Fortnightly Magazine - November 2025

What's Next in State Utility Regulation

The States

Part two in PUF’s series, with conversations with Arizona Chair Kevin Thompson, New Mexico Chair Gabriel Aguilera, Oregon Chair Letha Tawney, and Pennsylvania Chair Steve DeFrank with PUF Senior Advisor Paul Kjellander.

State Utility Regulation: Chair Kevin Thompson

Arizona CC

“We’re eliminating the mandates. You’re seeing that from the administration in Washington, D.C., as well. We started down this path in 2023 with our changes in our Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff, REST rules. We don’t need to subsidize it either.”

State Utility Regulation: Chair Letha Tawney

Oregon PUC

“There is no realistic way to interconnect larger numbers of generators of any fuel type or move that power around the Northwest without Bonneville Power Administration’s partnership, system growth, and investments. There’s no way to accommodate the growth without that partnership.”

State Utility Regulation: Chair Steve DeFrank

Pennsylvania PUC

“We have a new set of customers who are struggling with affordability issues, and that is something we’re noticing here. That’s a big issue we’re dealing with, and when large new loads are tied to that equation, affordability becomes even more complex.”

Keeping Pace with Data Centers

PPL

“In our Pennsylvania service territory alone, we have over 14.5 gigawatts of data center projects in advanced stages of planning. To put that in perspective, our current peak load in Pennsylvania is about 7.5 giga-watts, and we are a 100-year-old company.”

Nuclear First Movers

NASEO

“States in our First Movers Initiative, such as New York, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wyoming, are working to advance small modular reactor development in their states, and in some cases larger reactors similar to Georgia’s Vogtle plant.”

Let There Be Light

NARUC

“We have increased sponsorships this year. I’m honored to say that with the help of great Staff and support from the overall industry communities, we’ve broken every sponsorship record in NARUC history.”

Fortnightly Top Innovators 2025

Awards Named for Great Innovators of the Past

“These remarkable teams and leaders reflect every dimension of our industry’s transformation. Each award honors an innovator whose historic achievements continue to inspire today’s breakthroughs. Their stories, and those of this year’s winners remind us that progress in energy is always powered by imagination and collaboration.”
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