FRI’s Hot Topic Hotline webinar series addresses a variety of timely topics identified by members of the FRI Advisory Board. HTH webinars provide a forum for industry, regulatory and consumer perspectives and interaction around the issues addressed.
“Inflation, Monetary Policy, and Interest Rates: What they may mean for utilities and regulators”
Thursday, December 1, Noon-1:00 pm Central
In the past year we have experienced the highest inflation rates in the past 40 years. The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate by 375 basis points (3.75 percentage points) since the beginning of 2022 in effort to cool off inflationary pressures. While recent reports suggest inflation may be slowing from its peak, inflation remains well above the Fed’s long-term target rate of 2.0 to 2.5%.
This HTH Webinar will discuss what the future might hold for the economy and for utility industries specifically. How much further will the Fed have to increase interest rates to get inflation under control? Could we experience a “soft landing” or is a full-on recession more likely to result? How might high interest rates affect utilities’ incentives to make significant capital investments in the near future? And how do increased interest rates affect utility investors actual returns on equity versus the ROE built into their approved tariff and rate structures? What might be the implications for utilities and regulators?
Register now!
Inflation, Monetary Policy, and Interest Rates: What they may mean for utilities and regulatorsThursday, December 1, Noon – 1PM Central Meet our panelists: |
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Dr. William Emmons Lead Economics, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank |
Talina Mathews CFO, Big Rivers Electric Corp.; and Commissioner Emeritus, Kentucky |
Ted Thomas, Founder, Energize Strategies, Inc.; and Commissioner Emeritus, Arkansas |
David Springe Executive Director, National Assoc. of State Utility Consumer Advocates |
Check out our previous Hot Topic Hotline webinars on the FRI-MIZZOU YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe for updates on future postings.
- “Decarbonizing the Natural Gas System,” July 14, 2022
Moderator: Dr. Michael Sykuta
Panelists: Daniel Lapato, American Gas Association; Paul Kjellander, KJELL, LLC; Chris Barbacz, Mississippi PUC; Mark LeBel, Regulatory Assistance Project; Chris Peterson, HeschBlackwell -
“Prudent and Efficient: A Discussion of Optimal Transmission Planning and Development for 2022 and Beyond” – A 2-Part Series
- Panel 1: “Regional and inter-regional planning in RTO footprints in light of the IIJA”, February 28, 2022
Moderator: Andrew French, Commissioner, Kansas Corporate Commission
Panelists: Antoine Lucas, VP of Engineering, Southwest Power Pool; Aubrey Johnson, Executive Director Planning & Competitive Transmission, MISO - Panel 2: “Emerging policy issues related to transmission planning and development“, March 9, 2022
Moderator: Sarah Freeman, Commissioner, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
Panelists: Cliff Rechtschaffen, Commissioner, California PUC; Krista Tanner, Sr. VP and Chief Business Unit Officer, ITC Holdings; Jennifer Easler, Consumer Advocate, State of Iowa
- Panel 1: “Regional and inter-regional planning in RTO footprints in light of the IIJA”, February 28, 2022
- “Utility Commercialization of Fiber and Other Communication Assets,” October 15, 2021
Moderator: Elin Katz, VP of Utilities, Tilson
Panelists: John Smola, Alabama Power; Josh Broder, Tilson; Brandon Presley, Commissioner, Mississippi PSC - “Arrearage Management Plans and Other Tools Being Considered to Deal with Consumer Debt post-COVID“, July 22, 2021
Moderator: Clifford Rechtschaffen, Commissioner, California PUC
Panelists: Michelle Scala, Oregon PUC; Kim Rikalo, Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Olivia Wein, National Consumer Law Center - “Reliability and Resiliency,” April 28, 2021
Moderator: Chris Ayers, North Carolina Utilities Commission Public Staff
Panelists: Mark Bracken, Mobiltex; John Marciszewski, SmartCover Systems; Paul Suskie, Southwest Power Pool; Brad Johnson, Montana PSC