With District of Columbia Public Service Commission Chairman Willie Phillips’ nomination moving forward, FERC moves toward having the full complement of commissioners needed to open wholesale markets to advanced energy technologies, support new transmission infrastructure, and bolster a clean energy economy.

WASHINGTON, November 2, 2021 – National business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released the following statement on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ vote to favorably advance the nomination of District of Columbia Public Service Commission Chairman Willie Phillips to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to the Senate floor for confirmation:

“AEE is pleased that Chairman Phillips’ nomination moved forward in the Senate today, putting FERC one step closer to a full complement of Commissioners. Chairman Phillips’ confirmation is needed to ensure that the Commission can take action on important issues facing the nation’s wholesale electricity markets and transmission systems. A fully functioning FERC is essential for tackling the critical energy issues facing the U.S. today,” said Jeff Dennis, managing director and general counsel at Advanced Energy Economy. “AEE looks forward to working with new Commissioner Phillips and the entire commission on reforming America’s wholesale electricity market rules and regulations governing transmission planning, cost allocation, and generator interconnection practices.”

“Organized wholesale electricity markets and a strong national transmission system are critical to meeting state and corporate commitments to clean energy and national decarbonization objectives. They also ensure affordable electricity and enhance grid reliability.” added Dennis. “We need strong, swift action from FERC to update existing organized market designs and rules, improve competition in regions without organized markets, and support efficient and cost-effective expansion of the transmission grid to harness the full potential of advanced energy technologies.”

Please contact us if you’re interested in talking with Jeff Dennis about the challenges and opportunities awaiting FERC in 2022, including transmission planning and implementation of Order No. 2222 to incorporate distributed energy resources into wholesale electricity markets.

Background Materials

• Initial “AEE Statement on Nomination of New FERC Commissioner” here.
• "Why Wholesale Markets are Important to an Advanced Energy Future," summary here.
• "FERC Opens the Door for DERs in Wholesale Markets. Now It’s Up to Grid Operators to Bring Them In," summary of FERC order 2222 is here.
• "MOPR Rollback Proposal Heads to FERC", summary is here.