, such that it can:
• Integrate new technologies throughout the MISO footprint that facilitates and
enables a wide range of customer choices;
• Identify and develop new transmission infrastructure investments to strengthen
existing reliability requirements and enhance grid resiliency;
• Improve market design and market protocols that leverage transmission investments
to develop a framework that provides price signals and creates efficiency;
• Engage stakeholders in the planning process to ensure adequate feedback on customer
needs to ensure minimized costs and maximized value; and
• Educate customers about the value proposition of these transmission infrastructure
investments, their cost-benefit ratios on both a pre- and post-development basis.
The full report is available for download here.
Posted March 19, 2018
Guest Lecture: Mike McKenna, President, MWR Strategies
Energy and the environment in a time of Trump, change, and abundance (and midterm
elections)
10 April 2018
3:00-4:30 p.m.
Dalton J. Woods Auditorium
Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Mike McKenna, president of MWR Strategies, has worked in senior positions in a variety
of opinion research and communications companies. He has an extensive academic and
professional background in public opinion research and communications, including work
with Andres McKenna Research, Vox Populi Communications, and the Luntz Research Companies.
He has consulted a wide variety of political and corporate clients with respect to
government relations, opinion research, marketing, message development and communications
strategies. Mr. McKenna has also worked as the director of policy and external affairs
for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and served as an external relations
specialist at both the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Mr. McKenna's work has been published in a host of publications, including: The Wall
Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Investors
Business Daily, National Review, Policy Review, Regulation, The Washington Times,
The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star, and State Legislatures.
His work has also appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and C-SPAN.
Mr. McKenna received a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania , as well
as a master's in public administration from George Mason University. He has completed
work towards a Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University, and is a Fellow
in the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver. He is currently
a Fellow at the Dole Institute at the University of Kansas.
Posted January 9, 2018
Louisiana Coastal Geohazards Atlas Planned
La. Geological Survey, N.O. Geological Society lead application of landforms base map
Maps, either on paper or accessed electronically, display information that is useful where we live, work, and recreate. Geologic maps are used to find and produce mineral and energy resources and to reveal landscape characteristics that support our economy and shape our lifestyles. Nowhere is this more evident than in Louisiana where energy resources have enabled our economy, and dynamic river and coastal processes that constructed our coastal area continue to be factors influencing our lives. Flooding, subsidence, and faulting, for example, have affected the present landscape and continue to affect us today.
The Louisiana Geological Survey, or LGS, and the New Orleans Geological Society have joined to lead the development of a Louisiana Coastal Geohazards Atlas. The focus will be on the landforms developed in a variety of underlying geologic settings and which are affected by faulting, subsidence, and flooding. The atlas will have a landforms base map that will provide useful information for technical analysis and use by governments, the private sector and informed citizens in planning land use and infrastructure development.
“While much work has been done to better understand these processes, the results have not been compiled and combined in a format that brings them together to portray their influences on the coastal plain of south Louisiana,” said Dr. Chip Groat, LGS acting director. “The atlas will serve as a valuable resource to our state and region.”
Groat will serve as administrator of the project, and Chris McLindon, president of the New Orleans Geological Society, will share in project oversight. John Johnston III of LGS will serve as editor and coordinator of the participants.
Compiled information will be on the coastal landforms map prepared by the LGS and on maps of various scales to show detail in selected areas. In addition, text, diagrams, graphs and charts will be in the booklet accompanying the landform map. Included in the atlas will be maps and reports describing the geologic and structural framework of coastal Louisiana.
Geologists and cartographers from the LGS will participate in the project and experts from the LSU Department of Geology and Geophysics, Tulane, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, University of New Orleans, two environmental consulting firms and the petroleum industry will author sections of the atlas.
A final draft of the atlas is scheduled to be available for review in late December 2018, with production planned for mid-2019.
Posted January 2018
Assistant Professor Position
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
CENTER FOR ENERGY STUDIES
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
POSITION DESCRIPTION: The Center for Energy Studies (“CES”) at the Louisiana State University (“LSU”) seeks applicants for an energy research position at the Assistant Professor rank. We seek motivated individuals with strong oral and written communication and applied research skills in such areas as conventional/unconventional oil and gas development, electric power industry analysis, electric power systems modeling, natural gas and electricity usage modeling, industrial energy usage, energy infrastructure development, energy finance, energy law and regulation, renewables, and energy efficiency. This is a non-teaching positions that emphasizes externally-funded research, publications, public speaking, and service.
The successful candidate will be expected to develop his or her own unique energy research agenda, attain external financial support for this research, publish in academic and professional journals and periodicals, and participate in academic and professional association meetings and conferences. A successful candidate will interact with, and provide advice to, a wide range of Louisiana energy stakeholders, such as state and federal government agencies, industry, trade associations, other LSU academic departments and colleges, and the media.
The currently-advertised position represents a unique opportunity for motivated researchers. While a successful applicant is expected to develop external funding to support their research agenda, the position is financially supported through a state appropriation. A successful candidate will be able to leverage CES’ network of industry and government contacts, as well as the financial resources needed to support their respective research agenda. CES has a staff of supporting research assistants and graduate students, in addition to offering financial support for conference and research related-travel and to cover the cost of data/software/computational resources.
RESPONSIBILITIES: A successful candidate will be expected to:
- Develop his or her own externally-funded research program over a three year period.
- Publish in both academic and professional periodicals.
- Speak to professional and trade associations, as well as interact with local, national, and trade media.
- Provide advice and counsel to the Louisiana Legislature (as requested), Louisiana executive agencies, as well as Louisiana’s Congressional delegation.
- Contribute to other CES activities that include periodic conferences, workshops, and meetings.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must have a doctoral degree in a field related to energy that includes engineering, statistics, business, and physical or social sciences. Applicants must have strong written and oral communication skills and have the ability to address the technical, policy, and business aspects of the energy industry in an accessible fashion that also meets traditional academic standards.
APPLICATIONS: Position is currently open and will continue to remain open until suitable candidates have been selected.
Applicants should apply online at https://lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/LSU/job/LSU---Baton-Rouge/Professor-of-Research---Assistant--Associate--or-Full-Professor_R00018166-1
LSU applicants should apply through Workday at https://www.myworkday.com/lsu/d/inst/15$158872/9925$5347.htmld