press releases
Contact: Eva Maciejewski, 202-898-8083, emaciejewski@naruc.org
National Council on Electricity Policy Welcomes Idaho Chairman Kjellander as New President
New Executive Committee Members Installed
WASHINGTON—The National Council on Electricity Policy–the nation’s only stakeholder organization that supports all state-level decision-makers involved in electricity policy–appointed Idaho Public Utilities Commission Chairman Paul Kjellander as its new president.
NCEP also welcomed Alex Whitaker, policy advisor for Energy and Natural Resources, Office of the Governor of Colorado, and Commissioner ToNola Brown-Bland of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, to its Executive Committee. Whitaker fills a newly created ‘at large’ seat on the Executive Committee for a Governor’s Energy Advisor. Brown-Bland will serve as the Southeast Regional Representative.
The new Executive Committee was installed at the recently held Annual Meeting of NCEP, which took place May 8-9, 2018, in Denver, Colorado. The meeting hosted more than 70 state electricity policy decision-makers to discuss intersections of the transmission and distribution grids as customers are installing increasingly higher levels of distributed energy resources. Meeting materials are available at electricitypolicy.org.
"The work of NCEP adds value to the national discussion on electric policy and I look forward to helping the organization fulfill its role as an honest broker in this dialogue," said Kjellander.
NCEP convenes state officials from public utility commissions, environmental and air agencies, state energy offices, gubernatorial offices and consumer advocate offices, as well as legislators and legislative staff. These experts provide a variety of perspectives that inform high-quality discussions on state electricity policy.
NCEP facilitates training and education programs, conferences, seminars, webinars and podcasts on such topics as transmission siting and pricing policy, alignment of energy resource development at the transmission and distribution levels and valuation of electricity resources across the generation, transmission and distribution system.
“I am delighted to welcome Chairman Kjellander, Commissioner Brown-Bland and Alex Whitaker to NCEP’s Executive Committee. They bring invaluable knowledge and expertise that will help NCEP design programs and write policy documents that benefit all state-level decision-makers involved in the complexities of electricity policy. I also want to recognize and thank Immediate Past President Elizabeth ‘Lib’ Fleming, of the South Carolina Public Service Commission, and Immediate Past Southeast Regional Representative and Liaison to the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council, Chairman Ed Finley, of the North Carolina Utility Commission, for their exemplary service to NCEP,” said NCEP Director Jan Brinch.
In 2018, NCEP is focused on exploring the intersections of the nation’s transmission and distribution systems, which supports both the grid and customer-centric services. Specific focus areas include transmission and distribution system planning, evolving operations and market developments that incorporate non-wires solutions, customer needs and expectations and reliability and resiliency across all grid systems.
NCEP programs are free of charge for state officials and staff and are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. For more information, visit www.electricitypolicy.org.
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About NCEP
The National Council on Energy Policy is a project of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. It is the only national stakeholder organization that supports all state-level decision-makers involved in electricity policy. It serves as a marketplace of ideas on electricity issues. Its goals are to improve the understanding of electricity technologies, markets, programs and policies; support the deployment of reliable, clean and reasonably-priced electricity; improve interstate and intra-state coordination on electricity issues; provide technical assistance to states, regions, and multiple stakeholders; and conduct planning and coordination activities in support of the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council. Learn more about NCEP at www.electricitypolicy.org.
About NARUC
NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government.