Points of View

POV: Advancing Environmental Justice at the California Public Utilities Commission

December 14, 2021 Written by Clifford Rechtschaffen, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission In California, as in many other states, policymakers have known for a number of years that environmental harms are disproportionately concentrated in low-income communities and communities of color.  This includes air pollution, unsafe drinking water, exposure to pesticides, proximity to power plants and…

POV: New Jersey and PJM Initiate State Agreement Approach

September 10, 2021 Written by Joseph Fiordaliso, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Direct questions to Ryann Reagan and Joseph DeLosa on the NJBPU staff. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) took a monumental step on November 18, 2020, becoming the first state to integrate its offshore wind transmission objectives…

POV: Achieving Water Equity: Assessing Water Access Beyond Affordability

August 11, 2021 Written by Robert F. Powelson, President & CEO of National Association of Water Companies With infrastructure taking the spotlight in Washington since January and COVID-19’s ongoing impact, there’s certainly been a renewed focus on the essential role water service plays in protecting public health -- and rightfully so. At the same time,…

POV: Billions of Reasons to Invest in Broadband Infrastructure

June 16, 2021 Written by Elin Swanson Katz, VP of Utilities at Tilson They say timing is everything, and if a utility broadband project is anywhere on the horizon, now is the time to act.  While the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be winding down, one of the many challenges it has exposed is the number…

POV: A State Regulator Perspective on the Future of Nuclear Energy

May 17, 2021 Written by Former Commissioner Sadzi Martha Oliva, Legal and Policy Advisors Alejandro Mateos and Kealie Vogel, and Policy Intern Haley Bracken of the Illinois Commerce Commission Disclaimer: All views expressed within this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Illinois Commerce Commission or the Illinois…

POV: Focus on Water Cybersecurity Now, Before It’s Too Late

April 14, 2021 Written by Robert F. Powelson, President & CEO of National Association of Water Companies Oldsmar, Florida, made headlines earlier this year.  A hacker gained access to the county utility’s water treatment control systems and dramatically raised…

POV: Emergency Management–Our Future

March 24, 2021 Written by Sarah Ruen Blanchard, FRI Advisory Board member The utility industry has long prioritized safety and reliability, but the frequency and duration of emergency events that we must manage through today are unlike those of the past. We can reasonably expect there will be hurricanes in Florida and blizzards in the…

POV: A New Point of View

March 3, 2021 Written by: Dr. Michael Sykuta, Executive Director, FRI Many of us spent much of last year wondering,"What will life be like after 2020?" While we still have a ways to go before we'll see just how much life is changed, I can say that, for me personally, taking on the role of…