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.
Ready to get involved? There are advocacy opportunities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
In this issue:
Regulatory
Work on the Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) utility of the future study, NextGrid, continues. Working Groups 1-4 have completed their draft chapters for the report and a completed first draft is expected to be released by the end of September followed by a public comment period. The partial draft is currently posted on the NextGrid website.
The Future Energy Jobs Act required the development of stakeholder groups to support utility low-income portfolios. The next Income Qualified South EE Advisory Committee will be held on October 1 in Champaign and the Income Qualified North EE Advisory Committee will be held on October 2 at ComEd’s training center in Chicago.
The next Illinois Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) meeting will be held on September 18.
MEEA Activities
MEEA was selected for NextGrid’s 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
Interested parties can contribute to the NextGrid discussion with comments related to meeting materials and agendas by emailing ICC.NextGrid@illinois.gov. The public is also invited to submit white papers, expert research or general comments.
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 more involved, contact Stacey Paradis.
Regulatory
Integrated resource plan (IRP) stakeholder processes are underway for Duke Energy Indiana, Indiana Michigan Power (IMP) and NIPSCO. Meetings will continue through the fall. Upcoming meetings include NIPSCO on September 19 and October 18, and IMP on November 7 and December 17. Duke is expected to file its IRP at the beginning of November, NIPSCO at the beginning of December, and IMP has extended their filing to February 2019. Updates from the commission on IRPs in Indiana will be posted to the IURC’s IRP page.
How to Get Involved
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. For more information about the bill and its anticipated impacts, read our blog post, “Iowa’s EE Rollback, Explained.”
Regulatory
Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy and Black Hills Energy have filed their revised 2019- 2023 plans in consideration of SF 2311.
How to Get Involved
If you have questions about Iowa or want to get more involved, contact Nick Dreher.
Regulatory
On June 15, 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, 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 discussed the coordination between weatherization, EWR programs and energy assistance on September 11.
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 September. “Economic and Technical Considerations—Part 1” took place on September 10, and Part 2 and will be held September 24. To receive communications related to the stakeholder sessions, send your name, email and organization to Amber Hedlund at amber.r.hedlund@xcelenergy.com.
For more information about Minnesota or to get more involved, contact Sophia Markowska.
Regulatory
Parties to Ameren Missouri’s Cycle 3 Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act (MEEIA) planning process (Case No. EO-2018-0211) offered testimony at the end of August. The Missouri Public Service Commission’s staff recommended that the commission approve a three-year Cycle 3 plan, cutting Ameren’s proposed six-year plan in half. In support of their recommendation, staff cited uncertainty as to beneficial electrification, MISO energy prices, distributed energy resources and naturally occurring demand-side management, among other things.
For more information about Missouri or to get involved, contact Nick Dreher.
Legislative
The 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 August 29, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) released their much-anticipated PowerForward report detailing solutions and policy recommendations for the state’s grid modernization. The report, PowerForward: A Roadmap to Ohio’s Electricity Future, is the culmination of a year and a half of work by the PUCO and stakeholders. The report’s framework encourages continued conversation between all stakeholders through the creation of a PUCO staff-led PowerForward Collaborative beginning January 1, 2019. The roadmap also calls for utilities to file new grid modernization dockets and amend existing rate designs to respond to grid architecture deployment. The deadline for these filings in April 1, 2019.
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 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
An RFP for the Program Administrator for Focus was issued on June 7, and proposals were due on July 20. APTIM has been preliminary selected as the program administrator, pending final approval for the Commission that is scheduled for later this month.
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.
New Fact Sheets
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- Energy Efficiency Messaging
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New Blogs
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- Millions of Americans Struggle to Meet their Energy Needs—Efficiency Can Help
- Iowa’s EE Rollback Explained