FERC calls for subset of essential energy workers to quickly receive COVID-19 vaccines
Specific workers at America’s electric utilities who have heroically worked to keep the lights on during the ongoing pandemic should more quickly receive COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“We urge you to consider that a subset of the energy workforce be included in Phase 1b — specifically, highly trained electrical field workers, power plant operators, transmission and distribution grid operators, and personnel who procure the energy needed to balance the grid on a moment-to-moment basis,” wrote FERC members in a Jan. 13 letter sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield and CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Chairman Dr. Jose Romero.
In particular, these workers’ duties may only be performed on-site, usually in close quarters, where full adherence to social distancing guidelines is impossible, according to the FERC letter, which was signed by FERC Chairman James Daly and Commissioners Neil Chatterjee, Richard Glick, Allison Clements, and Mark Christie.
“While these utility employees can be counted as among the most critical among the American workforce, they represent a relatively small population,” wrote the commissioners. “We understand that the number is likely to be on the order of thousands of workers in each state. As such, we urge you to consider prioritizing these workers as the CDC continues revising its vaccine guidance.”
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently updated its vaccine allocation guidance to place the energy workforce in Phase 1c, but continues to review and update its recommendations, according to FERC’s letter.
“We recognize that developing vaccine guidance is a complex, iterative task that requires the balancing of numerous equities,” wrote the FERC members, who pointed out in their “narrow request” that such essential energy workers continue to ensure the ongoing functioning of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
“We would welcome the opportunity to engage in further discussion regarding the urgency of protecting this subset of essential energy workers and the importance of their work when it comes to safeguarding America’s electric system,” they wrote.
