Minnesota PUC
Joseph Sullivan has served as Vice-Chair of the Minnesota PUC since 2020. He serves on the EPRI Advisory Council and the NARUC Committee on Electricity where he works to advance a reliable, affordable, and clean energy supply. He previously served as President of the Board of Directors for the Organization of MISO States and as Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Energy Resources at the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
Sam Lobby is an Energy Planner with the Minnesota PUC. He works primarily in siting and routing of large energy facilities and transmission lines, and specializes in public outreach, wildfire mitigation, and water resources management issues. He has been with the Commission for three years after previously working in emergency response and critical infrastructure roles. In his free time, Sam serves as a Board Member for the Freshwater Society.
The Minnesota Public Utility Commission (PUC) aims for safe, reliable, and affordable energy for Minnesota customers and a hallmark of achieving those goals is open communication with the public. Better decisions are made when the Commission hears from its citizens and the PUC stresses sharing of thoughts and even includes instructional videos on how to participate on its website.
Minneapolis is where the NARUC Summer Policy Summit is being held July 19 to 22 and provided an opportunity for the PUF team to find out more about the host Commission. Chair Katie Sieben is also NARUC Second Vice President and in line to preside over NARUC.
The PUC opened its doors to PUF, and Commissioners and Staff took time from their busy schedules to discuss priorities, including affordability, electric-gas coordination, transmission, permitting, and more. Enjoy these conversations with Minnesota Chair Katie Sieben, Vice-Chair Joseph Sullivan, Commissioner Audrey Partridge, Commissioner Hwikwon Ham, and Commissioner John Tuma. Plus, the all-important PUC Staff.
PUF: Chair Sieben mentioned you would be leading the national dialogue on structural affordability at the NARUC Summer Policy Summit. When looking at the macro grid, why is massive transmission investment a baseline necessity to protect consumer pocketbooks and keep the grid reliable?