Scott Corwin, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association, outlined the public power community’s priorities during a June 17 meeting with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright at the Department of Energy’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Desmarie Waterhouse, Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Communications & General Counsel at APPA, Adrienne Lotto, Senior Vice President for Grid Security, Technical & Operations at APPA, and Michael Coe, Vice President, Physical and Cyber Security Programs at APPA, joined Corwin at the meeting with Wright.
Affordability and Reliability
In his meeting with Wright, Corwin noted that as not-for-profit electric utilities, public power utilities’ primary mission is to provide reliable and affordable power to their customers.
He told Wright that APPA greatly appreciates the focus of the Trump administration on affordability and reliability.
Corwin noted at the meeting with Wright that APPA supports the Reliable Power Act.
The bill would codify the requirement that the North American Electric Reliability Corporation conduct a long-term reliability assessment and must notify the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission if it finds the bulk power system to be in a state of “generation inadequacy.” FERC would have the authority to review agency actions that could impact generating facilities.
APPA has long supported the ability of FERC to have a formal role in assessing the potential impact of proposed federal regulations on electric reliability and the legislation will ensure that NERC and FERC are consulted in a meaningful way going forward.
DOE Funding for Projects
There was also discussion at the meeting about DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program.
APPA staff previously met with Nick Elliot, Director of the Grid Deployment Office, and during that meeting, there was discussion of how public power utilities are utilizing funding from the GRIP program to enhance grid reliability and affordability around the country.
There was discussion about the importance of GRIP funding to APPA members and how it will help them.
Corwin also highlighted the roles that the federal government and the Federal Emergency Management Agency play in assisting communities that are overwhelmed by a disaster and said that APPA values its partnership with DOE before, during, and after major disasters
He noted that following disasters, public power utilities leverage the financial support of FEMA’s Public Assistance Program to offset expenses for immediate power restoration efforts and long-term recovery for their communities.
APPA members rely on DOE’s Emergency Support Function #12 during disasters to ensure that both industry and government partners have a common understanding of the situation, Corwin said.
For public power utilities traveling cross-country and operating in multiple states during an emergency to restore power, there needs to remain an interagency coordination mechanism, he said.
Corwin also said that APPA appreciates President Trump and DOE’s leadership for issuing an executive order this month on Wildfire Prevention and Response.
