Fortnightly Magazine - September 2026

Leaning Into Change

From Classrooms to the Modern Energy Grid

Change is rarely comfortable at the start, whether you are an eighth grader getting ready for high school or a utility leader building the future grid. But if we stick with it and work together, the results are almost always worth it.
Byline: 

Rachel Bryant

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Light Up Navajo

Connecting homes, extending power lines

Light Up Navajo is a mutual aid project launched in 2019 by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority with the American Public Power Association to connect homes without electricity under an expedited time frame. The NTUA service territory is 27,000 square miles, spreading across northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and a small portion of southeastern Utah. PUF is shining light on this ongoing project, which is seeking energy and utility companies to take part in Light Up Navajo, also providing financial assistance, in coming years.
Byline: 

PUF

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Light Up Navajo: Wally Haase

General Manager

“Once electricity reaches the homestead, the homes can then receive water and wastewater services, including internet connection, which is important for children to study. A great improvement is getting a bathroom in the house.”
Byline: 

Wally Haase with Paul Kjellander

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Light Up Navajo: Jack Johnston

Delta-Montrose Electric Association

“I did not expect to see something like the situation in Guatemala in the State of Arizona within the U.S. That was a watershed moment.”
Byline: 

Jack Johnston with Paul Kjellander

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Light Up Navajo: Natalie Smith

NextEra Energy Resources

“We have provided financial support for Light Up Navajo. That helps pay for crews, who from early in the morning until late at night are putting poles in the ground and pulling wire out to homes that don’t have electricity.”
Byline: 

Natalie Smith with Paul Kjellander

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Light Up Navajo: Scott Breithaupt

Delta-Montrose Electric Association

“Some of the Navajo travel back and forth to town and fill up coolers with ice two to three times a week to use for refrigeration. Some have small solar arrays, but generally they’re not big enough for the power to allow them to be self-sustaining.”
Byline: 

Scott Breithaupt with Paul Kjellander

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2026 NARUC Summer Policy Summit

Events

The NARUC Summer Policy Summit was held July 19-22 in Minneapolis and featured unique perspectives from those on the front lines of utility regulation, policy, and infrastructure challenges. The many sessions and panels were curated to explore strategic insights necessary to navigate a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

Byline: 

PUF

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Wildfire Workbook for Utility Regulators

NARUC Summer Policy Summit

“NARUC developed the Wildfire Workbook. As Chair of the Wildfire Working Group, I’m proud of this collaborative effort. The interactive seven-chapter resource is available on NARUC’s website.”
Byline: 

Ann Rendahl

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Weathering the Storms for Grid Reliability

NARUC Summer Policy Summit

This panel at the NARUC Summer Policy Summit examined how utilities, grid operators, regulators, consumer advocates, and the Department of Energy work together to maintain grid reliability during extreme events. The discussion focused 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 addressed issues that arise in balancing reliability, affordability, and resilience.
Byline: 

Mike La Rosa et al.

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Data Centers: Converging, Emerging, Diverging Perspectives

NARUC Summer Policy Summit

Data centers, AI, and load growth are inescapable now, as is state and federal authority over them. This series of speakers at the NARUC Summer Policy Summit grappled with meeting increased demands on the grid. Through their lens on emerging issues, along with technical expertise, the speakers offered unique takes on what’s working, what’s worrisome, and what’s wrong.

Byline: 

Arshad Mansoor et al.

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