Kissimmee, FL
This event will be recorded and livestreamed, press are able to access via livestream.
Registration is CLOSED.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang describes Artificial Intelligence as a 5-layer cake built on an indisputable foundation: energy. National security experts warn that the AI race isn’t just about who has the best code—it’s also about who can plug in the most power.
Yet American energy stands at a crossroads. Abroad, traditional allies are denuclearizing just as Chinese electricity production surges. Meanwhile, global military conflicts are injecting uncertainty into the energy supply chain. At home, skyrocketing demand has strained the physical—and legal—infrastructure of traditional and alternative energy sources alike.
What will it take to power the next generation of American technological dominance? Please join us in Orlando on May 14 for The Federalist Society’s inaugural AI and Law Initiative summit, “Energy in the AI Age.”
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Schedule
8:00 am - 9:15 am - Breakfast & Registration
9:15 am - 9:30 am - Welcome
9:30 am - 9:45 am - Kickoff Speech
9:45 am - 10:50 am - Panel 1: The Grid Under Pressure: Can Federalism Save Electricity Generation?
11:05 am -12:10 pm - Panel 2: New Frontiers for Traditional Fuels: Deregulation or Lawfare?
12:10 pm -1:15 pm - Lunch & Roundtable Discussion: Foot on the Gas? The Accelerate or Decelerate AI Debate
1:30 pm - 2:35 pm - Panel 3: A Permit to Carry: NEPA Litigation and Permit Reform
2:50 pm - 3:55 pm - Panel 4: Going Nuclear: European Decline and American Revival?
4:10 pm - 4:30 pm - Closing Remarks: The Stakes of the Energy Race
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm - Reception & Remarks: AI, Energy, & National Security
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Dinner & Roundtable Discussion
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Pricing
Current Member: $50
Non Member: $100
Current Student Member: $20
Student Non Member: $50
Registration includes lunch, CLE credit, full-day conference access, and a seat at the dinner program.
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CLE
This event has been approved for
4.33 Total Credit Hours
Attendees must SIGN IN and SIGN OUT at the event and complete the provided attendance reporting form to receive CLE credit.
Questions? Check out our CLE FAQ page.
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Speakers Confirmed to Date
- Mr. Ryan Bangert, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Special Counsel to the President, Alliance Defending Freedom
- Ms. Zina Bash, Chief Legal Officer, Base Power
- Hon. Daniel Burrows, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, U.S. Department of Justice
- Mr. Michael Buschbacher, Managing Partner, Boyden Gray LLP
- Hon. James P. Danly, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
- Hon. David Fotouhi, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Distinguished Fellow, Energy Policy Research Foundation
- Mr. William Goodwin, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer, Oklo
- Hon. Jamie R. Grosshans, Supreme Court of Florida
- Hon. Courtney K. Hjaltman, Commissioner, Public Utility Commission of Texas
- Mr. Tim Hwang, General Counsel, Foundation for American Innovation
- Mr. Chris Koopman, CEO, Abundance Institute
- Mr. Steve Lehotsky, Partner, Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP
- Mr. Austin Lipari, Counsel, Boyden Gray PLLC
- Mr. Jacob Martin, CEO, American Renaissance Trades & Technologies
- Hon. Jenn Mascott, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- Hon. Bernard L. McNamee, Former Commissioner, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Mr. Mark Miller, Director, Environments and Natural Resources Litigation, Pacific Legal Foundation
- Mr. Justin Schwab, General Counsel, U.S. Council on Environmental Quality
- Hon. David Porter, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- Mr. Bill Rivers, Palantir Technologies
- Mr. Chad V. Seely, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, ERCOT
- Hon. Joshua B. Simmons, General Counsel, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
- Mr. O.H. Skinner, Executive Director, Alliance for Consumers
- Mr. Isaiah Taylor, CEO, Valar Atomics
- Mr. Michael Williams, Solicitor General, West Virginia Attorney General’s Office
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Hotel Information
Attendees can reserve a room in the Federalist Society's room block through the following link: http://book.passkey.com/go/FederalistSociety2026.
Room block availability cannot be guaranteed after Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
Rooms are available on a first come, first served basis.
Please contact Nate Gorman at [email protected] with any questions.
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About The Federalist Society’s AI & Law Initiative
Artificial Intelligence has the capacity to redefine America’s place in the world and remake our professional, personal, and political lives along the way. The Federalist Society’s AI and Law Initiative aims to be the most important forum for engaging with the legal aspects of this technological revolution—and the conservative and libertarian voices who will help shape it.
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8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Breakfast & Registration
Energy in the AI Age
| Topics: | Environmental & Energy Law • Telecommunications & Electronic Media |
|---|
Kissimmee, FL
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. Daniel Burrows, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, U.S. Department of Justice
9:45 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Panel 1: The Grid Under Pressure: Can Federalism Save Electricity Generation?
Energy in the AI Age
Sponsors: AI and Law Initiative
CLE
1.08
hours
Ethics
0
hours
| Topics: | Environmental & Energy Law • Federalism • Telecommunications & Electronic Media |
|---|
Kissimmee, FL
Event Video
Description
Aging infrastructure and emerging AI energy demands are straining our power infrastructure. Is the modern regulatory framework—where grid regulatory authority is shared among federal and state energy agencies—up to the task of unleashing sufficient energy to meet the AI moment? How will regulators balance the needs of data centers with rising electricity prices for the general public? Are there any unique lessons to be learned from state-level experiments like the ERCOT model? What are the legal obstacles to potential new solutions by regional transmission organizations like PJM to help manage rising costs?
Featuring:
- Ms. Zina Bash, Chief Legal Officer, Base Power
- Hon. Courtney K. Hjaltman, Commissioner, Public Utility Commission of Texas
- Hon. Bernard L. McNamee, Former Commissioner, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Mr. Chad V. Seely, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, ERCOT
- (Moderator) Mr. Austin Lipari, Counsel, Boyden Gray PLLC
11:05 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.
Panel 2: New Frontiers for Traditional Fuels: Deregulation or Lawfare?
Energy in the AI Age
Sponsors: AI and Law Initiative
CLE
1.08
hours
Ethics
0
hours
| Topics: | Environmental & Energy Law • Telecommunications & Electronic Media |
|---|
Kissimmee, FL
Event Video
Description
Coal, oil, and natural gas remain the backbone of the U.S. energy supply. What executive and regulatory actions has the current Administration taken to reduce regulatory barriers for the development of these fuels? Will "lawfare" against traditional fuels - lawsuits aimed at hindering or even ending them - cost America the AI race? How will extraterritorial climate regulations by states like California and Michigan affect energy supply and prices? And what legal strategies are other states pursuing to rein in climate lawsuits and regulations? In short, will traditional fuels be saved by deregulation, or doomed by lawfare?
Featuring:
- Hon. David Fotouhi, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Mr. O.H. Skinner, Executive Director, Alliance for Consumers
- Mr. Michael Williams, Solicitor General, West Virginia Attorney General’s Office
- (Moderator) Hon. Jenn Mascott, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
12:10 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Lunch & Roundtable: Foot on the Gas? The Accelerate or Decelerate AI Debate
Energy in the AI Age
Sponsors: AI and Law Initiative
Event Video
Description
What exactly is all this electricity for, anyway? Join leading AI experts for a lunchtime roundtable discussion on the state of the technology and the debate over its future.
Featuring:
- Mr. Ryan Bangert, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Special Counsel to the President, Alliance Defending Freedom
- Mr. Tim Hwang, General Counsel, Foundation for American Innovation
- Mr. Jacob Martin, CEO, American Renaissance Trades & Technologies
- Mr. Bill Rivers, Palantir Technologies
- (Moderator) Hon. David Porter, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
1:30 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.
Panel 3: A Permit to Carry (Electricity): NEPA Litigation and Permitting Reform
Energy in the AI Age
Sponsors: AI and Law Initiative
CLE
1.08
hours
Ethics
0
hours
Event Video
Description
The National Environmental Protection Act has been inseparable from capacity construction for over half a century. But the ground is shifting under NEPA and the overlapping fields of federal, state, and local permitting issues. Did the Mountain Valley Pipeline litigation prove the status quo litigation works, or is it in need of reform? After the Council on Environmental Quality rescinded its NEPA implementing regulations, what procedures will other federal agencies adopt—and how will they affect permitting for AI infrastructure? How did the Supreme Court’s Seven County Infrastructure Coalition decision change private and government approaches to litigation? And will AI speed up or slow down the permitting process?
Featuring:
- Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Distinguished Fellow, Energy Policy Research Foundation
- Mr. Steve Lehotsky, Partner, Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP
- Mr. Mark Miller, Director, Environments and Natural Resources Litigation, Pacific Legal Foundation
- Mr. Justin Schwab, General Counsel, U.S. Council on Environmental Quality
- (Moderator) Hon. Jamie R. Grosshans, Supreme Court of Florida
2:50 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.
Panel 4: Going Nuclear: European Decline and American Revival?
Energy in the AI Age
Sponsors: AI and Law Initiative
CLE
1.08
hours
Ethics
0
hours
Event Video
Description
The contrast between American and European nuclear policy could not be starker. It is perhaps the most active period in nuclear energy development in our lifetimes. But will the public—and the legal system—still react radioactively to the subject? What are the legal and regulatory obstacles to expanding alternate energy capacity, and how have they changed after the Supreme Court’s Diamond Alternative Energy case? What are the promises and perils of microreactors? And does the NRC lack the authority to license them, as several states claim in a pending lawsuit?
Featuring:
- Mr. Michael Buschbacher, Managing Partner, Boyden Gray LLP
- Mr. William Goodwin, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer, Oklo
- Mr. Isaiah Taylor, CEO, Valar Atomics
- (Moderator) Mr. Chris Koopman, CEO, Abundance Institute
4:10 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Event Video
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. James P. Danly, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Reception & Remarks: AI, Energy, & National Security
Energy in the AI Age
Description
Featuring:
- Hon. Joshua B. Simmons, General Counsel, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Dinner & Roundtable
Energy in the AI Age
Kissimmee, FL
Description
Join us for a plated dinner program featuring a roundtable discussion with industry experts to close out the conference!