Commission Watch

“The 2024 Climate Act charges the Division of Public Participation with assisting stakeholders to navigate prefiling engagement and outreach requirements for Siting Board proceedings. We are working on regulations and guidance to ensure consistency in prefiling outreach requirements across projects.”

“The Legislature amended the Department’s authorizing statute a few years ago to encompass both equity and greenhouse gas emission reductions, in addition to safety, security, reliability, and affordability.”

“Cost to consumers is top of mind for the Commission and the Department. We understand that the high cost of energy is a burden for a lot of folks in Massachusetts, and that’s something we take seriously and are working on.”

“We are considering whether to limit the percentage of people’s income spent on energy bills. We have an energy burden docket considering tiered discount rates or targeting the largest bill discounts to customers most in need, and changes to utility service disconnection practices.”

“The next five years are going to be significant on the gas side as we continue to guide the transition of the industry, and on the electric side as we implement AMI and roll out time-varying rates. We need to do a lot on rate design, affordability, and heat pump rates.”

The DPU is led by Chair James Van Nostrand along with Commissioners Cecile Fraser and Staci Rubin. The PUF team discussed with them the latest events in regulation, as well as where the Bay State is headed in its energy transition. DPU Staff provided updates on what is going on in their divisions, and as a bonus, PUF Executive Editor Steve Mitnick talked with Secretary of Energy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Rebecca Tepper.

“Market-driven innovation must happen at the edge of the grid. A feat achieved by FERC Order No. 1920, which was unveiled in early May. The first objective of FERC Order No. 1920 is to improve the planning process by adding long-term term planning to existing processes.”

“There will be a huge amount of litigation from this by all participants in all ideologies, so there will be a lot of turbulence. Another reason this will impact most energy and utilities people, is the question, ‘Will this impact regulatory certainty for investors?‘ It’s a legitimate, unknown question.”

“Much infrastructure growth and research and development are going to require continued government intervention, whether in the form of funding for research or loan guarantees. The picture, in my mind, has been getting a little clearer over the last few years, but I still don’t see a clear path to either 2030 or 2040.”

“The distribution system needs communication and management systems to provide a greater understanding of what’s happening on the distribution grid as large and small customers are installing more distributed energy resources. With this, utilities can better manage peak demands and ensure reliability.”