NARUC-NASEO COMPREHENSIVE ELECTRICITY PLANNING TASK FORCE SELECTS MINNESOTA AS A MEMBER STATE

St. Paul, Minnesota — The Task Force for Comprehensive Electricity Planning has announced that Minnesota was named one of 16 states to represent the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the National Association of State Energy Officials on the joint task force. Minnesota will be represented on this Task Force by Dan Lipschultz, Vice Chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Joe Sullivan, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources, and Tricia DeBleeckere, Energy Facilities Planner.

The two-year collaborative initiative of NARUC and NASEO, announced last November, is a forum for participating states to develop new approaches to better align distribution system and resource planning processes. The selected states will pioneer new tools and roadmaps for aligning planning to meet states’ needs while applying insights from the task force to initiate action in their own states. At the conclusion of the task force, NARUC and NASEO will publish templates that all members can adapt and use for their states.

 Twenty-one states requested to join the Task Force. Based on evaluations of the states’ submissions, 16 were invited to join because they offer diverse and representative combinations of geographies, market models, current planning approaches and state policy goals.

"This is an historic partnership, which is necessitated by the ever-changing power system, at a time when leadership is needed," said NARUC President Nick Wagner of the Iowa Utilities Board. "The utility regulatory community looks forward to working together with our state energy office colleagues to provide the tools and roadmap for a positive future."

 NASEO Board Chair and Task Force Co-Vice Chair Andrew McAllister looks forward to working with state regulators to examine electricity planning issues. "This process will help us stay ahead of rapidly accelerating technological advancements and extract the most value from them, rather than playing catch up and missing opportunities," he said, adding, "We look forward to working with our colleagues and stakeholders to improve the outcomes for everyone."

Other members of the task force leadership noted positive outcomes and benefits now that state representatives have been selected.

The 16 states selected are:

1. Arizona

2. Arkansas

3. California (co-vice chair)

4. Colorado (co-chair)

5. Hawaii

6. Indiana

7. Maine

8. Maryland

9. Michigan

10. Minnesota

11. North Carolina

12. Ohio (co-vice chair)

13. Puerto Rico

14. Rhode Island

15. Utah (co-chair)

16. Virginia

The task force initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and will hold its first working meeting this spring. More information is available on the Task Force on Comprehensive Electricity Planning website at www.naruc.org/taskforce.

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