PUF's Question of the Day - Day One

You had to be in San Antonio at NARUC's Annual Meeting.

The PUF team was there too, asking the PUF Question of the Day, each day of the conference. And we handed out fun buttons to those gracious attendees who answered. Greg Bollom of Madison Gas and Electric must have wanted to collect them, because he answered PUF's Question of the Day on each of the three days! You'll enjoy reading the answers and seeing what attendees homed in on at NARUC's always awesome and well-attended annual meeting. 

We asked, on Monday at meeting start, What do you want to hear about at this Annual Meeting?

Commissioner Greer Gillis, District of Columbia PSC

What I want to hear about, and I got a taste of it yesterday, at the gas committee meeting, was the impact that the natural gas bans are having on cities and states, and ultimately what would be the role of the Commission, the Commissioners. It was a great discussion Sunday at the gas committee meeting. It ended up being a discussion, not a PowerPoint presentation. But it gave an opportunity for all sides to weigh in on what needs to be done. Everyone agreed what the impacts are. And everyone agreed with what the impacts are to the states and how it affects the consumers.

We all concluded, one, this is a bigger impact to the consumers than what everyone is talking about. And, two, there has to be more education to the politicians and the policy decision makers, on what the impacts truly are. Because what everybody thinks they will get by banning natural gas is not necessarily what they will get. There's still more work to be done and there will be a part two of the conversation at the Winter Policy Summit. So, I could go home a happy woman right now.

Commissioner Stephen McAlpine, Regulatory Commission of Alaska 

An unbelievable circumstance took place in Alaska over the last summer. Much of southeast Alaska and a small portion of south-central Alaska is made up of rainforests. And we went into a condition of severe drought. We had wildfires, temperatures in excess of ninety degrees, and one of the most beautiful above-the-smoke summers we've ever enjoyed. But it was totally ruined by smoke from wildfires that drifted into the city. 

So, I'm anxiously going to attend the water meetings. I would have never thought that was something that I would want to do at NARUC, not for any reason other than we have such a quantity of water that I never thought it would be problematic.

Commissioner Chuck Eaton, Georgia PSC

I'm still very much interested in electricity and diversification. And of course, in Georgia where they're building the nuclear plants, I'm interested in that and its effects on reducing carbon in the environment.

Commissioner Leo Asunción, Hawaii PUC

Being the newest member of the Hawaii PUC, I'm basically here to be a sponge and learn everything that I can. Probably the more important one is getting something out of the PBR [performance-based regulation] workshop that's coming up tomorrow.

President Paul Kjellander, Idaho PUC, and first vice president of NARUC

One of the areas that I'm interested in picking up more information on at this Annual Meeting is on performance-based regulation. There's been a lot of activity on that in legislative fronts as well as regulatory fronts. 

I'd like to get more of an idea of when, where, how, and why you may look at performance-based regulation, how that's evolved from some of its origins, which I believe is more tied to restructured markets, and how regulators are looking at that as a viable option to integrate within their regulatory schemes.

Commissioner Sarah Freeman, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission

Well, I'm at this NARUC meeting as a new subcommittee chair [NARUC's Subcommittee in Education and Research], so I'm hoping to learn how to run a meeting.

Commissioner Tony O'Donnell, Maryland PSC

It's a tricky question because we cover such a broad array of subject matter materials and I hope to learn many things at this gathering and as I always do. They're very enlightening and you're networking with people from across the nation who are dealing with the same subject matter in innovative and different ways. And you're also sharing your experiences to help other people. 

So that's what this is all about for me. I know that's not a direct answer to your question, but it's how I really feel about this.

Commissioner Kristine Raper, Idaho PUC

I'm hoping to learn more about what the water committee is going to do for the next year, particularly with regard to small water companies. Because my colleague, [Commissioner] Eric Anderson, just took over the chairmanship of that committee.

Sheree Kernizan, director for electric unit, Georgia PSC

I've heard different definitions of resilience, so I really want to get down to what is resilience and is that the same thing as reliability? I've heard that little contradiction and that's what I want to learn.

Andrew Melynkovich, communications director, Kentucky PSC, and chair of NARUC's staff subcommittee on international affairs

How to be a better regulator, I guess is the short answer. The longer answer is we've got some serious problems in Kentucky with water utilities, so I'm hoping I can go to the water meetings and learn something that would be useful there.

Maurice Charvis, deputy director general, Jamaica Office of Utilities Regulation

The Annual Meeting here is something that we look forward to because we have regulation just like the people overseas here, and we are interested in issues like cybersecurity and network resilience. All the things that cut across all our sectors. So I am hoping from this experience to see if we can cut costs in Jamaica.

Commissioner Larry Friedeman, PUC of Ohio

I'm hoping to learn what other states are doing to address the various issues that are pervasive in the industries, particularly as it relates to cost and ratepayers.

Barbara Lockwood, vice president for regulation, Arizona Public Service

I want to hear more about how we move forward and I'll position mine on clean energy. How we clean the system, provide more clean energy for our customers while keeping it reliable and resilient, and affordable. It is a big combination.

Greg Greenwood, executive vice president for strategy and chief administrative officer, Evergy

How we can continue to modernize the grid and keep rates affordable for customers at the same time.

Linda Gervais, senior manager for regulatory policy and strategy, Avista

I would like to hear what effect interference of the six gigahertz band could have on critical infrastructure.

Colette Honorable, Reed Smith LLP, and former FERC commissioner

I want to hear about what the regulators believe are the pressing trends that are coming in the next five years, ten years, twenty years, and what they perceive their role to be in helping to meet and address those trends and challenges. And also, the tools that regulators believe that they need in order to do their jobs effectively in the public interest.

Charles Patton, executive vice president for external affairs, AEP

As you know, the industry is changing dramatically. What's really important to me is how we continue to look at the intersection of investment and value for customers. We're very concerned about rates, both the regulators as well as the utilities, and how we cross that threshold of where investment truly benefits customers and advances the society. That's at the core of the whole technology conversation.

I would suggest to you that technology deployment is a continuum and different jurisdictions are in different places on that continuum. But it's our ultimate goal and responsibility to move society as far down the continuum as we can to where the investment lines up with the benefit for our customers.

Greg Bollom, assistant vice president, Madison Gas & Electric

I would say how we can best work collaboratively, regulators and utilities, to better meet customers' expectations.

Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO, Energy Storage Association

I want most to hear about is how individual Commissioners and states are looking to incorporate energy storage into their long-term plans. It can be generation, distribution level, both of those, it can be ancillary services, even in the wholesale markets. And I want to hear about how they're thinking about it, especially with so much wind and solar. By 2030, solar and wind are expecting twenty percent each penetration of their resources. How is storage going to play a role?

Carl Pechman, director - National Regulatory Research Institute

How NRRI could provide better service to the regulatory community.

Ivy Lynn Day, senior manager for state regulatory relations, Edison Electric Institute

I want to hear more about the six gigahertz spectrum band, and if it is opened up to unlicensed users as the FCC has proposed, what effect that could have and what benefits? Is it just faster cat videos coming through, and potentially negatively affecting critical infrastructure communication? Police, firefighters, our spectrum. 

I want to know more about that. I want to be sure I'm connected. I want to be sure I'm protected.

Rob Schwartz, president, Anterix

I'd love to know how utilities are going to solve these critical use cases of cybersecurity and resiliency by enabling themselves to build private broadband networks and how that should come to play.

Katrina McMurrian, executive director, Critical Consumer Issues Forum

On Saturday we had an event. We're focused on planning for the electric system of the future.

The path for a more resilient energy grid, question mark. So, we're trying to find out with state commissions, community, consumer advocates, electric utility reps, and of course other stakeholders about what they think about this topic of resilience, focus on this issue over the coming year, and we'll end up with a report in July. So of course, my answer is that we want to hear about electric grid resilience.

Phil Moeller, executive vice president, Edison Electric Institute, and former FERC commissioner

Well, you know me. I'm a geek. I'd like to hear more about evolving rate designs, better aligned with cost causation. Part of that is the discussion of resilience and the need for infrastructure. I can go on and on, but I'll stop there.

Jay Morrison, vice president for regulatory issues, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

I want to hear what issues my members are most likely to face in their states. For example, which states are going to be opening policy inquiries into what issues? Where are the states going to be moving that's going to have an impact on my member's ability to provide power to their members?

Tanuj Deora, vice president for market development and regulatory affairs, Uplight

Uplight serves eighty-five load-serving entities across North America so far. We have about a hundred million customers. What I'm excited about is this transition. I'm excited about performance-based regulation and the potential for turning these concepts into actual impacts as we think through the energy transition, getting more consumer-centric and more growth.

PUF's Question of the Day articles

• Day One: What do you want to hear about at this Annual Meeting?
• Day Two: Have you used ideas discussed at prior NARUC meetings back home? Any examples?
• Day Three: What was the most important thing said during this Annual Meeting?