Formation 1889 First Vice President John W. Betkoski, III | President Robert Powelson Second Vice President Ellen Nowak | |
Type Non-profit organization (trade association) Headquarters 1101 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20005 | ||
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) is the national association representing the state public service commissioners who regulate essential utility services, including energy, telecommunications, and water. NARUC members are responsible for assuring reliable utility service at fair, just, and reasonable rates. Founded in 1889, the Association is a resource for its members and the regulatory community, providing a venue to set and influence public policy, share best practices, and foster solutions to improve regulation.
Contents
- Standing committees
- Consumer Affairs
- Critical Infrastructure
- Electricity
- Energy Resources and the Environment
- Gas
- International Relations
- Telecommunications
- Water
- Innovation
- Veterans Workforce
- Board of directors
- Issues
- References
Each summer, NARUC holds committee meetings. Major issues in 2016 for regulatory commissioners are rate design and the EPA's Clean Power Plan. Rate design deals with the issue of how to charge (and pay) customers who generate their own electricity through means such as rooftop solar devices. Consumers whose homes or businesses have solar panels that generate power can typically sell back excess electricity to the power grid in a process called net metering.
The NARUC Board of Directors formally adopted the “Distributed Energy Resources Rate Design and Compensation” manual during NARUC’s annual meeting in La Quinta, California in November 2016. The manual was created as a guide for utility regulators in the process of implementing appropriate DER rate design and compensation policies.
The president of NARCU is Robert Powelson, who was appointed in November 2016 to the position. He previously served as commissioner on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Standing committees
NARUC has eight standing committees that propose policies for NARUC to support on federal and state issues.
Consumer Affairs
The Consumer Affairs Committee examines how state commissions protect consumer interests as it relates to many industries, including the telecommunications and energy industries. Major issues include "slamming", information protection, and consumer education.
Critical Infrastructure
This committee was created after the 2001 terrorist attacks to look at security concerns surrounding utility infrastructure. The committee helps state regulators share best practices and collaborate about the best security practices.
Electricity
According to NARUC, the "Electricity Committee develops and advances policies that promote reliable, adequate, and affordable supply of electricity." The committee works closely with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal agencies.
Energy Resources and the Environment
The committee works with state regulators to find ways to create environmentally sustainable and affordable energy for utilities. Major issues the committee focuses on include:
Gas
The Committee on Gas hosts panel discussions and educational sessions to help NARUC's constituency understand issues affecting natural gas. The committee works with FERC, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
International Relations
According to NARUC, "With the trend of energy market development expands overseas, several countries have sought help and best practices from their American counterparts. The International Committee manages NARUC's outreach activities across the globe, including partnerships with numerous countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Bangladesh."
Telecommunications
Since the telecommunications industry was deregulated in 1996, both the industry and the regulators' roles have quickly changed. The committee serves state regulators by sharing best practices and trends related to telecommunications issues. It works with many federal agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and FBI.
Water
The committee works with the EPA, water companies, and state water administrators to discuss issues about the use and reuse of water.
Innovation
The Task Force on Innovation focuses on new technologies and innovation in the utility sector. Topics will include:
Veterans' Workforce
The Task Force on Veterans' Workforce will focus on veterans programs and job opportunities in the utilities sector.
Board of directors
The following board members are officers or committee or task force chairs:
The remaining board members are:
NARUC appointed two new board members at its winter meeting in 2017. Doug Little of the Arizona Corporation Commission was appointed to a term that begins immediately in February 2017 and ends in October 2020. As an Arizona Corporation Commissioner, Little was first elected in November 2014 and served as the chairman in 2016. He was the vice chairman of the Western Energy Imbalance Market Body of State Regulators and is a member of the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Board.
Chris Nelson is a commissioner on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. He was appointed to serve on the board of NARUC on January 12, 2017 through October 2018. He previously served on the board in 2014 and was the chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications. He previously served as the South Dakota Secretary of State for eight years.
Issues
At the NARUC winter committee meeting on February 13, 2017, two experts discussed the elements that determine solar value and the benefits and challenges of utility scale versus rooftop solar.
Solar prices, subsidies, net metering rules, and technology are all elements that determine the value of solar energy. Rooftop solar, also known as distributed solar, has upsides and downsides. Upsides include peak shaving, resiliency, voltage and frequency support, the distribution of power where it is developed, load reduction, and the flow of energy back into the system. However, rooftop solar costs 2 to 3 times as much as utility scale solar and it gets subsidized. Utility scale solar contains nearly all of the "pro" arguments for rooftop solar, but without the subsidies.