MEEA Policy Insider - August 2018

MEEA's Policy Team is actively tracking policy developments within our 13-state footprint, and the Policy Insider summarizes the latest state policy activity and provides our newest resources to aid members in their outreach, education and advocacy initiatives.

New and Improved Advocacy Toolkit: We’ve made it easier to find and use our most helpful advocacy resources. Check out our new EE Messaging fact sheet and Fact vs. Fiction guide.

Ready to get involved? There are advocacy opportunities in Illinois, IndianaMichigan, Minnesota and Ohio.

In this issue:

Regulatory

Work on the Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) utility of the future study, NextGrid, continues. All working groups have selected their members and have either concluded their meetings or are continuing to develop work products. Information on NextGrid is available at https://nextgrid.illinois.gov/index.html.

The Future Energy Jobs Act required the development of stakeholder groups to support utility low-income portfolios. The second meeting of the Income Qualified EE Advisory Committee South was held on June 12 and the third meeting of the Income Qualified EE Advisory Committee North was held on July 30.

Illinois Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) meetings resumed on July 31.

MEEA Activities

MEEA was selected for the ratemaking, regulatory and environmental policy issues, and electricity markets working groups and is also serving on the ICC’s NextGrid Stakeholder Advisory Committee.

MEEA is a member of the both the North and South Income Qualified EE Advisory Committees.

How to Get Involved

The Stakeholder Advisory Group and the Income Qualified EE Advisory Committees are open to all interested stakeholders. Information on these groups is available on the IL SAG website.

If you have any questions about Illinois or want to get involved, contact Leah Scull.

Regulatory

Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) stakeholder processes are underway for Duke Energy Indiana, Indiana Michigan Power and NIPSCO. Meetings will continue through the summer before the November/December filing dates. The most recent meeting was the Indiana Michigan Power workshop on August 1. Updates from the commission on IRPs in Indiana will be posted to the IURC’s IRP page.

How to Get Involved

The utility IRP meetings are open to anyone interested in attending.

If you have any questions about Indiana or want to get involved, contact Greg Ehrendreich. 

Legislative

On May 4, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 2311 (SF 2311) into law. Read our explainer for information about the bill and its potential consequences.  

Regulatory

Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy and Black Hills Energy have filed their revised 2019- 2023 plans in consideration of SF 2311. The MidAmerican hearing is expected to be held in late November, the Alliant docket in early December and the Black Hills Energy hearing is anticipated to take place in early January.

How to Get Involved

If you have questions about Iowa or want to get more involved, contact Leah Scull.

Regulatory

On June 15, 2018, Consumers Energy filed its proposed Integrated Resource Plan with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), which calls for ramping up its energy waste reduction efforts from 1.5% to 2.25% by 2040. 

On July 26, 2018, DTE held an open house to provide a public opportunity for its customers to learn about its energy system. This is the first event in a series leading up to their spring 2019 Integrated Resource Plan filing.

The MPSC has a sub-group to their energy waste reduction (EWR) collaborative focused on low-income EWR programs. The most recent meeting was held on July 26, and there will not be an August meeting.

MEEA Activities

MEEA is working with in-state Energy Efficiency for All partners and the MPSC to develop agendas for a recurring Low Income Energy Waste Reduction stakeholder collaborative meeting. MEEA Senior Policy Manager Nick Dreher assists the MPSC with facilitation.

How to Get Involved

Details of and updates regarding the recent IRP process can be found at www.michigan.gov/energylegislation.

For more information about Michigan or to get more involved, contact Nick Dreher.

Regulatory 

Xcel Energy submitted an informational letter to the Public Utility Commission on the stakeholder process for their 2020-2034 Upper Midwest IRP.  The key priorities are leading the clean energy transition, enhancing the customer experience and keeping customers’ bills low. The IRP will be filed with the commission by February 1, 2019.

How to Get Involved 

There are two Xcel stakeholder sessions in August. “Evolving Electric System—Part 1” will take place on August 22, and Part 2 and will be on August 28.

For more information about Minnesota or to get more involved, contact Sophia Markowska.

Legislative

The state senate continues to consider its substitute version of HB 114. The senate version adjusts annual energy savings to 1.5% compared to the 1% freeze in the House version (current law has a 2% benchmark). Both versions have the net effect of reducing the cumulative energy efficiency standard to 17.2% from 22.2% by 2026.

Both versions expand the eligibility to additional customers to opt out of paying the energy efficiency rider. At present, only those customers with an annual electric usage at 4.5GWh are eligible, but HB 114 expands that to mercantile customers (700 MWh annual usage), allowing aggregation by national accounts such as gas stations, convenience stores and other medium commercial entities. The provisions in the senate substitute bill pared down both the RPS and EERS, adds additional reporting requirements for those using the mercantile opt out, and adds language addressing the sighting of wind turbines. HB 114 is currently still in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Regulatory

On June 18, a Stipulation and Recommendation was filed with the PUCO in the rate case involving Dayton Power & Light. Notably, the filing includes a commitment to develop a pilot collaborative for creating “non-wires alternatives” that could facilitate investment in energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation or other resources to manage load instead of upgrading the distribution system. Final approval is still pending by the PUCO, likely later in 2018.

MEEA Activities

MEEA has submitted written interested party testimony on the senate substitute version of HB 114.

How to Get Involved

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee website has agenda items and information from the June hearings on the substitute to HB 114.

For more information about Ohio or if you want to get more involved, contact Nick Hromalik.

Regulatory

In May, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission announced that the budget for Focus on Energy (Focus) will be maintained at approximately $100 million annually for the years 2019-2022. This decision came after the commission had opened Docket Number 5-FE-101 in March for the Quadrennial Planning Process III. The commission is obligated to evaluate and set goals for Focus programs and ensure that customers throughout the state have an equal opportunity to receive the benefit of the programs as a part of the Quadrennial Planning Process.

An RFP for the Program Administrator for Focus was issued on June 7, and proposals were due on July 20. The commission is expected to make a decision regarding the program administrator in the late summer or early fall.

MEEA Activities 

MEEA will continue to monitor the proceeding.

For more information on Wisconsin or if you want to get more involved, contact Sophia Markowksa.

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