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National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and its members have demonstrated commitment and leadership by providing policy guidance and educational opportunities for state commissioners on energy efficiency related issues. The organization holds a leadership role in the collaborative effort sponsored by the U.S.Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (NAPEE). Commissioner Marsha H. Smith, NARUC First Vice President and Idaho Commissioner, co-chairs the NAPEE leadership team. This collaborative effort brings leaders from state public utility commissions, utilities, and energy consumers together to identify key barriers limiting greater U.S. investment in energy efficiency, and to develop sound business practices for removing those barriers. In fact, NARUC launched the initiative and passed a resolution supporting the principles, objectives and recommendations of NAPEE. NARUC has a long-standing commitment to energy efficiency through its standing committee on Energy Resources and the Environment (ERE). One of the goals of this critical Committee is to analyze, develop, and advocate "market structures and regulatory frameworks that support and promote energy efficiency." Recently, the Committee sponsored a workshop on "Energy Efficiency Resources Standards." In February 2006, NARUC passed two resolutions related to energy efficiency technology advancement. The first resolution called for the removal of regulatory barriers to the broad implementation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and recommended that the Federal tax code with regard to depreciable lives for AMI investment be amended to reflect the speed and nature of change in the metering technology. The second resolution endorsed the tiered approach to distribution transformer standards agreed upon by several industry stakeholders. This tiered approach ensures the highest technologically achievable energy savings that are economically justified. In the past, NARUC adopted several resolutions that encourage state and Federal regulatory commissions to implement innovative rate designs including "energy efficiency tariffs" and "decoupling tariffs" that promote energy conservation and energy efficiency. They also developed an educational Natural Gas Information "Toolkit" for State commissioners to use when addressing high natural gas prices and high price volatility. Through their policy positions and educational programs, NARUC and its membership are proven leaders in the energy efficiency arena and make excellent candidates for this distinguished award. |
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