The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is due to receive comments on Massachusetts Electric Company’s petition to modify its 2022-2024 three-year energy efficiency plan. The National Grid subsidiary seeks to increase the budget of its Residential Hard-to-Measure program by $7.5 million, or 8 percent, due to a greater than anticipated number of customers participating in the program and a higher than expected amount of financing per participant. The company also requested a decrease in budget of $287.4 million for the Commercial and Industrial New Buildings and Existing Buildings programs due to market saturation, supply chain constraints, and customer economic factors which led to lower customer participation. 23-154

The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold a public comment hearing on Potomac Electric Power Company’s application for adjustments of retail rates and charges applicable to electric services. The Exelon subsidiary filed a three-year rate plan, seeking an increase in base revenues of $74.4 million in the first year, and $59.4 million each in the second and third years, with an added $20.4 million for a nine-month extension of the third year. The company proposes a return on equity of 10.5 percent. The rate plan covers the effective period April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2027, with a proposed nine-month extension from April 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. 9702

The District of Columbia Public Service Commission will hold a community hearing to discuss Potomac Electric Power Company’s application to implement a multiyear rate plan for electric distribution service for the years 2024 to 2026. The company filed an application in April 2023 requesting a combined increase of $190.7 million for the three-year period, with a return on equity of 10.5 percent, which is expected to increase the monthly bill of a typical residential customer using 614 kilowatt-hours by $6.18. Additional hearings will be held on April 2 and 3. FC1176

The Maine Public Utilities Commission seeks comments on proposed amendments to consumer protection standards for electric and gas transmission and distribution utilities. The proposal includes changes intended to reduce the uncollectible accounts of utilities, thereby reducing upward pressure on rates for all customers and amend the dispute resolution procedures. The revisions also address requirements under recent legislation prohibiting public utilities from terminating or disconnecting a public safety facility’s utility service for nonpayment unless certain provisions are satisfied. 2023-00323

The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments on a community power electric aggregation plan for the town of Pittsfield. The plan aims to create new electricity supply choices for Pittsfield residents and businesses with the potential for cost and environmental benefits beyond distribution utilities’ default service supply. This would be achieved by bundling together the electricity needs of the town’s residents and businesses and putting out a bid for a supplier to provide the required power at competitive prices. Community power enables the town to make strategic pricing decisions about when to solicit bids and lock in fixed pricing for multiple years and also increase the amount of renewable energy available to individual customers and the community. DE 24-037

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is due to receive concept papers for the second round of a $12 million funding opportunity to support the development and demonstration of innovative, replicable solutions that advance electric vehicle adoption and integration with the electric grid. The initiative seeks innovative demonstrations of medium- and heavy-duty electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. The competitive grant aims to advance EV charging infrastructure and reduce grid integration costs, improve the economics of EV ownership for consumers, and demonstrate medium- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification through fuel-cell EVs or standard battery operated vehicles. The opportunity will award up to $3 million for product development and demonstrations of technologies and business models that help reduce energy demand peaks and provide grid benefits that lower the overall cost of necessary electric grid infrastructure upgrades. PON 5354

The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on a revised long-term gas system plan filed by New York Electric and Gas Corporation and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. The commission issued an order in May 2022 creating a long-term gas system planning process for local gas distribution companies. Comments on the plan were originally due by March 5, but stakeholders requested an extension to provide more meaningful comments and also include their review of an upcoming report by the commission’s independent consultant Charles River Associates on the companies’ revised plan. A preliminary findings report was filed on March 14. 23-G-0437

The California Energy Commission seeks comments on the proposed scope of its 2024 California Building Energy Action Plan. The Existing Building Energy Efficiency Action Plan, first published in 2015, has been updated approximately every two years since. The focus for each action plan update has been evolving to meet statutory requirements and emerging policy priorities. In recent years, the discussion has centered around strategies to support decarbonization of the state’s existing buildings. The 2024 action plan will provide a statewide, multi-agency perspective on achieving greater decarbonization by improving energy efficiency, reducing overall energy consumption, and supporting strategies such as load flexibility. At a workshop held recently, commission staff provided an overview of the proposed action plan update, including statutory authority, the timeline for report development and future workshops, the proposed technical scope of the plan, and specific areas of interest. 23-DECARB-03

The California Energy Commission will hold a workshop to discuss a solicitation aimed to promote research addressing location-specific aspects of long-term gas decommissioning. The solicitation will address knowledge and planning gaps that lie between long-term policy targets for transitioning off gas and ongoing decommissioning pilots. The workshop will include a staff presentation on current gas end use patterns and decarbonization challenges, and share preliminary ideas on research topics for location-specific analysis of gas decommissioning. The solicitation follows a 2015 law that requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2050, respectively. 23-ERDD-02

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission is due to receive applications for the Rural Energy Startup Program, or RESP, a single-round grant program, with an overall $2.3 million budget, funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Funding for the block grant is provided by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. RESP aims to advance energy innovation by expanding access to clean energy, efficiency, and preparedness to the state’s communities. RESP is intended to support rural communities that did not meet the population threshold to receive direct federal support under the block grant program and prioritize disadvantaged communities consistent with the Justice40 initiative. 9714-FG-2023