Regulatory News
Regulatory News
Madison, WI – Laurel Peltier of the Maryland Energy Supplier Reform Coalition joins the Electric Wire podcast to discuss her first-hand experience with retail choice in Maryland. Laurel helps customers decipher their energy bills and has found countless examples of customers who would be saving money if they had stayed with their regulated utility. Laurel’s web site: https://www.energysupplierhelpdesk.org/ Laurel’s recommendation for saving money on energy bills starts with energy efficiency! Wisconsin customers can get information on energy efficiency audits and energy saving measures from Focus on Energy, here: https://focusonenergy.com/ Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on our YouTube channel below.
Madison, WI – Widespread power outages and skyrocketing customer bills due to a frigid February freeze in Texas are raising questions about the way the state regulates power providers. We brought in a panel of experts to weigh in on questions about regulation, reliability, and what went wrong in Texas. Our panel includes: John Carr, Vice President – Power Supply, Dairyland Power Cooperative Paul Griffin, Executive Director, Energy Fairness Kira Loehr, Partner, Perkins Coie Listen to The Electric Wire, Episode 11, “Regulation, Reliability…and Texas” wherever you listen to podcasts, or on our You Tube channel, here: https://youtu.be/KLgkLcI_mp0 We’ll address the following questions in this roundtable discussion: What is the role energy choice played in the Texas system outages? How can we prevent this type of massive, prolonged power outage from happening here? Are grid updates needed to prepare for more extreme weather events? Was any generation source the clear winner or loser coming out of this situation? Links Referenced in Podcast “The real problem in Texas: Deregulation,” Opinion Column by Paul Griffin, Utility Dive, February 24, 2021 https://www.utilitydive.com/news/the-real-problem-in-texas-deregulation/595564/ “Texas Energy Co-Op Files For Bankruptcy After Storm, High Bill,” NPR, March 1, 2021 https://www.npr.org/2021/03/01/972408584/texas-energy-co-op-files-for-bankruptcy-after-storm-high-bill Other Relevant Reading “Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation,” Wall Street Journal, Feb. 24, 2021 https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-electric-bills-were-28-billion-higher-under-deregulation-11614162780?mod=hp_lead_pos7 “Texas Overcharged $16 Billion for Power During Freeze, Monitor Says” Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2021 https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-overcharged-16-billion-for-power-during-freeze-monitor-says-11614894714 “The $16 Billion in Texas Power Overcharges? Monitor Says Only $3.2 Billion Can Be Undone,” Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2021 https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-16-billion-in-texas-power-overcharges-market-monitor-now-pins-figure-at-3-billion-11615479832?page=1 “Texas PUC doubles down on refusal to reprice $16B market ‘error’ under pressure from leg, governor,” Utility Dive, March 12, 2021 https://www.utilitydive.com/news/texas-puc-doubles-down-on-refusal-to-reprice-16b-market-error-under-pres/596595/ Other Podcast Episodes Relating to this Topic The Energy Gang Podcast: “The Texas Grid Failure,” Feb. 24, 2021 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-energy-gang/id663379413?i=1000510505053 Columbia Energy Exchange: “Making Sense of the Texas Energy Crisis,” Feb. 22, 2021 https://columbiaenergyexchange.libsyn.com/making-sense-of-the-texas-energy-crisis
Madison, WI - We’re talking utility regulation! We start with a simple question – why are utilities regulated? (Ok, this question technically doesn’t get asked until minute 7:56, but who’s counting?) We also sort through some common terms on this topic, including discussion about deregulation, restructuring, and retail choice. These topics were central to the founding of the Customers First! Coalition over twenty years ago. Our first interview is with Commissioner Ellen Nowak of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. We discuss some basics of utility regulation from a regulator’s perspective, as well as her take on topics like retail choice and performance-based ratemaking. Next, Bill Malcolm of AARP joins to discuss his views on regulation and protecting utility customers. Follow Bill on Twitter @RTOWatchdog . He’s also available to connect on Facebook and LinkedIn. AARP web site: https://www.aarp.org/ Interview with Commissioner Nowak begins at minute 3:30. Interview with Bill Malcolm begins at minute 35:00. Links from show notes: CUB Illinois: Report: Since 2015, IL Customers Have Lost $1 Billion With Alternative Suppliers https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/report-since-2015-il-customers-have-lost-1-billion-with-alternative-suppliers-301110974.html Link to download referenced 2019 Illinois Commerce Commission report: https://www.icc.illinois.gov/downloads/public/July%201%20ORMD%20Final%20PR.pdf Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or listen at our You Tube channel via the link below: https://youtu.be/5szygleajsI