January 15, 2025

A monthly roundup of activity and progress made towards our mission to transform public policy to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy.

United Welcomes New Vice President of Sales and Business Development

Raheim Swann, who joined United in November after a decade of working with trade associations in the finance and clean energy sectors and where he has become a trusted leader, will be Vice President of Sales and Business Development. Check out our Team Directory on the Advanced Energy United Member Portal.

2025 Core Portfolio Released & Review Sessions 

Our 2025 Core Portfolio was released to all members yesterday, January 14. It includes the core set of policy activities for 2025 which we will be working towards in each of our venues. We will be holding three review sessions for all members to review the success criteria related to industry segments January 28 - 30. Registration links are below.

• Large Scale Development and Deployment, January 28, Noon ET/9amPT. Register here.
• Demand Side Management, Energy Efficiency & Distributed Energy Resources, January 29, Noon ET/9amPT. Register here.
• Electric Transportation & Grid of the Future, January 30, Noon ET/9am PT. Register here.

New York Governor Signs Key EV Legislation

On December 21, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill, which United strongly advocated for, that will improve access to electric vehicle charging across the state (Senate 01736). The new law, which takes effect on April 1, requires new residential and commercial buildings to dedicate a percentage of parking spaces to EV charging infrastructure, including EV-ready wiring or Level 2 charging stations. To support cost-effective deployment, shared circuits and energy management systems are allowed, while exemptions are provided for affordable housing and cases of technical or geographic infeasibility.

Siting Bill Passes Through Critical Hurdle in Virginia

Last week, the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation (CEUR) approved (7Y-5N) new draft siting legislation. United has played a key role in the development of this proposal with a diverse group of stakeholders in the industry and the environmental community. There are 45 days in the session with a considerable amount to accomplish. The bill must still progress through both chambers according to the standard procedure.

Nevada PUC Issues Decision on NV Energy Integrated Resource Plan

The Nevada Public Utilities Commission's decision regarding NV Energy’s 2024-2027 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) reduced the utility’s transportation electrification budget, rejected a proposed increase to the demand-side management budget, and approved new gas generation. However it also approved about 1000 MW each of new renewables and storage, and a 115 MW geothermal project. The order was overall disappointing, following our intervention which advocated for robust utility spending on demand-side management and distributed resources to showcase that the utility should invest in these areas rather than building new gas generation. However, the few silver linings include that the PUC committed to take up reforms to the IRP and Request for Proposals (RFP) processes (an objective United has been prioritizing for some time) and also ordered the utility and stakeholders to develop a proposal for more robust demand response programs and higher targets (also in alignment with one of our requests). United will continue to engage in these reforms as opportunity arises both at the PUC and at the legislature.

United Convenes Connecticut Legislative Forum on Transmission Technologies

United's New England team was in Hartford, CT on January 9 for a legislative forum on advanced transmission technologies. In coordination with the House and Senate Energy Committee chairs, United’s Kat Burnham organized an educational event featuring member companies, elected leaders, and senior Lamont administration officials. As legislative activity begins, United’s forum gave decisionmakers the necessary background to craft forward-looking policy that addresses Connecticut’s electric system needs. 

Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Preserves Status of DER Aggregators

In the fall of 2024, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) launched an investigation as to whether all aggregators of distributed energy resources should be considered public utilities and subject to regulation. United intervened in the case, submitted testimony and briefs in opposition of this blanket designation. On December 18, the IURC issued findings that the IURC lacks sufficient evidence to conclude that DER aggregators are public utilities, despite the contrary recommendations of its own Staff and the utilities. The IURC will continue with a rulemaking to determine appropriate regulations to govern aggregator activities in Indiana under Order No. 2222.

United Hosts Data Platform Summit in California

United is working to develop a proposal, and build a coalition of support, for an integrated statewide data access platform for California. Building on the example of other data access initiatives such as Smart Meter Texas, the State of New York’s Integrated Energy Data Resource Program, and proposals in Illinois and New England, United’s vision is a hub that can eventually meet various needs from customer use data and program and rate enrollment to grid management and distributed energy resources (DER) capacity. On December 16, United held our first broad stakeholder meeting to explore the topic and build support, with more than 50 participants including United members, ratepayer and environmental advocates, community choice aggregators, and California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and California Energy Commission (CEC) staff. The summit revealed both strong interest and significant challenges and will provide a basis for coordinated engagement in several relevant regulatory proceedings and possibly on legislation. West Regional Working Group members are welcome to get involved in our California Data Access Initiative.

United Supports New Distribution System Planning Process for New Mexico

Last month, United filed comments in response to proposed rules for distribution system planning from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC). Our comments largely support the draft rules but also advocate for including or strengthening certain provisions related to planning goals, hosting capacity analysis, non-wires alternatives, and gas-electric coordination. Relatedly, United is also working with a core group of coalition partners on complementary legislation for the 2025 session that will provide legislative support for, and make improvements to, the PRC’s proposed planning process.

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Discusses Electric Resource Adequacy

On November 25, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) held a Technical Conference on Resource Adequacy to discuss electric resource adequacy concerns. The subjects for discussion included PJM’s capacity auction and interconnection queue, the mix of resources needed to ensure ratepayer cost management and reliability, and the implications of load growth. Several United member companies spoke at this event, as did stakeholders and the Governor’s office. United will submit post-conference comments on January 9.

United Opposes New Jersey Bill A4967 Delaying Advanced Clean Trucks Rule

On January 7, United drafted a letter in opposition against New Jersey bill A4967 which aims to delay the implementation of the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule in the state to 2027. In the letter, United urges that the New Jersey Legislature uphold the ACT rule’s current timeline as a delay would jeopardize economic benefits, send a counterproductive signal to the market, and disrupt compliance planning from businesses.

Biden Administration Finalizes Rules for Technology-Neutral Tax Credits

The U.S. Treasury Department finalized rules governing the implementation and use of the technology neutral Investment (ITC) and Production (PTC) Tax Credits. These credits represent an important evolution of two federal tax provisions that have underpinned the growth and development of advanced energy in the U.S. The transition to technology neutrality, a key provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, will allow for a greater range of zero-emission resources to be eligible for these credits. The regulations are slated to go into effect immediately, applying to projects starting in tax year 2025.

15 PUC Commissioners from 10 States Attend United's Western Commissioners Forum

United held an educational forum for Western States Commissioners on Load Growth & Electricity System Costs where we discussed meeting load growth while balancing reliability, affordability, and state policy objectives as well as incorporating multi-day energy storage into strategies to address load growth. The 1.5-hour forum included a robust discussion with 15 commissioners from 10 western states attending.

Bipartisan Permitting Reform Effort Stalls in Congress

Despite the efforts of a wide range of advocates, including United, Congressional leaders ultimately failed to come to agreement around inclusion of a bipartisan permitting reform proposal in an end-of-year spending package. The Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA) would have facilitated the planning and permitting of interstate transmission while also lowering permitting hurdles for a variety of energy projects on federal lands. In July, United expressed support for EPRA, calling it a “good foundation on which to build.” With the departure of Senator Joe Manchin from the Senate, and Senator Mike Lee taking over chairmanship of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, work around permitting reform will begin afresh in the new Congress.

United Joins PJM Site Visit with State Legislators

United joined a PJM site visit organized by the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators at PJM’s headquarters in late December. In addition to joining the site visit and PJM’s presentation to legislators, United joined legislators for off-site meetings afterwards, where legislators were able to ask questions and discuss what they had heard from PJM. United’s Jon Gordon provided background information about PJM and shared perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the region.

United Presents Interconnection Reform Opportunities at NEPOOL Committee

The authors of Unlocking America’s Energy, a report outlining comprehensive opportunities for interconnection reform co-commissioned by Advanced Energy United and Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2), presented the recommendations to the NEPOOL Transmission Committee in December. United has been advocating for ISO-NE to take up interconnection reforms beyond Order No. 2023, and we will be working with members and the ISO to continue to explore some of the ideas put forward in the report and presented to the Committee.

New England States Issue Request for Transmission RFP

New England has achieved a major milestone in its newly-approved Long-Term Transmission Planning (LTTP) process—which United supported earlier this year at New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—when the New England states issued a request for ISO-NE to issue an RFP for transmission to serve the region. United weighed in on the New England States Committee on Electricity’s (NESCOE) draft request for an RFP in November, and the issuance reflected United’s recommendations. ISO-NE is expected to issue the RFP by March of 2025.

United Pushes Back on MISO, SPP Interconnection Proposals

United, joined by other trade allies, filed a protest in response to MISO’s recent queue cap filing, and a rehearing request in response to FERC’s approval of the MISO/SPP Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue (JTIQ) proposal. In response to MISO’s queue cap, our protest argued that the proposal will not have the intended effect of speeding the interconnection process, and that the design of the cap will have the opposite effect of incentivizing a rush of (potentially speculative or non-ready) interconnection requests. Our rehearing request argued that FERC erred in its approval of the JTIQ framework because allocating all of the costs of the JTIQ transmission upgrades to interconnection customers is not consistent with “beneficiary pays” principles given the significant benefits also conferred to load. Finally, United has also been actively engaged at MISO and SPP pushing back at the Expedited Resource Adequacy Study (“ERAS”) proposals that both regions are advancing. In MISO, we have submitted feedback requests, hosted a member conversation with MISO interconnection lead Andy Witmeier, and begun outreach to MISO states to discuss our concerns and proposed improvements. In SPP, we have participated in stakeholder meetings and submitted joint comments outlining initial concerns with the proposal.

Federal Advanced Energy Tax Credits Lobby Day (Washington, D.C., February 5)

United will hold a Capitol Hill Lobby Day on Wednesday, February 5, Advanced Energy United will hold a Capitol Hill Lobby Day in conjunction with other clean energy trades, including Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). Members interested in attending should contact Harry Godfrey or Joey Paolino from our Federal Priorities team for additional details.

Join Us at the Upcoming Winter NARUC Conference (Washington, D.C., February 23-26)

Join United for member engagement with PUC commissioners and staff at the upcoming Winter NARUC Policy Summit in Washington DC. If you are planning on attending the conference and are an Advocate or Leader-level member of United, please fill out this engagement survey to identify your meeting and meal preference by January 22. If you have any questions, please contact Christina Kurre.

Share your feedback on the format of this Member Report by contacting us at membership@advancedenergyunited.org.