March 26, 2018

Reforming Oregon’s Electricity Regulatory Framework Blog Post on Recent Oregon Public Utility Commission Meeting

GEI staff and legal fellows are also tracking state-level regulatory proceedings that contribute to local and regional efforts to decarbonize our energy system and improve air quality. Read on for updates from Oregon’s Public Utility Commission meetings around Senate Bill 978.

It’s an exciting time for electricity regulation in Oregon. Under the direction of SB 978, which was passed by the state legislature in 2017, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is engaging electricity stakeholders, including the general public, to investigate how developing industry trends, technologies, and policy drivers may impact the existing electricity regulatory system. On March 21, stakeholders attended a meeting convened by the PUC in Salem to discuss the state of Oregon’s electricity regulatory system. This was the second of six meetings convened by the PUC, which will ultimately culminate with a report from the PUC to the legislature later this year. Despite the technical jargon involved, this review of the electricity regulatory system is a public process. The review calls on all Oregonians to consider whether the current regulatory process achieves the goals important to us, and if not, how we can effectively incentivize the changes we want to see. Read the full update from our legal fellow on our Charged Debate blog.