NARUC forms Natural Gas Partnership with DOE
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) has formed a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Natural Gas Partnership between NAUC and the DOE will facilitate the exchange of information on emerging technologies and investments in natural gas for electricity generation and thermal load. It is not the first time NARUC has worked with DOE. In 2016, they formed the Natural Gas Infrastructure Modernization Partnership (NGIMP), which convened state regulators, federal agencies, and other stakeholders to discuss natural gas pipeline leak detection and measurement tools.
The Natural Gas Partnership will focus on emerging technologies in the natural gas sector, such as leak detection, predictive analytics, satellite and geospatial data, demand response, and others. Further, it will build knowledge across public utility commissions on a range of natural gas topics.
“The NGIMP was effective at engaging commissioners around critical natural gas infrastructure issues, including renewable natural gas, methane leak detection tools, and state infrastructure replacement programs,” Danielle Sass Byrnett, director of NARUC’s Center for Partnerships and Innovation, said. “The new Natural Gas Partnership will expand its focus to a broader range of emerging natural gas topics, including cybersecurity investments, artificial intelligence, hydrogen production and natural gas infrastructure, liquefied natural gas, and more.”
The Natural Gas Partnership will be chaired by Commissioner Diane X. Burman of the New York State Public Service Commission. Burman served as chair of the NGIMP for its entire tenure.
“I am truly honored to accept this appointment to continue collaborating with NARUC and the U.S. Department of Energy as chair of this new Natural Gas Partnership,” Burman said. “The partnership will enable informative sharing about emerging technologies and examining critical issues around the transportation and consumption of natural gas that can improve safety, reliability, resilience, affordability and continued environmental stewardship of our natural gas infrastructure.”
