MARC, held June 22-25 in Indianapolis, opened with remarks from Indiana URC Chair Jim Huston and Commissioner Sarah Freeman.

“Utilities are challenged with managing the higher prices for energy, increased infrastructure to move the electricity, keeping it all reliable, and then somehow trying to figure out how to make it somewhat affordable for people. It’s a complex puzzle that we have to work through.”

NARUC's Eastern Rate School: “Rate school students, who range from commissioners through engineers, accountants, lawyers, and anyone in the utility business, are introduced to enough utility principles, in a small group setting, to be conversant in terminology and learn how to think through problems based upon a hypothetical water company’s rate case.”

“This method of using the least expensive pigments to establish the foundation of a painting before applying the more costly and necessary color was a lesson that carried forward and informed my role as a state utility regulator.”

Navigating a Dynamic Industry: “A central theme of the program involved the intricate process of rate setting. Faculty guided participants through the fundamentals of rate regulation, covering revenue requirements, capital considerations, and the methods for allocating costs into rates.”

“As Pennsylvania nears 30 years since the Electricity Generation Competition and Customer Choice Act was signed into law, breaking up utility monopolies and creating competition for power generation and supply, I remain confident – and more at ease – with the decision to restructure the market, after analyzing the most recent data set.”

Reconductoring with High-Performance Conductors: “In 2024, Salt River Project completed an eight-and-a-half mile advanced reconductoring project in Phoenix. The project allowed SRP to maintain the fifty-year remaining service life of existing structures while reducing outage-related expenses and still achieving the significant capacity increase needed for growing demand.”

“Why would developers pursue sites they may never build on? The answer lies in how this market operates.”

“Rate design decisions influence customer behavior, utility revenue stability, and the perception of fairness. Getting it right is about more than economics; it’s about aligning public service with utility realities.”

“Recent orders aim to permanently reduce energy consumption for homes and businesses, while lowering overall system costs.”