Agenda

(Invitees Only)

Welcome and Introduction: Hon. Mike La Rosa, Florida 
Resolutions: Hon. Staci Rubin, Massachusetts 
Center for Partnerships & Innovation Update: Jeff Loiter, Technical Director, NARUC 
Local Customer Discussion – Facilitated by Hon. Mike La Rosa, Florida 

This discussion features three organizations actively working on post?Hurricane Maria grid reconstruction, battery storage deployment, and regulatory lessons from Puerto Rico. The speakers will highlight real?world projects underway in Puerto Rico related to:

1. Grid reconstruction
2. Battery storage deployment
3. Generation infrastructure modernization
4. Regulatory processes, approvals, and rate impacts

The discussion is intended to provide Commissioners with practical, regulator-focused insights.

• Welcome: Hon. Kim David, Oklahoma
• Fireside Chat with Hon. Lindsay See, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Winter Heating Outlook Update, American Gas Association
• Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Modernization Report Update, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners

Telecommunications Committee Business Meeting.  Presentation by the Federal Communications Commission.

Utility service is essential to health, safety, prosperity, and dignity. At the same time, the rising cost of living is putting affordability back at the center of public policy discussions. Although state commissions have long used consumer protections, ratemaking and assistance programs to address utility affordability, some of these tools were developed decades ago and may not reflect today’s changing industry, technology, economy, or customer needs.  

This panel will explore how policymakers, regulators, and utilities can rethink the tools available to manage costs and ensure essential service, with a focus on approaches that are innovative, effective, and practical.   

The discussion will share the findings of recent research on affordability actions being taken by governors, legislatures, and commissions, and will include a full committee discussion about the development of an affordability report. 

Welcome Remarks

President’s Reflections

NARUC President Ann Rendahl will look back on the past year, specifically focusing on her theme, Uniting Regulators: Harmonizing Impact, Advancing Reliable and Resilient Infrastructure.

Officer Elections

In Memoriam

(Commissioner Emeritus Only)

(Invitees Only)

(Invitees Only)

(Invitees Only)

(Invitees Only)

(Invitees Only)

With rising utility costs and growing infrastructure investment needs, regulators and utilities must balance affordability with assuring reliable service. A range of solutions are under consideration: innovative ratemaking, bill assistance, arrearage management, discounted rates, percentage-of-income payment plans, energy efficiency initiatives, technology adoption programs, and others. But creating programs is only part of the challenge. Many assistance programs face low participation rates, and some commissions are reexamining whether existing regulatory frameworks are adequate.  

This session explores evolving affordability strategies across the electric and water sectors. Regulators, utilities, consumer advocates, and researchers will discuss program design, implementation lessons, participation barriers, and emerging regulatory approaches that can support both customer affordability and essential utility investment.

Extreme weather is a leading driver of power outages, but advances in weather forecasting, atmospheric data, AI-based risk modeling, sensors, and situational-awareness tools are giving utilities new ways to anticipate how weather may affect the grid and make targeted operational decisions. This session will explore how AI-enabled technologies are translating forecasts into action before, during, and after extreme weather events. Panelists will discuss how greater lead time, granularity, and predictive capabilities can inform asset protection, outage response, and restoration priorities. The discussion will also examine how state utility regulators can evaluate these technologies for their reliability benefits, cost effectiveness, operational value, and role in broader resilience planning. 

America needs more energy from both natural gas and electricity. Reconductoring and upgrading existing electric corridors are two of the fastest ways to add capacity, and federal and state policies are accelerating that trend. Many are shared with steel pipelines, which are uniquely affected by changes in the electrical environment. Engineers understand the interaction; however, the problem is communication and timing. Pipeline operators often learn too late, and with too little information, to mitigate hazards before energization. Because these projects typically involve minimal ground disturbance, they can move through review without triggering the coordination that shared-corridor work usually prompts. State commissions are uniquely positioned to see both sides. This session gives attendees a practical view of where these gaps appear in proceedings, the safety and reliability stakes, and strategies for improving information sharing between electric and pipeline operators.

As distributed energy resource (DER) deployment grows, new models and solutions are needed to ensure DER interconnection practices are in place that are cost-effective, efficient, and timely. This session will highlight for attendees the emerging solutions currently proposed or adopted by state utility commissions, including group studies, updated integrated resource planning and distribution system planning techniques, smarter cost allocation for grid upgrades, proactive investments for EVs and other emerging loads, and technical and regulatory solutions to energy storage interconnection challenges.

Utilities are under growing pressure to improve affordability, customer service, and participation in the evolving flexible energy system. Modern data exchange platforms can reduce costs, simplify customer-authorized data sharing, and provide customers with energy service options, whereas AI-enabled tools can improve customer support, billing assistance, and program delivery. Attendees will learn how regulators, utilities, and third parties can work together to modernize utilities’ data infrastructure, overcome barriers to data access, and ensure that new technologies deliver measurable benefits for customers.

Utilities and Commissions continue to gather more experience with the design and operation of virtual power plants (VPPs) in areas with constrained grid capacity. This is true not only in Puerto Rico, but at least 20 states that have VPP proceedings or programs underway. This session will explore how VPPs and distributed battery networks strengthen grid reliability and resilience amid growing capacity constraints and extreme weather risks. Drawing on lessons from large-scale utility and behind-the-meter storage deployments across the United States, speakers will examine proven program designs, customer engagement and compensation approaches, and operational strategies that deliver grid and community benefits. The discussion will also highlight barriers to broader adoption and provide practical lessons for accelerating VPPs and energy storage deployment to address near-term resilience and capacity needs

Utilities are investing in reliability, resilience, wildfire mitigation, and grid modernization, but determining the right level of spending remains a challenge. Recognizing the need for a portfolio of regulatory strategies and drawing on real-life examples, this panel takes up the question sitting under every resilience plan and rate case: what is the right level of proactive spend, and how do we get to an equilibrium where risk reduction and bill impacts are both genuinely in the equation

Grid utilization is gaining ground as a concept to meet load growth, integrate distributed resources, and hold down costs — but does improving utilization translate to improving affordability? Virginia law now requires utility planning to consider grid efficiency technologies, and the Minnesota Public Utility Commission recently ordered similar metrics into distribution planning. This session will provide attendees with a combination of perspectives describing how grid utilization is measured, findings from recent studies, and whether there is a direct connection to affordability

Complex commission decisions can quickly become misleading headlines, viral posts, or inaccurate narratives. When should regulators correct the record — and how can they do so without becoming advocates for their decisions? This session will examine how commissions can distinguish misinformation from legitimate disagreement, determine when a response is warranted, and communicate authoritative information while preserving independence and credibility. Through real-world regulatory scenarios, panelists will explore practical strategies, including proactive education, “prebunking,” media engagement, trusted messengers, and knowing when not to engage. Attendees will leave with a framework for deciding whether, when, where and how to respond when inaccurate information threatens public understanding of regulatory actions.

Recent cybersecurity incidents targeting U.S. water and wastewater systems underscore a growing reality: water utilities are increasingly on the front lines of critical infrastructure security. Panelists will provide an update on the current threat environment, best practices for strengthening cybersecurity resilience, and the value of information sharing and collaboration. The session will also include an examination of the emerging cybersecurity policy landscape, the potential application of AI in cyber defense, and innovative approaches to helping small and resource-constrained water systems improve their cybersecurity posture.

The telecom network is transitioning from Plain Old Telephone Service (provided over copper) to Internet Protocol-based services (provided over fiber and wireless networks). This will require a new way to interconnect calls to ensure that calls can be completed and that customers retain access to emergency services. This session will address these questions:

• How will commissions and service providers manage this transition?
• What new infrastructure and regulations will be required?
• Will state commission retain oversight to ensure that customers are protected?

This panel will review the 3 current proposals for interconnecting calls in an all-IP network.

Hosted by NARUC’s Center for Partnerships and Innovation, this workshop focuses on calculating the benefits of Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs). As electricity demand grows and transmission costs rise, regulators need better tools to evaluate solutions that can increase grid capacity, reliability, and resilience while minimizing customer costs. ATTs, including dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow controls, and advanced conductors, are increasingly being considered as alternatives or complements to traditional transmission investments. Yet a persistent challenge remains: where can ATTs be reasonably applied and how should planners and regulators calculate and compare benefits in a rigorous and transparent manner?

This interactive workshop focuses on where ATTs can reasonably be applied and on quantifying their value for transmission planning and investment decisions. Participants will explore two or more methods for assessing benefits such as congestion reduction, production cost savings, reliability and resilience improvements, capacity value, interconnection benefits, and avoided infrastructure costs.

Through real-world examples and hands-on exercises, attendees will gain practical insights into how benefit calculations influence project selection, cost allocation, and regulatory decision-making. The workshop is designed to help commissioners and commission staff better understand the analytical frameworks needed to evaluate ATTs alongside traditional transmission solutions.

Advance registration is required due to space limitations. Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/sKMJsKcQ9Y

This workshop is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity.

Data centers are often seen as major water users, but they can also be powerful partners in infrastructure investment. This session explores how data center growth can help fund utility modernization, support system upgrades, and expand water reuse programs. Through real-world case studies, panelists will discuss innovative partnerships that strengthen water infrastructure while delivering benefits for utilities, communities, and data centers alike 

Modern gas safety programs are increasingly defined by the ability to use data and technology to find risks earlier, prioritize resources more effectively, and prevent incidents before they occur. This session brings together two critical areas of pipeline safety: advanced leak detection and excavation damage prevention. Panelists will explore how modern advanced leak detection technologies can estimate the quantity or flow rate of escaping gas, allowing utilities to increase survey frequency, identify leaks sooner, and prioritize repairs based on leak magnitude and risk reduction. The discussion will also examine how integrated damage-prevention strategies — combining 811 ticket data, GIS, AI, advanced analytics, remote sensing, field technologies, and real-time excavation monitoring — can help utilities identify higher-risk excavation activity, improve asset-location confidence, and intervene before damage occurs. Attendees will gain a practical framework for evaluating technology deployment, survey frequency, performance measures, implementation challenges, and cost-effectiveness, with a focus on how state commissions can support safer, more proactive, and more data-driven gas utility programs.

Today’s legacy telephone network continues to operate during power outages, because power is provided from the Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier’s central office. Fiber networks require power at the customer’s premises. Wireless networks require power at the cell tower and the ability to charge customer equipment. The conversation will be guided by these questions:

• What vulnerabilities does this cause and what can state commissions do to resolve this issue?
• Will providing customers with on-site battery backup ensure access to communications when commercial power is shut off during emergencies and extreme weather events?
• How can we ensure that customers retain access to E911 and other critical services?

Building for Resilience & Safety: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

This session will focus on the resilience and safety of American utility infrastructure, including lessons learned in Puerto Rico, and a discussion of pipeline safety in the United States. Hurricane Maria caused catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico’s electric, water, and telecommunications infrastructure. The event revealed tightly wound infrastructure dependencies and chronic underinvestment. Working together, providers and government partners continue to rebuild through substation modernization, battery storage, fiber redundancy, and hardened water treatment plants.

In this session, attendees will better understand the importance of coordination, technology, and sustained funding. Puerto Rico’s experience carries lessons for all stakeholders as they increasingly confront extreme weather and other infrastructure hazards.

Panelists: TBD

Keeping Communities Running When They Need It Most: What Can We Learn from Local Resilience Solutions?

When extreme weather strikes, access to electricity, communications, and water becomes more than a matter of convenience. It is essential to public safety, health, economic stability, and community recovery. From hurricanes and floods to winter storms and wildfires, recent disasters have demonstrated that communities need more than resilient utility systems alone. They also need local resources and partnerships that can help keep critical services operating when the broader system is under stress.

This general session will explore how community resilience initiatives help strengthen preparedness and recovery in many places across the country. Attendees will hear a rapid-fire series of stories from the field that highlight real-world examples of community resilience projects.