People

Americans for a Clean Energy Grid convened federal and state leaders at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to recognize bipartisan champions who have helped advance transmission planning, permitting, and development over the past year.

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) 2026 Energy Policy Outlook Conference was held February 3-6, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

The 2026 State of State Regulation Luncheon at NARUC’s Winter Policy Summit was a resounding success, as PUF Executive Editor Rachel Bryant moderated a discussion with members of the NARUC Executive Committee, including NARUC President Ann Rendahl, First VP Jehmal Hudson, Second VP Katie Sieben, and Treasurer Josh Byrnes.

The 2026 NARUC Winter Policy Summit was held February 8-11 in Washington, D.C. and gathered regulators from across the country along with international attendees for four days of education and camaraderie.

“Regulators are grappling with how to address new large load growth and ensure fairness and affordability. What models stand out as best practices for ensuring new large loads are integrated while addressing affordability and customer impacts?”

“Our mission now is to reduce the time it takes to reach infrastructure investment decisions. That is not just a technical problem, it is a human one. Trust, culture, and alignment matter just as much as the tools themselves.”

“Regulation is a form of consumer protection, but it is also about alignment. All stakeholders are clients in my mind, and the challenge is serving those needs while positioning the utility to do the same.”

“One of the best pieces of advice I received was simple: if you do not know the answer, say so. Do not bluff. Do not dig a hole. Just say you will find out and follow up. That builds credibility. It builds trust. And it reinforces integrity.”

“My responsibility is to balance affordability with reliability and flexibility, and renewable resources play an important role in helping us do that. They support system reliability and can help manage costs for customers.”

“If I have a core takeaway, it’s that if this is not the beginning of a transmission renaissance, I am not sure what is. It is an exciting time to be in this industry and we have a lot of work to do to gear up to build systems that make sense for the rest of this century.”