Utility Dive reported on the FERC carbon pricing technical conference, noting the lack of state involvement and quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire article here.
A historic nine and a half hour discussion on carbon pricing attracted at least 2,000 viewers and broke previous attendance records for a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission technical conference, according to Chairman Neil Chatterjee.
The commission's estimate likely "shatters records for engagement for a FERC technical conference," Chatterjee told reporters Thursday morning.
But the Wednesday conference's high profile made it hard to ignore the omission of one key stakeholder group whose conflict with the commission has become increasingly obvious this year: states...
Chatterjee made one comment Wednesday that some surmised could indicate a shift in the commission's thinking on state policies.
"Our complex energy markets cannot be hermetically sealed from state environmental policies. That's just an undeniable fact," Chatterjee said in his opening remarks. "And it's evident to anyone who's watched us over the past several years, as we've grappled with the thorny issues that arise at the intersection of state policies and our markets."
His comment could indicate a broader attempt to harmonize state and federal policies, Jeff Dennis, general counsel and managing director for Advanced Energy Economy, said in an email.
"I'm watching to see if this is truly the start of a policy shift away from that kind of approach to the intersection of state and federal policy and toward harmonization. The conference was very helpful in that it signaled to states that FERC understands they have lawful policy goals for clean energy and decarbonization, and that FERC wants them to have options to achieve them in the wholesale markets," Dennis said.
Read the entire Utility Dive piece here.