Nature and Clean Energy Summit
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Central
Texas is growing fast, and our land and wildlife are feeling the strain. Pollution and decades of energy development have left lasting marks on prairies, rivers, and coastal habitats. Clean, renewable energy is essential to powering Texas’ future without repeating those harms. But how we build it matters. The choices we make now will shape the Texas landscape and its wildlife for generations.
The Nature and Clean Energy Summit will bring together conservation leaders and clean energy practitioners to examine how we protect land, air, water and wildlife while meeting growing energy needs. The Summit will highlight practical examples of impact mitigation, policy ideas to promote renewables while protecting nature, and address a growing challenge: proposals for moratoriums and restrictive policies that would halt renewable energy development rather than improve it.
Guest Speakers:
Andy Sansom, former Executive Director, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Dr. Michael Webber, Professor and Clean Energy Technology Expert, UT Austin
Rep. Erin Zweiner, Author, Conservationist, and Lawyer representing TX District 45
Panels:
Balancing Nature and Clean Energy
- Moderator: Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director, Sierra Club – Lone Star Chapter
- Judd Messer, Vice President, Advanced Power Alliance
- Mark Stover, Executive Director, Texas Solar and Storage Association
- Lisa Gonzales, Vice President and Executive Director, Audubon Texas
Best Practices for Clean Energy
- Moderator: Grahame Jones, Executive Director, Texas Conservation Alliance
- Stacy Ortego, Gulf of Mexico Campaign Manager, National Wildlife Federation
- Garrett Bader, Texas Smart Solar Specialist, American Farmland Trust
- Laura Merten, Manager of State Affairs, Apex Clean Energy
- Susan Sloan, Head of Government Affairs and Market Strategy, Ørsted
| 4/7/2026 |    |