Between 2023 and 2025, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners provided a forum for members to envision novel process approaches for considering natural gas distribution resource planning in their states.
The energy system is changing. Natural gas consumption is at an all-time high in the U.S., to meet robust demand for power generation, heating, industrial processes, and transportation. As policymakers and customers in many states push for mid-century energy system decarbonization and others rely on natural gas for economic development, state utility regulators must meet state policy goals while ensuring the safety, affordability, and reliability of utility-owned energy infrastructure at all times. New programs, fuels, and technologies are being developed and tested in numerous jurisdictions, with differing opinions among policymakers, utilities, and stakeholders about the extent to which these approaches can or should be broadly deployed.
Insights and experience from state peers and national experts can assist utility regulators in making well-informed decisions in the public interest. NARUC members are in urgent need of impartial, accurate information on the costs, benefits, and trajectories of various pathways to meet state policy goals and strategies to facilitate meaningful stakeholder engagement, all while minimizing cost burdens on customers. To meet this need, NARUC convened a Task Force on Natural Gas Resource Planning to connect utility regulators with tools, expertise, and platforms to share information and develop their own refined visions for commission-led planning processes that will help them navigate the challenging energy landscape of the coming decades.
Following a series of scoping meetings and learning sessions, Task Force members divided themselves into four cohorts based on the challenges facing their states. The cohorts recognize the key role of commissions in implementing state policies through regulatory decisions and are not advocating for the adoption of these or any other specific state goals or policies. Each cohort's roadmap is accessible through the Resources box. An accompanying info sheet provides further detail on the Task Force's objectives and approach.
This effort was made possible by the U.S. Department of Energy. NARUC Center for Partnerships & Innovation staff and contracted consultants The Brattle Group supported the Task Force members.
Read the original information sheet, charter, and October 2023 press release for more information about the launch of the Task Force.
For questions and to learn more about the Task Force on Natural Gas Resource Planning, please contact gastaskforce@naruc.org.