2015 Regulators Forum
State Utility Commissioners in Their Own Words
Susan Ackerman, chair, Oregon PUC; Chris Nelson, vice-chairman, South Dakota PUC; Tim G. Echols, Georgia PSC; Paul J. Roberti, Rhode Island PUC
Law & Lawyers
Oregon: Situated Quite Well
2015 Regulators Forum
States that have coal-dependent economies will likely have more difficulty complying with the Clean Power Plan than states like Oregon. There will be rate impacts to be sure. The trick will be compliance at the most reasonable cost that that can be assured.
South Dakota: A Unique Fuel Mix
Chris Nelson, vice-chairman, South Dakota Pub. Utils. Comm’n
Seventy-three percent of our generation is carbon-free, yet the EPA’s 111(d) rules require a 48 percent reduction in our CO2 emission rate. That steep reduction will be very difficult to achieve and will be costly for our electric customers. The commission’s chief concern is keeping a lid on consumer prices, especially given the pressure exerted by EPA.
Georgia: On Becoming a Social Media Junkie
2015 Regulators Forum
Being in the “energy” business as a commissioner, staff, lobbyist or industry leader is hard enough without social media, right? When you add Twitter and Facebook to the mix, it is enough to drive one crazy. Who needs it? Well, we all do, really.
Rhode Island: The Challenge of an Aging Infrastructure
2015 Regulators Forum
Clearly, one of the most significant issues we face today is aging infrastructure. It’s akin to a marathon – a race we absolutely have to finish. Since 1990 we’ve replaced more than 65,000 miles of cast iron and bare steel pipe, but we still have a long way to go.
Gold Standard, or Gold-Plated Handcuffs?
Why NRC must combine regulation with innovation.
The NRC today has come to serve not just as policeman, but also judge and jury.
FDR's Article in Public Utilities Fortnightly
Soon-to-be-president a PUF Author
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote an article for Public Utilities Fortnightly, in June 1931, he was governor of the state of New York and a strong contender for the Democratic nomination for the 1932 presidential election. What drove FDR to write the two-page article?
The PUF editors asked the soon-to-be-president:
"... whether or not it will be possible for a privately owned public utility company to earn a reasonable return on its investment in New York, notwithstanding the enactment of all of the so-called progressive proposals?"
Fortnight Editorial: The Solar Foundation Responds
132 thousand residential solar jobs with caveats
The president and executive director of The Solar Foundation addressed the questions we raised in our Jan 27 editorial.
Electricity Sales a Predictor of Presidential Elections?
March 1996 article said weak electricity sales growth predicted Carter’s and H.W. Bush’s reelection loss, and speculated about Clinton’s chances.
"Elections and Electrons: Who Will Win in '96," was the article's title, in the March 15, 1996 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly, 20 years ago. The author analyzed annual electricity sales growth and observed weak growth in the years that President Jimmy Carter lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan, in 1980, and that George H.W. Bush lost his reelection bid to Bill Clinton, in 1992.
Clean Power Puzzle: April 2016 crossword puzzle answers
Spoiler alert! Answers to this month’s crossword puzzle, Clean Power Puzzle, on page 27 in April 2016's Public Utilities Fortnightly.
Across
1. reliable critic: nerc
2. more with building block four: efficiency
6. assessment: ea
7. incentive program: ceip
8. more with building block three: renewables
10. skeptical judges: supreme
14. more with building block two: gas
15. not changing the ___: climate