Points of Connection: Bill Brackmann
Burns & McDonnell
“There is now a dynamic where vastly different and sometimes competing goals are in the same room. Our role is to align those disparate objectives into an executable strategy.”
Law & Lawyers
The Rising Tide: How Flood Risk Is Reshaping Utility Capital Planning
Technosylva
“New substations, transmission lines, and distribution infrastructure represent enormous capital commitments. If assets are sited without rigorous flood risk assessment, utilities are not just exposing existing infrastructure to harm; they are locking in new exposure for decades.”
Virtual Power Plants Take Center Stage
Overview of State Actions
Responding to robust industry interest in VPPs and their potential benefits, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) are collaborating to help states, utilities, and other stakeholders understand the ever-evolving policy and industry landscape.
Energy Affordability Through Grid Flexibility
Flexible Load Management
“In Vermont, a state-commission-established working group was tasked with estimating resources that could be flexibly managed. That work found that nearly 20% of residential demand and 20% of commercial and industrial demand could be flexibly managed.”
NARUC's 2026 Regional Conferences Begin
NARUC Events
Paul Kjellander speaks with Maine Chair Phil Bartlett on the New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners, Mississippi Chair Chris Brown on the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and New Mexico Commissioner Patrick O’Connell on the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners.
NECPUC: New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners
NARUC Events
“New England is a high-cost region with aging infrastructure. Costs are going up and demand is not growing as fast as had originally been anticipated from beneficial electrification.”
SEARUC: Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
NARUC Events
“NARUC President Ann Rendahl and others have spent a lot of time trying to get Commissioners across the country to realize that wildfire isn’t just a Western issue. We focus on wildfire in the West and trying to elevate that conversation across the country has been frustrating.”
WCPSC: Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners
NARUC Events
“NARUC President Ann Rendahl and others have spent a lot of time trying to get Commissioners across the country to realize that wildfire isn’t just a Western issue. We focus on wildfire in the West and trying to elevate that conversation across the country has been frustrating.”
What's Ahead With Commission Chairs
The States
Conversations with Florida Chair Gabriella Passidomo Smith, Maryland Chair Kumar Barve, and Massachusetts Chair Jeremy McDiarmid with PUF Senior Advisor Paul Kjellander.
State Utility Regulation: Gabriella Passidomo Smith
Florida PSC
“When the PSC looks at large load customers, we want to ensure they pay their fair share, existing customers are protected from subsidizing speculative demand, and system reliability and transmission readiness are maintained.”