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WISCONSIN PSC MAKES STAFFING CHANGES

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has announced new appointments within the Commissioners’ Office and the Division of Energy Regulation and Analysis. The appointments were effective February 5, 2024. Commissioner Kristy Nieto announced the appointment of Matt Sweeney as her Executive Assistant (EA). Each Commissioner at the PSC has one EA who advises on issues and matters before the PSC. Matt most recently served as a key advisor to Chairperson Valcq and oversaw the PSC’s public communications, external stakeholder outreach, and legislative affairs. Matt served as the agency’s liaison to Wisconsin’s tribal nations and as the chairperson’s designee on the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute’s Board of Directors. With over 17 years of experience working in state government, Matt previously held policy advisor and legislative relations positions at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and in the Office of the Governor.

Commissioner Summer Strand assumed the role of chairperson beginning February 5, 2024. Her team includes Kara Pennoyer as the Chief of Staff, Tanner Blair as Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, and Meghan Sovey as Director of Communications and External Affairs. Commissioner Strand announced the appointment of Kate Christensen as Administrator of the Division of Energy Regulation and Analysis (DERA). DERA is responsible for supporting the mission of the Commission to assure safe, reliable, and fair provision of electricity and natural gas for the customers of the utilities it regulates and ensures Wisconsin’s involvement in regional energy issues. Kate Christensen joined the Commission as a Utility Rate Analyst in 2014. Since 2019, she had served as the Director of Natural Gas Analysis and Safety in the Commission’s Division of Energy Regulation and Analysis. Prior to joining the Commission, Christensen was the Environmental and Utilities Resource Coordinator at Carroll University in Waukesha. As a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Kate serves on the Staff Subcommittee on Natural Gas and the Task Force on Natural Gas Resource Planning. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Alverno College and has completed post-graduate courses in planning and management at Johns Hopkins University. She currently resides in Ixonia with her son Reid.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION REJECTS MGE's PROPOSED CHANGES TO RESIDENTIAL SOLAR REIMBURSEMENT

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has rejected a proposal by Madison Gas & Electric that would have changed how the utility reimburses residential solar owners for energy they put back into the grid. 

State regulators are expected to make a decision on a different utility's proposal to change solar reimbursement at a later time. 

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WE ENERGIES 2024 RATE PROPOSAL BEING CONSIDERED

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin is considering a limited rate filing for We Energies customers. The PSCW has been conducting a thorough review of the proposal and taking public input. They are expected to make a decision before the end of 2023. The limited rate filing is driven by new investments in electric and natural gas infrastructure that have already been approved by the PSCW and that go into service in 2023 and 2024.

The filing includes significant investments in renewable energy and savings from the planned retirement of coal-fueled units at the Oak Creek Power Plant. The new investments are part of a plan that is expected to save customers $2 billion over 20 years compared to the status quo.

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NEW ONLINE DATA TOOL GIVES USERS INSIGHT INTO WISCONSIN'S ENERGY MIX

The Public Service Commission has a new online tool that makes it easier to determine the state’s energy mix. The "Wisconsin Energy Statistics" portal provides a snapshot of energy use in Wisconsin, as well as that energy’s economic and environmental impacts. 

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has published energy data in a physical book since 1976. In a statement, PSC Chair Rebecca Cameron Valcq said the new online resource aims to make that information more accessible.

WISCONSIN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION STUDIES POSSIBLE LOW-INCOME ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Wisconsin’s utility regulator has received input from customers hoping to guide an investigation into alternative low-income assistance programs at two of the state’s largest utilities.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin hosted listening sessions in Green Bay and Milwaukee. The listening sessions followed rate increases regulators approved late last year for two WEC Energy Group utilities — We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service. 

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GOV. EVERS APPOINTS SUMMER STRAND TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN

Gov. Tony Evers has announced his appointment of Summer Strand to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC). The appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Ellen Nowak, which was effective March 1. This appointment was effective March 2, 2023, for a six-year term expiring in 2029.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Summer on the State Building Commission for the past several years and I am confident that she will be an asset to the PSC and to the people of Wisconsin in this new role,” said Gov. Evers. “Having worked in several roles within state government and with trade and industry professionals alike, Summer will bring a depth of experience, dedication to service, and collaborative skills necessary to be successful at the PSC. I have no doubt she’ll serve the people of Wisconsin well as we continue building our workforce, economy, and state infrastructure for the 21st century.”

Strand has a long history of public service. Strand currently serves on the State of Wisconsin Building Commission (SBC), having been appointed by Gov. Evers in 2019 to serve as the sole citizen member of the commission.

UTILITY REGULATORS APPROVE RATE HIKES FOR WE ENERGIES AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC SERVICE

Wisconsin utility regulators have approved rate hikes for electric and natural gas customers served by two of the state’s largest utilities, but they reduced returns utilities can collect. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has approved overall electric rate hikes of 8.8 percent for We Energies and nine percent for Wisconsin Public Service, according to commission staff. The increase is higher than utilities had initially proposed, but less than changes they suggested later that would have shifted more costs to residential customers.

This fall, the utilities owned by Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group asked for electric rate hikes of thirteen percent for We Energies residential customers and a nearly fifteen percent increase for Wisconsin Public Service.

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PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION APPROVES THIRD PARTY SOLAR FINANCING

The Public Service Commission has voted 2-1 to approve a petition on third-party financing of small-scale solar power systems. PSC’s order will allow North Wind Renewable Energy Cooperative to build solar panels on a family’s home and lease them to the family. Renewable developers and environmental advocates supported the decision, while utilities argued that solar financers are effectively building power infrastructure and selling energy to the public through leases and power purchase agreements. PSC has yet to issue a full written order, and the legal implications of its decision are still unclear.

WUI and utilities had opposed the action and questioned whether the Commission had the authority to make the decision without legislative action.

MGE APPROVED TO BUY SHARE OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN SOLAR ENERGY CENTER

Madison Gas and Electric has been approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to purchase more solar energy and battery storage.

MGE can now purchase solar energy and battery storage from the Darien Solar Energy Center and will own 25 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 7.5 MW of battery storage from a solar battery storage facility in Rock and Walworth counties in southern Wisconsin.

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STOP NON-REGULATED UTILITY OPERATIONS!

Legislative Issues

ACTION ALERT

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ACT NOW! STOP NON-REGULATED UTILITY OPERATIONS!

Link to Comment on  Docket 9300-DR-105

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PSCW Wants State's Energy Efficiency Program to Play a Larger Role in Cutting Emissions

The state’s utility regulators want Wisconsin’s energy efficiency program to play a larger role in cutting carbon emissions as part of efforts to combat climate change.

The Public Service Commission has voted 2-1 for the state’s Focus on Energy program to play a greater role in cost-effectively cutting carbon emissions while continuing to emphasize energy savings. However, Republican lawmakers are wary. 

Commissioners have supported research, planning and investment of resources that would set Focus on a path toward playing a larger role in promoting replacement of fossil fuels with electricity to reduce emissions and energy costs.

The commission stopped short of fully changing Focus on Energy’s goals, opting instead to treat the next four years as a “transitional period” in which the program maintains an emphasis on energy savings while also making “measurable progress” toward reducing carbon emissions.