FERC, NARUC urge states to designate utility workers as essential during COVID-19

As part of widening COVID-19 related actions nationwide, both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) have called on state authorities to label utility workers as essential.

“Every aspect of responding to the pandemic — be it hospitals, public safety or workforce continuity of operations — all depend on reliable utility systems,” NARUC President Brandon Presley said. “Millions of homes are relying on these services. The need is present 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the utility personnel responsible for ensuring the safety and functionality of our critical infrastructure should be included in any discussion or designation of essential workers.”

The federal government already has a list of jobs they consider essential in times of crisis. The U.S. Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released earlier this month a list of essential workers, designating healthcare and public health, law enforcement, public safety and first responders, food and agriculture, energy, water and wastewater, transportation and logistics, public works, communications and information technology, other community-based government operations and essential functions, critical manufacturing, hazardous materials, financial services, chemical and industrial and the defense industrial base workers.

However, the authority for such designations lies with state governments. As such, FERC and NARUC are backing essential designations to go into effect for the energy, water, and telecommunications industries in each state.

“It is vital for the safety and security of our nation that there is no disruption in the services that Homeland Security identified, including those involving energy, during this unprecedented emergency,” FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said. “I am pleased to join with President Presley to encourage state and local authorities to consider the employees who maintain critical infrastructure, including line workers on the power grid and the operators on the pipelines, as essential so they can continue to keep these services available.”