Acadia Center Comments Regarding Berkshire Gas Co. Petition for Supply with Constellation LNG, LLC.
Comments of Acadia Center re BGC EMT contract DPU 26-28
Acadia Center Testimony at Roundtable on Skyrocketing Energy Costs Since Trump Took Office
Testimony at Energy Cost Roundtable
Acadia Center Submit Coalition Comments on Central Maine Power and Versant’s Integrated Grid Plans
To provide the best possible analysis of Central Maine Power’s plan, Acadia Center engaged a technical consultant via GridLab to write a report identifying areas for improvement. These comments incorporate the consultant’s findings and reflect the joint positions of Acadia Center, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Conservation Law Foundation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The coalition identifies several deficiencies in the utilities’ development of the plans, as following:
1) the Environmental, Equity, and Environmental Justice (EEEJ) assessments;
2) deficient use of the Commission-approved scorecard;
3) insufficient analysis of Ambient Adjusted Ratings;
4) failure to propose an adequate assessment framework; and
5) the limited selection of battery storage and load management as preferred solutions.
The coalition also identifies several areas for improvement in the next planning process:
1) improvements to the EEEJ assessment to include more meaningful, quantitative metrics;
2) improvements to the NWA process;
3) establishment of a standardized solutions library;
4) greater engagement from the Commission during the 18-month planning period;
5) improving access to information and data through the Case Management System (CMS);
6) more strategic use of technical working groups; and
7) disadvised use of “no regrets” terminology.
Acadia Center Continues to Highlight the Importance of Benchmarking and Performance Standards
H7183-7184-support_House Enviro_Acadia Center
Acadia Center Chimes In On Data Center Guardrails for Rhode Island
Data centers RI_Senate Commerce_Acadia Center
Acadia Center Comments to ISO-NE Regarding Appropriate Threshold for ACR Review of ACPs
Acadia Center ACR threshold comments
Testimony in Opposition to House Bill No. 7127, Article 11
H7127-oppose_House Finance_Acadia Center
Acadia Center Defends Against Clean Energy Rollbacks in RI Governor McKee’s FY 2027 Budget
H7127-oppose Senate Finance Testimony
H7127-oppose House Finance Testimony
Testimony in Opposition to Article 11 of House Bill No. 7127 to Senate Finance Committee
H7127-oppose Senate Finance Acadia Center Testimony
Acadia Center Comments in ME Multiyear Rate Plan Guidelines Docket
Acadia Center Comments on Straw Proposal
Multiyear rate plans are a part of performance based ratemaking that sets rates for several years in a predefined way under the condition that the utility can’t come back to ask for new rates unless something very unusual happens (like COVID). This creates an incentive for the utility to manage its costs more effectively than under normal cost of service ratemaking. Acadia Center’s comments went through each element of the proposed framework, identifying recommendations for how it could be improved with affordability for Maine’s electric customers in mind.
Acadia Center also recommended three performance incentive metrics, measurable policy goals the state may want its utility to meet in order to improve the grid or its residents’ experience with the grid. The three proposed metrics are:
- A system load factor metric, which would incentivize using the grid more efficiently
- A reliability metric index, which measures different ways the grid is (or is not) reliable and incentivizes improvements
- A disconnections reductions metric, which would incentivize disconnecting fewer customer
All three of these goals, if met, would improve Maine’s grid and Mainers’ experience with it.
Though this docket will provide guidance to the utilities rather than create a binding requirement, the guidance that will come out of it is a major opportunity to shift the path of future rate cases towards helping Maine meet its policy goals and away from focusing on utility profits.