2022 Has Got to be Better Than 2021
Steve Mitnick is President of Lines Up, Inc., Executive Editor of Public Utilities Fortnightly, and co-author of a new book, “Front Lines to Power Lines,” and before that the author of “Women Leading Utilities, the Pioneers and Path to Today and Tomorrow,” “Lewis Latimer, the First Hidden Figure,” and “Lines Down: How We Pay, Use, Value Grid Electricity Amid the Storm.” Mitnick was formerly an expert witness in proceedings before the utility regulatory commissions of six states, the District of Columbia, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and in Canada, and a faculty member at Georgetown University teaching undergraduate microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics.
I think we all can agree that this past year, 2021, was tumultuous. And while there are sadly no signs that the four horseman of our present apocalypse — pandemic, political antagonism, economic disruption, climate change — will let up soon, we're reminded of the good that is all around us.
In our industry, the ethic of serving in the public interest is followed as strongly as ever, both by those at utilities and those who regulate them. This is evident when we at Public Utilities Fortnightly look for inspiring stories by the women and men in utility service. Such stories are as abundant and easy to find as sand at the shore.
Researching for my two books of 2021, "Women Leading Utilities, the Pioneers and Path to Today and Tomorrow" and "Front Lines to Power Lines," turned up too many heroes to count. It's no accident. Utility service attracts people passionate about the uninterrupted delivery of society's most necessary basics like a powerful magnet.
But here at this point we find ourselves on the precipice of 2022. Seems like the perfect time to gaze ahead, to study where we are heading and where we would prefer to head in utility service.
The last year was one of dizzying transformation. We're simultaneously decarbonizing, digitizing, electrifying, diversifying who we are, and doubling down on the resilience of what we do. Those are formidable waves and, you would assume, we will keep riding them this next year.