2024 NCEP Annual Meeting on Engaging Communities in their Energy Future

Meeting Scope

Community engagement is an essential part of the energy system transition. Meaningful engagement can help build support for electricity system projects, unlock energy and community benefits, and mitigate foreseeable or unexpected harms. To develop community partnerships on energy-related projects, state agencies, utilities, developers, and other electricity policy stakeholders collaborate with local individuals and groups as partners on the changes happening in their communities.

At this year’s annual meeting, NCEP focused on pressing issues that benefit from community engagement, sharing promising approaches to develop trust and partnerships with communities, and identifying potential areas for collaboration among state policy-makers for more effective community engagement. Session descriptions and links to presentations follow.

 

A Broader look at Community Engagement

Stories from the front line about community engagement experiences from the installation of large-scale solar projects.

Moderator: NCEP Vice Chair Jennifer Easler, Attorney, Iowa Office of Consumer Advocate

Speakers:

• Karl Hoesch, Doctoral Candidate, School for Environment, and Sustainability (SEAS), University of Michigan, What to Expect When You’re Expecting Engagement: Delivering Procedural Justice in Large-Scale Solar
• Mary Reilly, AICP, Land Use Policy Educator, Michigan State University Extension, Engagement in Local Renewable Energy Decisions: Lessons learned and still learning

 

Improving and Advancing Community Engagement in Regulatory Policy and Planning Activities

What we need to understand about community engagement as we design our processes. Principles of and broadly relevant approaches to community engagement.

Moderator: Mary Throne, Chairman, Wyoming Public Service Commission

Speaker: Jennifer Yoshimura, Advisor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Improving and Advancing Community Engagement in Regulatory, Policy, and Planning Activities

 

NGA Hosted Session: Engaging Communities in Resource Siting Decisions

Case studies incorporating community engagement into high-level energy resource siting decisions under high load growth and resource constraints.

Moderator: Dan Lauf, Energy Program Director, National Governors Association

Speaker: Blaise Caudill, Deputy Director, Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency

 

NCSL Hosted Session: Making Laws with the Community Case Studies of Community Engagement in Bottom-Up and Top-Down Lawmaking

This panel examined the experiences of legislators working on their respective state's energy transition acts. Both senators highlighted the critical role that ongoing community engagement played before, during and after implementation of energy transition laws, including the efforts to mitigate negative impacts on local economies, property tax revenue, workforce and funding for local schools.

Moderator: Bryan Law, Associate Director, National Conference of State Legislators

Speakers:

• Senator Chris Hansen, Colorado, Securitization process for the energy transition with direct ratepayer benefits.
• Senator Steve Neville, New Mexico, Reforming the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission from an elected board to an appointed board of qualified and capable regulators

 

NASUCA Hosted Session: Consumer Advocates Engaging with Communities

Examples of how consumer advocate governance structure influences community engagement approaches.

Moderator: Joseph Pereira, Deputy Director, Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel

Speakers:

• Jessica Freedman, Assistant Attorney General, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, view presentation
• Mark Toney, Executive Director, The Utility Reform Network
• Cynthia Zwick, Executive Deputy Director, Arizona Residential Utility Consumer Office

 

NARUC Hosted Session: Deepening State Utility Commission Engagement with Customers

This panel will share concrete examples f engaging communities in electricity-related decision making that informs utility commission decisions. Featured speakers will describe different approaches to establishing intervenor compensation programs that offer funding for a variety of customer types to participate in utility commission proceedings where they can express their preferences for utility investments that support their priorities.

Moderator: Hon. Sarah Freeman, Commissioner, Indianna Utility Regulatory Commission

Speakers:

• Hon. Dave Danner, Chair, Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission, Funding Intervenors in Washington State
• Nolan Moser, Interim Executive Director, Oregon Public Utilities Commission, HB 2475 Intervenor Funding Facilitating Increased Access

 

NACAA Hosted Session: Clean Air Agencies and Communities Addressing Impacts of State Policy Decisions

Case studies of collaborating with communities to address externalities of state policy decisions.

Moderator: Mike Dowd, Air Division, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Speakers:

• Chanell Fletcher, Deputy Executive Officer of Environmental Justice, Tribal Affairs, and Border Relations, California Air Resources Board, Developing a Community Engagement Model
• Kandyce Perry, Director, Office of Environmental Justice, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Approach to Meaningful Community Engagement

 

NASEO Hosted Session: State Energy Offices as Connectors between Communities and Clean Energy Developers

A sound relationship between clean energy developers and the communities they propose developments in is fundamental for the success of clean energy deployment. This session will outline case studies and examples from State Energy Offices serving as connectors between communities and clean energy developers and discuss some of the lessons learned in the states.

Moderator: Kristofor Anderson, Energy Resources Director, Georgia Environmental Finance Authority

Speakers:

• Cameron Black, Jobs and Outreach Branch Manager, Hawaii State Energy Office, Building Community Capacity to Engage
• Hon. Noemi Otilia Osuna Gallardo, Commissioner, California Energy Commission, Connecting Community and Developers