The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will hold a meeting to discuss the stakeholder feedback received on its straw proposal regarding Advanced Metering Infrastructure Data Transparency, Privacy and Billing. The board will review staff’s recommended minimum filing requirements and receive input from stakeholders. Topics of discussion include customer ownership and sharing of energy related data, advanced metering infrastructure data provision timelines, standard customer privacy and cybersecurity requirements, reporting metrics, data granularity and consideration of additional data fields. An additional meeting will be held on Sept. 6. EO20110716

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will conduct a hearing on proposed amendments to its net metering regulations to implement the provisions outlined in the 2021 Act Creating A Next-Generation Roadmap For Massachusetts Climate Policy. The department is also seeking recommendations on implementing provisions allowing Class I net metering facility to be classified as a facility of a municipality or other governmental entity, a new definition for cap exempt facility, and crediting or payout of accrued credits. The agency is also how net metering facilities can transfer credits across the New England grid operator’s load zones and utility service territories. 21-100

The New York Department of Public Service staff and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will hold a technical conference to discuss the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub, proposed by Consolidated Edison Company of New York. The company requested regulators for permission to build a $1 billion hub that would integrate large quantities of offshore wind energy directly to areas within its system where there is high electricity demand, enabling the most efficient use of the generation, including by customers located in environmental justice areas. Further, the company proposes to build the hub on a site that was previously dedicated to fossil-fuel-burning generation.

The New York Public Service Commission will convene a technical standards working group to discuss the use of vehicle telematics and electric vehicle supply equipment to submeter EV load, adoption of open and interoperable communication standards, supply equipment interval data availability, and credit card reader standards. The commission announced the working group in 2020 to consider the incorporation of technical standards and best practices into the Make-Ready Program aimed to provide incentives for the installation of light-duty electric vehicle infrastructure. 18-E-0138

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will hold a meeting to receive comments regarding Liberty Utilities request for a mid-term modification of its 2022-2024. The proposed changes are intended to increase the company’s commercial and industrial sector budget by or 60 percent, in order to provide the participant incentive. The company also intends to recover the costs associated with the mid-term modification from its customers over two years, rather than one year, to minimize the financial impacts of the project. 22-94

The District of Columbia Public Service Commission will discuss the temporary safeguards and protections put in place to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on district utilities and consumers. The conference will examine Washington Gas Light Company’s request to modify its arrearage management program, which includes not only its extension and adjustment, but also a cost recovery mechanism. The commission also seeks stakeholder input on the mechanism’s utility discount program eligibility threshold, the 12-month minimum for deferred payment arrangements, customer outreach, and reporting requirements.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission will hold a conference to discuss Central Maine Power Company’s notice of intent to request an increase in distribution rates. The company intends to file a three-year rate plan, with proposed revenue increases of $45 million to $50 million in the first year, $25 million to $30 million in the second year, and $20 million to $25 million in the third year. Further, Central Maine Power expects to outline rate design changes for its time of use pricing hours and for electric vehicle, battery storage and other innovative rates. 2022-00152

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments on CenterPoint Energy’s Gas Affordability Program that is available to residential customers who have qualified and received assistance under the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program during the federal fiscal year. The program is designed to lower the proportion of income that low-income households allocate to pay current energy bills and increase the number of customer payments, whilst also offering a mechanism for assisting customers in paying arrearage balances. Reply comments are due by August 25. M-22-256

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission will hold a workshop to establish a condensed, enhanced list of goals and outcomes for performance-based ratemaking, or PBR. The workshop seeks to initiate discussion on the suitable identification and definition of individual metrics that can be used as performance measures on those goals and outcomes. The commission has listed PBR among four initial priorities for action in the state’s “Roadmap to Zero Carbon” investigation to consider the ongoing transition to zero-carbon electricity generation. The other three are utility resource planning, energy efficiency, and customer affordability.

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will hold their 33rd joint carbon auction, which will offer allowances for current and future years. The current auction will offer year 2022 vintage allowances totaling nearly 56.95 million. The advance auction will offer 2025 future allowances totaling about 7.94 million. The auction results will be published on August 24. The previous auction sold all of the nearly 58.33 million current allowances at a price of $30.85 per allowance and all of the almost 7.94 million future allowances at $28.13 each. California’s cap-and trade program, which places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources, is a central part of the state’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

The California Energy Commission is due to receive comments on the development of the Community Energy Resilience Investment program, which aims to increase electric grid resilience for under-resourced and tribal communities across the state. The commission initiated scoping and development of the program in response to the U.S. Energy Department’s funding opportunity announcement for formula grants to prevent outages and enhance the resilience of the electric grid. The grant, authorized through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will provide $459 million annually to states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and Indian tribes over a five-year period. The program will invest in projects that increase resilience and reliability, provide the greatest community benefit in reducing the likelihood and consequences of grid disruptions, promote decarbonization, improve energy justice and equity, and create jobs. 22-ERDD-01

The California Energy Commission is due to receive comments on options to delay the planned retirement of the 2,240-MW Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in 2025 in order to support electricity reliability. The commission recently held a workshop on electric reliability needs in the face of climate change, supply chain delays, and other factors impacting new generation and energy storage projects. The workshop discussed the role that the nuclear plant could have in supporting mid-term electric reliability and California’s clean energy transition including actions that are required to maintain the option of extending, for a limited term, the operating license of the plant. 21-ESR-01