10:45 - 11:45 a.m.

(Trans)Mission Critical? Reconsidering FERC’s Electric Transmission Incentives   

Section 219 of the Federal Power Act required FERC to establish, by rule, electric transmission rate incentives for the purpose of benefiting customers by ensuring reliability and reducing the cost of delivered power.  On March 21, 2019, FERC opened an inquiry into its existing incentives policy, which was promulgated in 2006 and refined in 2012.   Initial comments were filed on June 26 and reply comments are due August 26.  Our panelists will discuss FERC’s existing policy and potential improvements, and will address questions raised by FERC on a topic that Chairman Chatterjee has described as “critical to ensuring that the energy revolution we’re currently undergoing results in more reliable services and lower prices for customers.” 

Moderator:

Hon. Judith Williams Jagdmann, Virginia

Speakers:  

Phil Moeller, Executive VP, Business Operations Group and Regulatory Affair, EEI

Suedeen Kelly, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP

Delia Patterson, General Counsel and SVP of Policy Analysis, APPA

100% Clean Energy: What Comes Next for Regulators?

(Joint with Committee on Energy Resources & the Environment)

More and more States, cities, utilities, and corporations are passing laws and setting targets and goals for achieving "100%" clean, carbon-free, or renewable energy as the long-term expectation for meeting electricity needs. This panel will seek to describe the trend and begin to explore implications for regulators, including:

• Where and why is this trend occurring?
• What are the common elements and differences across the "100%" goals and policies?
• How do the policies consider and impact costs, rate regulation and regulatory process?

Moderator:

Leia Guccione, Principal, Electricity Program, Rocky Mountain Institute

Speakers:

Hon. James Griffin, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission 

Sandra Mattavous-Frye, People's Counsel, DC Office of the People’s Counsel

Jeff Lyng, Director of Energy & Environmental Policy, Xcel Energy 

100% Clean Energy: What Comes Next for Markets and the Grid?

(Joint with Committee on Energy Resources & the Environment)

Many States have developed aggressive targets for renewable and carbon-free energy resource procurement while retiring legacy generation. This panel will begin to explore implications for markets and the grid, including:

• What are the challenges for States, cities, and utilities getting to 100%?
• How do solutions vary across regions, resources, and regulatory and market structures?
• To what extent do 100% policies incorporate grid considerations, such as reliability? 
• What market structures are necessary for this transition?

Moderator: 

Debbie Lew 

Speakers: 

John Moore, Director, Sustainable FERC Project, Climate & Clean Energy Program, NRDC

Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force

W. Mason Emnett, VP, Competitive Market Policy, Exelon Corporation

Beyond Retirements: How Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Can Save Ratepayers Money

(Subcommittee on Clean Coal and Carbon Management)

Among the most important responsibilities of State energy regulators is overseeing long-term energy planning. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) has emerged as a valuable tool to extend the lifespans of fossil fueled generators, cutting CO2 emissions while enabling the continued delivery of affordable and reliable baseload power. However, regulators need accurate information about the costs and benefits of various CCUS retrofits compared to other investments in order to make decisions in ratepayers’ best interest. Exciting developments in carbon capture for gas-fired power, CO2 utilization pathways, pre- and post-combustion applications, and advances in solvent and membrane design are part of a growing set of CCUS options for fossil generation. This panel will draw on the public and private sector experience of CCUS experts to improve State regulators’ familiarity with the growing range of options available for legacy fossil generation beyond retirement and replacement.

Moderator: 

Hon. Jeremy Oden, Alabama

Speakers: 

The Honorable Charles McConnell, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy (2011 - 2013) and Director, Center for Carbon Management in Energy at the University of Houston

Mike Nasi, Partner, Jackson Walker LLP

Paul Bailey, Chief Policy Officer, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity / America's Power

Making DERs Cybersecure:  Vulnerabilities, Standards, and Requirements of Interconnecting DERs to the Grid

(Joint with Committee on Critical Infrastructure)

With the growth of DERs on the grid expected to continue, it is important to ensure that all distributed generation and storage resources added to the grid are secure from external and equipment-based vulnerabilities.  Panelists will discuss how to assess specific vulnerabilities caused by increasing DER interconnections to the grid and ways to ensure DER security. 

Moderators:

Hon. Judith Williams Jagdmann, Virginia

Hon. Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, Pennsylvania 

Speakers:

Tobias Whitney, Technical Executive, EPRI

Danish Saleem, DER Cybersecurity Standards Lead, NREL

Colleen Glenn, Control Systems Cyber Security Analyst, Idaho National Lab

Business Meeting with Remarks by:

John Bear, CEO, MISO

Commissions’ Role Implementing the New Distributed Energy Resource Standard (IEEE 1547-2018)

As more distributed energy resources (DERs), like solar and storage, interconnect with the utility distribution grids, it is important that both the DERs and the grids are capable of safe and reliable operations.  IEEE 1547 is a foundational, technology neutral standard for the interconnection and interoperability of DERs that, when adopted at the State level, provides commissions and utilities with the framework and tools to ensure safe and reliable interconnection and operation of DERs in distribution systems.  IEEE 1547 underwent a substantive update in 2018 to address the challenges of increasing levels of DERs (including potential impacts to regional grids) and the capabilities of changing technologies (including advanced inverters).  This session will outline the importance of adopting the newly updated IEEE 1547, regardless of the current levels of DERs in your state, while illustrating options to ease implementation of the standard.

Moderator: 

Hon. Matthew Schuerger, Minnesota 

Panelists: 

David Narang, Section Manager, Applied Power Systems - Distributed Energy Systems Integration Group, NREL 

Devin Van Zandt, Technical Executive, EPRI

Sara Baldwin, VP, Regulatory, IREC

4:00 - 5:15 p.m.

The State of Nuclear Waste Transportation and Best Practices across the Country

(Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues - Waste Disposal)

The transportation of nuclear waste is an important issue facing the US. As nuclear plants are decommissioned and as operating plants continue to produce more waste, the country needs safe and efficient means of moving the waste to interim or permanent storage facilities. This panel will reflect on the history and current status of nuclear waste transportation along with best practices learned by experts in the industry.

Moderator:

Hon. Anthony O'Donnell, Maryland 

Panelists:

Dr. Kelly Horn Section Head, Environmental Management, Division of Nuclear Safety, Illinois Emergency Management Agency

Steven Edwards, Manager, Spent Fuel Management, Duke Energy 

Pamela Gorman Prochaska, Director, Nuclear Regulatory Policy & Strategy, Xcel Energy