FRI Spotlight

March 23, 2021

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 Midwest, but Hurricane Sandy (2012) in New York, the Camp Fire in California (2018), the Derecho in Iowa (2020), and Winter Storm Uri in Texas (2021) were unprecedented events that devastated communities and crippled energy infrastructure. Sarah Ruen Blanchard, Alliant Energy & FRI…

March 11, 2021

Nebraska Commission Chair Dan Watermeier Joins FRI Advisory Board

March 12, 2021 — We are pleased to welcome Dan Watermeier, Chair of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, to the FRI Advisory Board. Mr. Watermeier was elected for a six-year term on the Commission in November 2018 representing Nebraska’s District 1, comprised of eight counties in Southeastern Nebraska. Prior to joining the Commission, he served as a state senator in the Nebraska Unicameral from 2012-2018. A farmer by trade, Commissioner Watermeier received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He is member of, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)…

March 2, 2021

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 Executive Director of FRI was not on my scorecard at this time last year. However, this is one post-2020 outcome that has me looking forward excitedly to what comes next. FRI Executive Director, Dr. Michael Sykuta I first learned of FRI almost 20 years…

Feb. 11, 2021

Same FRI, New Home and New Opportunities

February 2, 2021 — During January 2021, the Financial Research Institute (FRI) moved to a new home on the University of Missouri campus along with new academic leadership as part of the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS). Since its founding in 1988, the FRI had been housed within the (now) Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business at the University “to promote education, research and service across various areas of finance.” Over the years, the FRI’s programs have evolved to focus primarily on economic, financial and regulatory issues related specifically to regulated utility industries. As part…

Feb. 11, 2021

Commissioner Sadzi Oliva on Cybersecurity

February 12, 2021 — FRI Board Member and Illinois Commerce Commissioner Sadzi Oliva was recently featured in Public Utilities Fortnightly writing about Cybersecurity. Her piece is particularly timely in light of a recent cyber hack of a water treatment facility in Florida You can read Commissioner Oliva’s thoughts on the PUF website.

April 29, 2020

FRI Selects Kenneth Colburn as 2020 Crystal Award Recipient

The FRI Crystal Award was created to recognize an individual who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to the design, implementation or analysis of public utility regulatory policy. The award is presented annually during the FRI Symposium.