NARUC commissioners warn against superfluous transmission project spending

National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions (NARUC) members spoke out on Monday and Tuesday at a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) technical conference to address potentially frivolous spending on transmission projects.

FERC held a technical conference on competitive transmission development rates on Monday and Tuesday, inviting representatives from organizations throughout the energy industry, including state regulators, to participate.

NARUC State Utility Commissioners Richard S. Mroz and Angela Weber spoke on FERC conference panels on “Cost Containment Provisions in Competitive Transmission Development Processes,” and “Interregional Transmission Coordination Issues,” respectively.

Mroz is the president of New Jersey’s board of public utilities. Weber is a state utility commissioner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

“State utility commissioners are increasingly asking whether those responsible for selecting transmission projects are relying to the degree necessary on measures that discipline costs and appropriately apportion risk to those responsible for the development of transmission facilities,” NARUC President Travis Kavulla said. “Additionally, FERC’s technical conference comes at a time when seams issues between planning regions continue to raise questions about whether transmission is being planned for and built in an economically efficient manner. I am grateful that FERC has initiated this conference, and pleased that the agency has invited so many representatives of states to the table.”