Rich Powell
—
Biography
Rich Powell is the CEO of ClearPath and ClearPath Action, the DC-based organizations advancing policies that accelerate breakthrough innovations to reduce emissions in the energy and industrial sectors.
Rich advises policymakers on investing wisely in energy innovation, removing roadblocks to building and exporting American clean energy and industrial technology, and maintaining and promoting our flexible clean energy resources. He frequently testifies before congress on climate change and energy innovation.
Rich’s work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, FoxNews.com, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Morning Consult, RealClear Energy, and a number of regional publications. His views are regularly featured in national publications including the National Review, NPR, Politico, USA Today, Axios, E&E, New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, LA Times, Houston Chronicle, MIT Tech Review, Bloomberg, Green Tech Media, Utility Dive, the Guardian, and many others.
Rich serves on the boards of the 2040 Foundation and the Conservative Climate Foundation, is a Strategic Advisor to the Silverado Policy Accelerator, and is part of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s Advisory Group. Rich served on the Advisory Committee to the Export Import Bank of the United States from 2019 to 2021.
Previously, Rich was with McKinsey & Company in the Energy and Sustainability practices. He focused on corporate clean energy strategy, government low carbon growth strategy, and clean tech market entry.
Education
B.A. from Harvard College in Environmental Science and Public Policy, and a J.D. from New York University.
Area of Expertise
Policy and Strategy
Featured Content from Rich
On May 25, 2023, ClearPath Chief Executive Officer Rich Powell testified before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions on May 25, 2023 in a hearing titled, “International Financial Institutions in an Era of Great Power Competition.”
America’s energy economy is at a reckoning point and we must not allow the vast domestic resources, nor the investments in new clean energy technologies, to be squandered. The 2022 energy tax incentives, along with the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021 and increasing private sector investments in innovation have the potential to catapult U.S. clean energy projects and firmly establish American global leadership in clean energy deployment.
Roughly one-third of global emissions come from the manufacturing sector—more than electricity, agriculture, or transportation. By 2030, industrial facilities are expected to be the top source of U.S. emissions, too, exceeding those from both power plants and vehicles. Antora Energy has developed a way to store thermal energy and use it to deliver on-demand, zero-carbon industrial heat and power.
Biden missed a groundbreaking opportunity to level with Americans about climate policy (MarketWatch)
President Joe Biden missed a critical opportunity during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. In touting the bipartisan infrastructure law, he directed a comment towards Republicans – “I’ll see you at the groundbreaking.” In reality, breaking ground on anything will need a permit, and we unfortunately did not hear a plan to fix the permitting crisis.
On December 14, 2022, ClearPath Chief Executive Officer Rich Powell testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade in a hearing on “Promoting Sustainable Environmental Practices Through Trade Policy.”
There is real momentum around rational solutions that can both solve the climate challenge and support a healthy economy. And we are not merely suggesting you give conservatives a chance on climate — you should be excited about their energy, climate and conservation policy agenda.
