VIEW FROM THE CHAIR Batteries International interviewed Roger Miksad, executive vice president of BCI, about his perspective on the changing political and regulatory framework facing North America’s lead battery industry.
A busy year gone, a busy one ahead It’s been a very challenging year for BCI and the industry as a whole. You’ve had a conspicuous success with the DTSC (see separate page) but you’ve also had a new administration to deal with, a completely different approach to industry regulation, and all this mixed up with the vicissitudes of the pandemic. So could we start by asking you about BCI’s existing workload and what the change of president mean for BCI’s workload in the future? In many ways what we’re facing now is the new normal. The struggles and pressures from state and federal OSHA regimes will continue and likely increase. California, for example, will continue to be the leading state for environmental regulation pressures on the industry, and numerous federal EPA and OSHA rulemakings will move forward in the coming years. President Biden has a completely different approach to environmental health and safety and other regulatory www.batteriesinternational.com
issues than that of the previous administration. His administration will implement a new set of policies and priorities, and many will have both direct or indirect impacts on battery storage
technologies writ large, and the lead battery industry’s role to play in those energy storage technologies. Specifically what are president Biden’s policy priorities? And how will they affect the lead battery industry? The new administration has been upfront about its priorities and goals. Key among them are promoting clean energy and climate change reduction policies. The president is committed to reducing our carbon emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2030. This is a dramatic and aggressive goal that throws the emphasis on renewables such as solar and wind generation; Energy storage — for all chemistries — is going to play a critical role if the administration hopes to achieve this. Lead batteries can and will play a critical role in meeting that demand. As another facet to this, we’re also seeing a renewed commitment to environmental justice. This has been a core concept of Democrat administrations for many years, going back to the Clinton years at least. We also see highly ambitious goals such as those embodied in the infrastructure bills which are currently being debated on Capitol Hill. What’s in there today may not be there in the future — this is going to take a long time to get through Congress — but we see things such as the billions in federal funds dedicated to batteries, battery research and energy storage as being highly important. These are key topics for BCI and this industry to be engaged in — we need to ensure that the lead battery industry is not just recognized, but also an active participant once that funding goes ahead. What about the personalities associated with the policies in the EPA? The Environmental Protection Agency has a new administrator, Mike Regan, former secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality and an air quality specialist in the EPA.
The president is committed to reducing our carbon emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2030. This is a dramatic and aggressive goal that throws the emphasis on renewables such as solar and wind generation Batteries International • BCI 2021 Yearbook • 9
