On September 22, the Climate Leadership Council held a breakfast during Climate Week NYC 2026, bringing together leaders from industry, policy, and media to discuss AI, grid modernization, and critical minerals.
The event featured a fireside chat on America’s energy future with Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council, and Robinson Meyer of Heatmap News. Greg also sat down with the Council’s policy advisor, Dr. Jane Flegal, on AI, energy demand, and the innovation opportunity. Catrina Rorke, SVP of Policy and Research, then moderated a panel on grid modernization and American competitiveness with David Brown (Constellation), Chad Eaton (Nucor Corporation), and Ariel Horowitz (Anthropic). Following this segment, Dan Giamo, Senior Director of Policy, moderated a panel on investment and critical minerals with Helaina Matza (TechMet Ltd.), Megan O’Connor (Nth Cycle), and Raef Sully (Lilac Solutions).
Speakers framed rising energy demand as an opportunity for technological innovation, infrastructure modernization, and clean energy investment.
