CLOSED — Closed to non-members (Commission members only)
OPEN — Open to all registrants
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Saturday, July 18
CLOSED
Staff Subcommittee on Critical Infrastructure
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Xcel Energy’s Saint Paul Service Center, located within The Heights redevelopment, is a 320,000+ square foot facility paired with a first-of-its-kind district geothermal system designed to serve the broader mixed-use community. This networked system uses aquifer thermal energy storage to deliver low-carbon heating and cooling at scale, highlighting innovative approaches to reducing emissions and long-term energy costs. This site visit offers regulators and staff a practical look at how district energy systems and utility infrastructure can be evaluated in proceedings, including considerations around cost recovery, public financing, and resilience. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. |
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Saturday, July 18
CLOSED Executive Committee |
(Invitees Only) |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand E OPEN
Staff Subcommittee on Consumers and the Public Interest
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Following months of collaboration, the Critical Consumers Issue Forum (CCIF) is pleased to feature state commissioners, consumer advocates, and electric company representatives to highlight CCIF’s new report, consensus principles, and other takeaways. CCIF thanks the noted NARUC Staff Subcommittees for their collaboration on the program and welcomes all interested NARUC Summer Policy Summit and NASUCA Mid Year Meeting attendees to join. Separate registration required (no fee): Click here to register. Buffet Breakfast Available by 8:30 am (sponsored by Edison Electric Institute) Program 9:15 – 11:00 am (in collaboration with NARUC Staff Subcommittees) |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Symphony III CLOSED |
The NARUC Center for Partnerships & Innovation and U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity are co-hosting an interactive, members-only workshop on creating a data-supported decision-making environment at state utility commissions. The workshop will include limited presentations and ample time for peer-to-peer dialogue about the successes and challenges commissions are currently facing in receiving and using utility system data from companies to facilitate timely, data-informed decision making. When a commission requests data from a utility, do you get what you are expecting? Is it useful? Does it answer your questions? Are you able to analyze the data and synthesize insights across relevant proceedings? For many state decision-makers, it is difficult to define exactly what data are needed, in what format, and then what insights it can provide. Attendees will learn about successful examples from other states while also sharing challenges that can be overcome. Insights from this session will be combined with other NARUC-DOE sessions throughout 2026 and anonymously included in a new DOE Voices of Experience summary of gaps and opportunities in leveraging electricity system data to support investment decisions. Registration is free and open to state commissioners and commission staff. This workshop is open to NARUC members only and requires free, advance registration. Register here. |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand Ballroom Foyer OPEN |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Red Wing OPEN |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Duluth OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Telecommunications |
Business meeting for the Staff Subcommittee on Telecommunications |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Rochester OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Electricity |
Join the Staff Subcommittee on Electricity for a hands-on interactive learning session on electricity markets that incorporate distributed energy resources (i.e., solar panels, battery storage, bidirectional EVs, etc.) through live economics experiments. By stepping into the shoes of DER owners, you will have an opportunity to experience decision making under alternative retail pricing and market access rights followed by a discussion and presentation of results from all players. No advance knowledge is required. Participants first operate with rooftop solar alone and later gain access to battery storage, eventually being allowed to buy/sell electricity directly from/to the grid. Attendees will experience first-hand how laboratory economics experiments can enhance our understanding of both power market fundamentals and potential behavioral/strategic interactions between market participants. Come prepared to interact with the setting and with each other, to ask questions, and to examine how such activities can illuminate the interplay among market design, behavioral responses, and regulatory frameworks This event is open to all registered NARUC meeting attendees; priority will be given to Staff Subcommittee members. Seats are limited, so register in advance to secure your spot: Electricity Markets Simulation – Registration form SPEAKERS:
Dr. Rimvydas Baltaduonis
Dr. Lynne Kiesling
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand Ballroom Foyer OPEN |
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Sunday, July 19
OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Information Services |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand E OPEN Staff Subcommittee of Public Information Officers |
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Sunday, July 19
CLOSED Staff Subcommittee on Pipeline Safety |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Marquette I-V OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Consumers and the Public Interest |
Energy affordability is often measured through bills and income, but household energy insecurity shows up long before a customer misses a payment. Families may keep bills low by enduring unsafe indoor temperatures, delaying repairs, or making tradeoffs that put them at risk of frozen pipes, heat stroke, medical stress, or disconnection. To design better rates and programs, regulators need to understand not only the finacial stress, but how households cope with affordability gaps. In this interactive session, Dr. Destenie Nock will share insights from data analytics deployed across more than 4 million electric and natural gas households. The session will move beyond the standard energy burden metric to examine energy “wallet share,” energy-limiting behavior, arrearage risk, and the hidden affordability gaps that traditional bill-based metrics can miss. Attendees will learn how advanced analytics can identify households experiencing affordability stress, anticipate public health and safety risks, and inform more targeted rate design and low income programs. The session will also highlight practical applications of this work, including regulatory proceedings in Massachusetts, low-income program design in Pennsylvania, and household energy needs across the southern United States. Dr. Nock will discuss how one state redesigned low-income rates to directly lower household energy burdens, offering a concrete example of how data can support more equitable outcomes. Attendees will leave with a holistic framework for evaluating energy affordability and using data analytics to find at-risk households before they default on their bills.
SPEAKERS:
Anne Armstrong
Dr. Destenie Nock
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand G-F OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Telecommunications |
Since its creation, Lifeline service has provided essential telephone service for millions of low-income customers. Over the past several years, Lifeline has expanded from exclusively wireline voice-only service to include wireless service and mixed broadband and voice service. The anticipated transition to the all-IP network will create new opportunities and challenges for Lifeline service, as the FCC has recognized in its recent Lifeline NPRM. This panel will discuss the NPRM as well as state commission experiences as new providers seek to be designated as ETCs. |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand C CLOSED |
For commissioners who have served less than 12 months |
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Sunday, July 19
OPEN |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Symphony 4 CLOSED Washington Action Program |
(Commissioners/Commission Staff Only) |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Directors Row 2, 3, and 4; Boardroom 1, 2, and 3; Symphony I and II CLOSED |
Separate registration required. Join us for the third iteration of the NARUC Emerging Technologies Showcase, an interactive forum for NARUC members to engage directly with cutting-edge technology innovators. Attendees will be divided into small groups and rotate through a series of brief presentations led by 8 technology companies, sparking meaningful dialogue between utility regulators and innovators shaping the future of the energy sector. From 1:00 to 3:45 pm, this event will be open to NARUC members only. Full attendance for the duration of the program is expected and registration is required. Register here. From 3:45 to 5:00 pm, there will be an open house period so any conference attendees can visit the technology companies. Registration is not required for the open house. Sponsored by the Critical Infrastructure Committee and Staff Subcommittee, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response and the DOE Office of Electricity. |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Rochester OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Regulatory and Industry Diversity |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Duluth OPEN Staff Subcommittee on Gas |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Symphony IV OPEN
Staff Subcommittee on Education and Research
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1:30 pm Welcome & Roll Call 1:35 pm Approval of Feb. 8, 2026 Minutes 1:40 pm Updates
2:00 pm Spring 2026 Commission Staff Scholarships 2:10 pm Applications for Support of an Event 2:30 pm Educational Partner Updates (5 min each)
3:25 pm Any Other Business 3:30 pm Adjourn SPEAKERS:
Hon. Lea Marquez Peterson
Erin Hammel
Danielle Sass Byrnett
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand Ballroom Foyer OPEN |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Rochester OPEN Select Committee on Regulatory and Industry Diversity |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Duluth OPEN
Staff Subcommittee on Coal and Carbon Innovation
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand E OPEN
Staff Subcommittee on Nuclear Energy
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand Ballroom Foyer OPEN |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand G-F CLOSED Staff Subcommittee on Executive Management |
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Sunday, July 19
OPEN
Staff Subcommittee on Administrative Law Judges
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Duluth CLOSED Subcommittee on Pipeline Safety |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand E OPEN
Committee on Critical Infrastructure
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Extreme weather events, including heat waves, polar vortices, hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding, are increasing in frequency, severity, and unpredictability. These events are placing unprecedented stress on electric, gas, and water utilities, prompting regulators and industry leaders to rethink resilience, planning, investment, and emergency response. These efforts sit alongside a critical, often underappreciated resilience mechanism: industry mutual assistance. During catastrophic weather events, utilities across North America deploy trained crews, equipment, and specialized teams to affected regions. This plenary session explores how utilities and regulators can better prepare for, withstand, and recover from disruptive events, while maintaining reliability, affordability, and equity. |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Marquette I-V OPEN Committee on International Relations |
Open-Source Meets Regulation: Maximizing Impact for Energy PlanningHow can regulators ensure that energy system planning is transparent, reproducible, and trusted before major investment decisions are made? Drawing on open-source tools used by European regulators and utilities, this session will show how open methods and workflows can strengthen planning, review, and regulatory decision making.
Australia’s DER Transformation: What it Means for U.S. RegulatorsAustralia is experiencing a distributed energy resource (“DER”) transformation. Specifically, Australia has a 30% rooftop solar penetration nationally, providing a glimpse into the DER future for some U.S. states. In March 2026, the CHARGED Initiative (GridLab, Advanced Energy United, and RMI) brought U.S. utility regulators to see Australia’s DER transformation firsthand; U.S. regulators visited with Australian distribution network operators, retailers, the wholesale market operator, the national regulator, and national and state government agencies. Lessons learned from this experience are shared by some of those U.S. regulators. SPEAKERS:
Hon Tammy Cordova
Hon. Uchenna Bright
Caitlin Odom
Hon. Daniel Scripps
Harry van der Weijde
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Rochester OPEN Committee on Consumers and the Public Interest |
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Sunday, July 19
Room: Grand Ballroom OPEN |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN |
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN |
Keynote Address: Low and Behold: Barometric Extremes Amplifying Weather HazardsSunny Wescott will speak on extreme weather trends from an upper-level atmospheric view down to the regional impacts and implications for the utility sector and the critical infrastructure required to operate it. Topics will include barometric pumping, extreme heat and stormwater risks due to amplified rainfall rates, flash drought and subsequent wildfire triggers from water cycle changes, and cascading failures from the various hazards underway, such as increasing lightning strikes. As weather hazards continue to worsen damages to key systems, attendees will learn how changes in longevity, intensity, and seasonality will present unique challenges requiring innovative solutions. Sunny Wescott Utility Infrastructure and Agricultural LandscapesHow are commissions, utilities, and developers balancing land use, water conservation, and the growing demand for energy and water security to support critical utility infrastructure needs? This panel will focus on how infrastructure projects can support rural economies, address landowner concerns, and maintain reliability. Learn how collaboration and best practices can strengthen local support while ensuring essential infrastructure is developed responsibly. (Panelists TBA) SPEAKERS:
Hon. Edward Lodge
Hon. Josh Byrnes
Mike DeBock
Krista Tanner
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Monday, July 20
OPEN |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Gas |
SPEAKERS:
Hon. Stephen DeFrank
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Monday, July 20
OPEN
Committee on Water
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Business Meeting Agenda:
SPEAKERS:
Hon. Michael Bange
Robert Powelson
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment |
Grid-edge resources and load flexibility, including bring-your-own capacity (BYOC) solutions, potentially offer data centers operators multiple benefits: reduced interconnection time, lower electricity bills, or additional revenue streams from providing grid services. In addition, leveraging these customer-owned resources can reduce costs for all ratepayers while promoting economic development, but there can be regulatory challenges that must be overcome to unlock this value. This panel will discuss successful BYOC deployment models and key components of a regulatory framework that can leverage customer-owned resources to benefit data centers and all ratepayers. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Uchenna Bright
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Monday, July 20
OPEN
Committee on Consumers and the Public Interest
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Rate adjustment mechanisms, commonly known as trackers or riders, are abound in modern rate design. Frequently introduced as a way to minimize rate shock to customers, ensure financial stability to utilities, and decrease ‘regulatory lag’, riders also commonly increase customer bills without the intense scrutiny of a fully litigated rate case. The experts on this panel will debate the pros and cons of riders as an affordability tool and compare and contrast riders with other rate design mechanisms like performance based ratemaking and decoupling. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Kristy Nieto
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Telecommunications |
States are playing an increasingly prominent and proactive role in broadband policy. This panel will focus on the affordability of broadband, including three distinct approaches that have emerged across states: new expansions of state-level lifeline programs, new regulatory structures governing low-cost offers, and direct subsidies to lower costs for consumers.
SPEAKERS:
Hon. Karen Charles
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) NARUC Committee and Staff Subcommittee Chairs |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Water |
The water industry’s shift toward AI-driven predictive maintenance is now a reality. This session explores how advanced sensors and machine learning allow operators to anticipate failures before they happen, optimizing asset life cycles and drastically reducing unplanned downtime and emergency costs. Panelists will discuss whether predictive maintenance can achieve the goals that it touts of helping to stabilize ratepayer costs and ensure long-term water system reliability. SPEAKERS:
Ana Ortega
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment |
This panel will assess how different generation resources—nuclear, renewables, natural gas, energy storage, geothermal and demand response—work together to maintain affordability and reliability as electricity demand rises. |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Electricity |
SPEAKERS:
Hon. John Hammond
Hon. Lindsay See
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Gas |
This session will examine the growing importance of natural gas storage as a cornerstone of energy reliability, affordability, and system flexibility. Attendees will learn how storage across underground facilities, salt caverns, LNG, and CNG balances seasonal demand, mitigates price spikes, and provides critical backup supply during extreme weather and system disruptions. Key takeaways include understanding the value of storage as both a physical and financial asset, identifying constraints such as capacity and permitting challenges, and exploring how policy can better integrate storage into long-term energy planning. This topic is relevant to infrastructure investment, reliability standards, and strategies to protect consumers while enabling a more resilient energy system. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Kristie Fiegen
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Telecommunications |
POTS, mobile, cable, and broadband have significant experience with regulation via both state-by-state and national frameworks. Some argue that these services have benefited most from the consistency provided by a national regulatory framework, while others say that state-by-state regulation is better suited to enhancing consumer welfare. Local, state, and federal policymakers are actively considering whether and how to regulate a new generation of services and issues implicated by them - privacy, cybersecurity, data center construction, AI, etc. Federal inaction has resulted in state-by-state regulation by default in most cases, but there is growing support for the implementation of national frameworks and preemption to facilitate continued investment, growth, and innovation. Which approach is best for all these services and what lessons can the next generation of tech learn from the previous century-plus of federal and state telecom regulation? SPEAKERS:
Hon. Mary Pat Regan
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Monday, July 20
OPEN |
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment |
Draft Agenda - Minnesota's Innovative Utilities - Local utilities share one or two of their innovative programs. Invited utilities include Centerpoint Energy, Xcel Energy, and Minnesota Power. - Resolutions (if any)
SPEAKERS:
Bria Shea
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Telecommunications |
Presentation: Protecting Ratepayer Investments: What Commissioners Need to Know About 900 MHz Spectrum UncertaintyState commissions have approved major AMI, SCADA, and distribution automation investments that rely on the FCC’s longstanding 900 MHz framework. A federal proposal to repurpose this band for a new 5G integrated Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) network could impair outage detection, voltage and temperature sensing, wildfire area monitoring, and grid restoration. Utilities report risks to more than 25 million AMI meters and nearly 400,000 field devices, with one estimating $1.5 billion to replace 10.5 million meters and 80,000 DA/SCADA devices if access is disrupted. This session will equip commissioners with the knowledge needed to evaluate potential impacts in their states, assess whether federal engagement may be warranted, and prepare for future utility filings that may seek recovery for alternate communications systems. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Mary Pat Regan
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Gas |
In the last year, two important studies were completed identifying and discussing recommendations for gas-electric coordination – NARUC’s GEAR Task Force Report and DOE’s NPC Study on Gas-Electric Coordination. Recent performance of both the gas and electric systems during winter storms indicate that the system is performing effectively, yet there remain opportunities for enhanced coordination, especially as the system faces ever growing demand. Collectively, these reports provide 19 recommendations, many of which overlap, including permitting reform. This session will highlight how growing electricity demand, evolving market designs, and constrained gas infrastructure are creating reliability risks as well as why permitting delays are increasingly the limiting factor to needed infrastructure. The session will address important questions regarding actionable measures that can be taken to implement the GEAR Task Force and NPC Study recommendations and explore the practical aspects of implementation from both the State and Federal viewpoints. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Stephen DeFrank
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Electricity |
Transmission planning is at an inflection point, and state commissioners are among its most consequential actors. Drawing on ACEG's February 2026 Transmission Planning and Development Report Card, with FERC Order No. 1920, and other transmission planning initiatives as drivers, attendees will learn how compliance filings shape long-term scenarios, cost allocation, and interregional coordination, and where commissioners have direct leverage. SPP's Consolidated Planning Process offers a replicable model, projecting a $12–$18 benefit-to-cost ratio by integrating transmission planning and interconnection into a single framework. Commissioners will leave with tools to benchmark their region, engage Order 1920 implementation, and champion reforms that deliver reliable, cost-efficient grid infrastructure. SPEAKERS:
Brian Rybarik
Juliet Homer
Keegan Moyer
Hon. Doug Scott
Paul Suskie
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Monday, July 20
OPEN Committee on Water |
Water scarcity is a reality for our western water utilities. The search for a long-term Colorado River basin agreement has reached a critical impasse in April 2026. After missing multiple federal deadlines, the seven basin states remain divided, forcing the federal government to intervene with emergency measures and unilateral management plans. The Bureau of Reclamation is currently analyzing five management alternatives with a final decision expected in the fall of 2026. All of this is occurring during one of the worst snowpack years on record and while the warm spring of 2026 melted 60% of the basin's snowpack in just three weeks. This panel will discuss what water utilities in western states are doing to ensure sufficient supply for their customers, and what the future holds for all water utilities across the country facing water scarcity issues. SPEAKERS:
Hon Greg Nibert
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Commissioner Emeritus Only) |
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) |
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) |
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) |
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) |
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Monday, July 20
CLOSED |
(Invitees Only) |
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Tuesday, July 21
CLOSED |
(Commissioners Only) |
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
Keynote Speaker: Hon. James P. Danly, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of EnergyJoin Deputy Secretary James P. Danly for keynote remarks on federal energy priorities.
All In: Weathering the Storms Together for Grid ReliabilityThis panel will examine how utilities, grid operators, regulators, consumer advocates, and the Department of Energy work together to maintain grid reliability during extreme events. Discussion will focus on lessons learned from recent winter storms, the role of emergency authorities such as Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, and the importance of coordination across regions and fuel types, as well as address the issues that arise in balancing reliability, affordability, and resilience. (Additional panelists TBA) SPEAKERS:
Hon. Mike La Rosa
John Bear
Claire Coleman
Hon. Daniel Scripps
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Water |
With the compliance deadline for EPA’s PFAS drinking water standards on the horizon, water utilities are on a mission to meet this deadline. This panel brings together utility experts and regulators to provide a status report on the industry’s progress towards complying with this mandate. Panelists will touch on the various available treatment technology options, the challenge of accessing grant funding, the uncertainty created by the legal challenges to the PFAS MCL, and how the designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA could further increase costs. Most importantly of all, this panel will examine the impact on rates and how to communicate with customers in a way that does not shake their trust in tap water. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Matthew Baker
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Telecommunications |
As networks transition from the traditional POTS network to an all-IP network, there are still many issues relating to transition from traditional 911 networks to upgraded NG911 networks. Since the FCC has proposed a sunset date of December 31, 2028 for the TDM network, what challenges remain for 911 networks to complete the transition in that timeframe? This panel will explore these challenges and possible solutions, including actions that state commissions can take to assist in the NG911 transition. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Tim Schram
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Electricity |
Inspired by the television program "Love Is Blind," this session will feature a data center developer and a utility regulator positioned on opposite sides of a “wall.” The discussion will follow a moderated, interview-style format in which the regulator seeks to establish a long-term planning partnership, while the data center developer remains constrained by confidentiality obligations and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Their exchange will explore the challenges NDAs present for resource adequacy and long-term system planning, the practice of data centers evaluating and comparing multiple utilities and jurisdictions, and the business considerations that lead developers to require confidentiality agreements. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Summer Strand
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Gas |
This session will explore how natural gas hedging strategies, both financial and physical, protect consumers from price volatility while ensuring reliable energy delivery. Attendees will learn how utilities use tools such as fixed price contracts, storage, and firm transportation agreements to stabilize costs and secure supply in increasingly volatile markets alongside rising electric demand driven by data centers and continuous load growth. Key takeaways include how hedging supports affordability and reliability, how prudent procurement practices can be evaluated, and which regulatory frameworks best enable long-term planning. This session presents an important opportunity for state commissions, consumer advocates, and stakeholders to better understand how natural gas hedging can help balance cost oversight with maintaining system reliability during extreme weather and periods of high demand. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Chuck McLean
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment |
EVs are rapidly becoming a major force on the power system, with 6.5 million now on U.S. roads. Regulators are increasingly examining how EVs can serve not only as new load, but as flexible grid resources through vehicle-grid integration (VGI). Unlike other sources of load growth, EVs, when well managed, can help put downward pressure on rates. Active managed charging can reduce EV peak demand by more than 50%, more than double or triple distribution hosting capacity, and defer infrastructure upgrades for up to 10 years. A Washington state pilot reinforced these findings, demonstrating that load shaping can reliably deliver desired charge levels with minimal driver overrides and proving that grid benefits need not come at the expense of mobility. This panel will explore how pioneering states are translating this potential into practice through innovative regulatory frameworks, managed charging programs, and efforts to scale bidirectional charging. Michigan regulators are advancing clearer interconnection requirements for bidirectional systems and more transparent benefit-cost analysis. California is deploying dynamic rate pilots, V2X programs, and regulatory rule updates to enable both managed and bidirectional charging. Drawing on these real-world examples, panelists will highlight how stakeholders are overcoming regulatory barriers and laying the groundwork for EVs to become valuable, scalable grid assets. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Staci Rubin
Neal Callinan
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Gas |
According to the Center for Energy Workforce Development, the energy industry must attract 17 million replacement workers and 15 million new energy employees over the next decade. Meeting this goal will require a whole-of-systems approach and partnerships between the energy industry, labor organizations, and community partners. This session will highlight innovative afterschool programs, career pathways for students, engagement strategies, and practical approaches to build a skilled, competitive, and future-ready workforce. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Katie Anderson
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Water |
Water is the only utility customers ingest, making the safety and reliability of the service is paramount. But costs are rising and customers are feeling stretched everywhere from the gas pump to the water tap. How do utilities continue to ensure safe, affordable, and reliable water in this time of rising costs, complex regulations, cyber threats and extreme weather? This panel brings together experts to discuss best practices for ensuring high-quality drinking water comes out of the tap. Panelists will discuss the delicate balancing act needed to ensure safe and reliable water service that customers can afford. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Michael Bange
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN Committee on Telecommunications |
After all the commentary, questions, suggestions, and discussions, the USF Working Group is poised to release its report for public comment. This session will discuss potential changes to the Universal Service Fund to bring it into the 21st century. What is the Working Group proposing? How will it impact industry, the states, and the fund’s beneficiaries?
SPEAKERS:
Hon. Dan Watermeier
Kristi Westbrock
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN
Committee on Electricity
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
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Tuesday, July 21
OPEN |
Fireside Chat with Bob FrenzelA conversation between Bob Frenzel, CEO, Xcel Energy, and NARUC President Ann Rendahl. Data Centers: Converging, Emerging, and Diverging PerspectivesData centers, AI, and load growth are now inescapable facets of state and federal authority. They’re not going anywhere. Where are we on meeting the increasing demands on the grid, on policy decisions, our economies, and physical landscapes? Or, are we still catching up to technology that’s rapidly evolving? Through their lens of emerging issues, status reports, and technical expertise, our series of speakers will offer unique, individual quick takes on what’s working, what’s worrisome, and what’s wrong. This dynamic session will offer much to think about well past the coffee break! (Additional panelists TBA)
SPEAKERS:
Hon. Ann Rendahl
Joseph Bowring
Arshad Mansoor
Sasha Weintraub
Ellen Zuckerman
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Wednesday, July 22
OPEN |
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Wednesday, July 22
OPEN |
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Wednesday, July 22
OPEN |
C-Suite Perspectives on Investing in Clean, Dispatchable GenerationUtility executives from leading energy companies discuss the critical investments needed to deliver clean, reliable, and dispatchable power in an era of rising demand and decarbonization goals. This high-level panel will explore emerging technologies, project economics, regulatory challenges, and capital allocation strategies for firm clean generation — including advanced nuclear, geothermal, long-duration storage, hydro, hydrogen, and next-generation gas with CCS. Learn how utilities are balancing intermittency risks while building a resilient, affordable, and sustainable energy system for the future. Hon. Ann Rendahl Justin Driscoll (Additional panelists TBA) Can We Have the Best of Both Worlds? Options for Improving Affordability in an Era of Load GrowthState utility commissioners face a defining paradox: at a moment of rising customer bills and political pressure to constrain rates, the path forward must also run through investments in grid infrastructure to meet ongoing and new needs. As load growth accelerates due to electrification and data center demand, and as aging systems require modernization, utilities must deploy capital to better leverage the system we have and build the system we need; without careful regulatory design, these investments could exacerbate customer affordability challenges. Is there a path to energy abundance, economic competitiveness, and consumer affordability or are they inherently in conflict? If utility regulation aligns incentives, ensures prudent and performance-based investment, and communicates how infrastructure expansion can ultimately lower system costs over time, we could have the best of both worlds. This panel will discuss questions of how, not whether, to invest, and how to structure oversight, cost allocation, and business models so that necessary capital deployment translates into durable affordability, reliability, and public trust. Panelists will provide perspectives from utilities, financial markets, and industry organizations on how affordability considerations are shaping long-term planning, regulatory strategy, and investment decisions. SPEAKERS:
Hon. Audrey Partridge
Noel Black
Raymond Gifford
Teresa Ho Kim
Joe Pereira
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Wednesday, July 22
OPEN |
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Wednesday, July 22
CLOSED |
Daikin Applied and Center for Energy and Environment invite you to tour Daikin's new state-of-the-art Research & Development test laboratory 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. The site showcases Minnesota's innovative leadership in developing high-efficiency HVAC technologies, from air source heat pumps to commercial rooftop units to hyperscale data center cooling technologies. The test center has some of the most advanced research and testing equipment to ensure products are being developed to meet efficiency and sustainability specifications. Tour attendees will have the opportunity to see chambers used to test the performance and reliability of HVAC equipment at the most extreme conditions. Daikin Applied is a subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd., a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial HVAC systems. Center for Energy and Environment is a nonprofit organization with decades of experience discovering and deploying effective energy solutions through program development and implementation, research, lending service, and policy advocacy. |
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Wednesday, July 22
CLOSED |
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator or MISO is responsible for keeping power flowing across its region reliably and cost-effectively. MISO focuses on three critical tasks: 1) managing the flow of high-voltage electricity across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba; 2) facilitating one of the world’s largest energy markets with more than $53 billion in annual transaction in 2025; and 3) planning the grid of the future. A tour of the MISO Eagan office provides visitors with a structured overview of the Regional Transmission Operator’s role in ensuring the reliable and efficient delivery of electricity across the region. The visit begins with an introduction to MISO’s mission, governance, and operational responsibilities, followed by a detailed explanation of the systems and analytical tools used to manage real-time grid operations and energy markets. While touring the control room overlook, guests receive a comprehensive briefing on its functions and the critical activities performed by system operators. The tour concludes with an opportunity for discussion with MISO staff, offering deeper insight into the organization’s operational practices and its commitment to maintaining a resilient and dependable electric grid. |