June 10, 2022
Dr. Ohler Awarded MU Research Council Grant
June 10, 2022 Dr. Adrienne Ohler, Associate Research Professor with FRI, was recently awarded a grant by the University of Missouri Research Council to support a new research project titled The Economics of Environmental Health Disparities: Who Benefits from Coal Power Plant Closures? Disparate exposure to energy-related air pollution has been shown to increase health inequalities for low income and minority populations, increase their cost of healthcare, and lead to a struggle between energy production and public health and health disparities. To evaluate the economics of these environmental health disparities, Dr. Ohler will examine the distribution of health benefits across…
April 27, 2022
John E. “Butch” Howard Selected for 2022 Crystal Award
April 28, 2022 FRI has selected John E. “Butch” Howard as recipient of the 2022 Crystal Award for Distinguished Service. John E. “Butch” Howard was a member of the South Carolina Public Service Commission (SC PSC) for sixteen years, as well as an active participant in the National Association of Regulated Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and several other regulatory education and research organizations. Howard started his regulatory journey when he was elected to the SC PSC in 2004. He served on the PSC until 2020. He was elected as Co-Chairman to the commission in 2008 and Chairman in 2010. During…
April 12, 2022
Karen Stachowski Joins FRI Advisory Board
April 12, 2022 FRI is pleased to welcome our newest Advisory Board member, Karen H. Stachowski, Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection & Advocate Unit of the Financial Division in the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General. In this role, she focuses on proceedings before the Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC), which is responsible for regulating Tennessee’s investor-owned utility companies. The Consumer Advocate seeks to enforce laws applicable to public utilities, to remove barriers to competition in public utilities markets, and to seek a healthy balance between regulation, competition, and the public interest. It participates in regulatory proceedings…
Feb. 25, 2022
FRI Joins Engaging 4 MO Series
FRI’s Executive Director, Dr. Michael Sykuta, joined the Engaging 4 MO webinar series to tackle the question, “Who Sets My Utility Bill?” The topic was sparked by a social media post complaining about the rates energy companies are allowed to charge “with no concern for the public.” The 30-minute video debunks this notion and dives a little deeper into just how many groups are involved in making sure that these rates serve the greater good (including keeping the lights on at the energy companies themselves). Presented by the MU Division of Applied Social Sciences,…
Feb. 22, 2022
Rich Svindland Joins FRI Advisory Board
February 16, 2022 FRI is pleased to welcome Mr. Rich Svindland, President of Missouri American Water, to the FRI Advisory Board. Mr. Svindland was named president of Missouri American Water in 2021. He is a professional engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry. He leads a team that is responsible for providing safe, clean, and reliable water and/or wastewater service to approximately one in four Missourians in 200 communities throughout the state. Before coming to Missouri, Svindland served as president of California American Water and Hawaii American Water for five years. He has…
Feb. 2, 2022
Research Update: Household Appliance Stock, Income, and Electricity Demand Elasticity
January 31, 2022 Dr. Adrienne Ohler, Associate Research Professor with FRI, published a study titled “The Household Appliance Stock, Income, and Electricity Demand Elasticity” examining how electricity demand elasticity is impacted by household income and the appliance stock. The paper, published in the January 2022 issue of The Energy Journal, is co-authored with Dr. David Loomis of Illinois State University and former ISU graduate student Yewanda Marquis. The abstract of the article reads: “This paper estimates household electricity demand using data from the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). Previous…
Jan. 21, 2022
NRDC Sponsors 2022 FRI Crystal Award
January 20, 2022 The FRI is excited to announce the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as the sponsor for 2022 FRI Crystal Award for Distinguished Contribution. First awarded in 2013, the Crystal Award is presented each year to recognize an individual who has made recent and significant contributions to the design, implementation or analysis of public utility regulatory policy. The Crystal Award provides an opportunity to recognize excellence and achievement across regulated industries and further promote the FRI mission. Although NRDC’s sponsorship with FRI is new, NRDC has a long history with the Crystal Award. Ralph…
Dec. 16, 2021
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 oil refineries, and vulnerability to extreme heat.[1] Over the past two decades, the state has set broad objectives requiring that environmental justice be part of the mission of state agencies and adopted specific mandates in various environmental and energy legislation. In 2017, the…
Sep. 10, 2021
FRI Welcomes New Advisory Board Members
September 10, 2021 We are happy to announce our newest Advisory Board members: Christina Baker, Chairman Kent Chandler, Kristy Hartman, Commissioner Gabriella Passidomo, Kari Gehrke and Matt Rice. Longer bios for these distinguished individuals (and all of our Advisory Board members) are available on the FRI Members page. Christina Lynn Baker, P.E., J.D., is a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office working on public utility and environmental issues. She serves as lead attorney of the Consumer Utilities Rate Advocacy Division and routinely provides expert testimony regarding positions taken by the Attorney General to protect Arkansas…
Sep. 10, 2021
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 with the regional grid’s planning and development process. To position the state to reach Governor Phil Murphy’s ambitious goal of 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035, the NJBPU has formally requested inclusion of its offshore wind public policy into the regional…