NARUC establishes new gas-electric working group to tackle grid-related reliability
At its annual meeting and education conference last week, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) launched a new 15-month gas electric working group to improve reliability for both the gas and electric industries.
“The safety and reliability of the grid is job number one for regulators and the power sector,” Julie Fedorchak, NARUC president and a North Dakota Public Service Commission regulator, said. “GEAR will zero in on one of our biggest reliability risks, the miss-alignment of the gas and electric power systems. This regulator-led group will bring together key industry experts with the perspectives and experience needed to get to the root of these persistent problems and develop some solutions.”
GEAR stands for Gas-Electric Alignment for Reliability. It will assemble a group of state regulators and industry representatives to push for aligning the gas and electric industries in the maintenance and improvement of reliability on both energy systems. Together, they will recommend actions to address specific problems identified by different reports at the 2025 winter policy summit, and will provide updates of their work at the 2024 NARUC annual meeting and education conference.
Chairing these efforts will be Georgia Commissioner Tricia Pridemore, with New Hampshire Commissioner Catleton Simpson as vice chair. At-large members will include Michigan Commissioner Daniel Scripps, Arizona Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson, Texas Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty, and Minnesota Chair Katie Sieben.
These individuals, appointed by Fedorchak, will be joined by representatives of gas and electric utilities, Regional Transmission Organization or Independent System Operators, intrastate and interstate pipelines, producers and gas processors.
