2011 NASUCA ANNUAL MEETING
Renaissance Grand
November 13th-16th
St. Louis, Missouri

Sunday, November 13th
The Renaissance Grand-Hawthorne/Lucas/Flora
2:00-5:00 p.m.Registration

3:00-5:00p.m.Transmission Workshop
Officials from the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will discuss their views of modernizing transmission in general and FERC Order 1000 specifically. A panel of consumer advocates will then comment on and give their perspective on the future of transmission.
Speakers:
Lauren Azar, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy, Washington, D.C.
Kevin Kelly, Director, FERC Division of Policy Development, Washington, DC
Moderator:Sonny Popowsky, Consumer Advocate, Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, Harrisburg, PA
Panelists:
Robert Mork, Deputy Consumer Counselor, Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, Indianapolis, IN
Jesse Reyes, Division Chief, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, Boston, MA
Michele Beck, Director, Utah Committee of Consumer Services, Salt Lake City, UT
5:00- 6:30 p.m.President's Reception-Landmark Ballroom
The Presidents Reception is a joint event with NARUC for all NASUCA attendees. Tickets are required and will be distributed at the NASUCA Registration table upon check-in. Entry tickets will be traded at the door for beverage tickets.

Monday, November 14th
The Renaissance Grand- Hawthorne/Lucas/Flora
8:30-5:00 p.m.Registration
8:30-9:30 a.m.Continental Breakfast

9:00-10:45 a.m.Business Meeting(closed)
President 's Report
Secretary's Report
Treasurer's Report
Executive Director's Report
Committee Reports
Election of Officers
Introduce Resolutions
Roll Call of the States

10:45-12:00 p.m.“Financial Aspects of Feed-in Tariff and Purchase power Agreements (PPA)”

Providing the Financial Incentive Programs needed to drive Policy Goals for Investors in Generation and Transmission Projects While Protecting the Interests of Consumers. The financial incentives used by regulators to promote Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), Clean-Energy Standard (CES) and transmission planning will have serious implications for consumers. The complex and uncertain policy framework for subsidizing renewable energy projects can increase costs to consumers as investors demand a premium for regulatory uncertainty. This session will explore financial incentive programs that best align the interests of investors and consumers and invite discussions regarding the characteristics of individual States.

Moderator:Naunihal “Nick” Singh Gumer, Rate Case Manager, DC Office of People’s Counsel, Washington, DC

Panelists:

Wilson Rickerson, CEO,Meister Consultants Group, Boston, MA
Aaron Rothschild, Rothschild Financial Consulting, Ridgefield, CT

Judy W. Chang, Principal, The Brattle Group, Cambridge, MA

Ralph Zarumba, Director, Energy, Navigant, Chicago, IL

12:00-1:30 p.m.Lunch (Heads of Office Lunch with FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff)
Location TBA

1:30-3:15 p.m.Joint Opening Session with NARUC

Moderator:Honorable Tony Clark, NAURC President, North Dakota PSC

Panelists:
Dan Hesse, CEO, Sprint
Thomas R. Voss, Chairman, President & CEO, Ameren Corporation
Nancy Sutley, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality, The White House
3:15-3:30 p.m.Break
3:30-4:30 p.m."Alternative Fueled Vehicles: The Impact On Ratepayers and Utilities"
Advances in transportation technology, the public’s heightened recognition of the transportation sector’s carbon footprint and the motivation of electric and gas utilities to increase profits through demand growth have all produced an interest in electric and natural gas fueled vehicles. This interest leads to questions concerning how electric and natural gas utilities are going to charge ratepayers for investing in and operating the infrastructure necessary for alternative fueled vehicles. The Panelists will discuss the role utilities should play and the potential impact on ratepayers of alternative fueled vehicles.
Moderator:Joseph Rogers, Assistant Attorney General, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Boston, MA

Panelists:
Jessica Bishop, Duke Energy, Charlotte, NC(invited)
Michele Beck, Director, Utah Committee of Consumer Services, Salt Lake City, UT
Dale Pennington, Managing Director, UtiliWorks, Baton Rouge, LA

4:30-5:30 p.m."Broadband or Bust at the FCC: Forward-Looking Telecom Reform, or The Great Telecom Robbery of 2011"
On October 27, the FCC voted out an order intended to tackle the vital and extremely complex issues of high cost Universal Service Reform, broadband deployment and revisions to the federal Intercarrier Compensation structure. The FCC's NPRM focused almost exclusively on the ILEC's "ABC Plan," a telephone company wish list calling for nearly complete preemption of state telecom regulation, eliminating fundamental public interest obligations, shifting over $4 billion of high cost rural telephone service support to broadband (over half to the nation's largest telephone companies), and reducing interstate access charges to near- zero. In return, consumers could be assured of no review of carrier finances, no requirements for affordable broadband service or monitoring of build-out, and increases to the customer surcharges and rates. Following a period of intense lobbying, the FCC signaled that it would not wholly adopt the ABC Plan, but would order significant revisions to the access charge structure and an additional customer surcharge, relying on "competition" to force carriers to pass through access charge reductions in the form of reduced rates. Key elements of the plan are being pushed into a further NPRM. Our panel of experts will discuss the implications of the order for states, consumers, rural America and industry.
Moderator:Regina Costa, Telecom Research Director, The Utility Reform Network (TURN), San Francisco, CA
Panelists:
Commissioner James H. Cawley, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, State Chairman, Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Harrisburg, PA
David C. Bergmann, Counsel to NASUCA, Telecom Policy Consulting for Consumers, Columbus, OH
Bob Loube, Vice President, Rolka Loube Saltzer Associates, Harrisburg, PA
Colin B. Weir, Vice President, Economics and Technology, Inc., Boston, MA

7:00p.m.NASUCA Dinner Event
City Museum, 701 N. 15th St.
Sponsored by our Friends:Consumers Council of Missouri, Missouri Industrial Energy Consumers, Bryan Cave, & Brubaker & Associates
Tuesday November 15th
The Renaissance Grand-Majestic F
8:30-12:30 p.m.Registration
8:30-9:30 a.m.Continental Breakfast

9:00-11:00 a.m.Business Meeting(closed)
Vote on Resolutions
Roll call
11:00- 12:30 p.m."The Need for Consumer Protection in Retail Energy Marketing: Should Competitive Gas and Electric Suppliers Be Regulated and, If So, How?"
Panelists will describe a host of related problems and abuses commonly associated with gas and electric supplier marketing in deregulated states, including misrepresentations (especially regarding identity of selling entity and alleged consumer savings), slamming, third-party verifications, door-to-door solicitations, early termination fees, bundled fixed rate contracts with dollar valued discount cards or similar devices and customer percentage of usage rebates, variable prices with “teaser” prices, and multi-level marketing. Panelists will explore a variety of approaches to regulation and enforcement, including the need for additional statutory authority, upgrading the regulatory resources and oversight function at the state commission, bonding and licensing, required disclosures (including meaningful comparable price information), codes of conduct for supplier marketing, limitations on early termination fees, enforcement proceedings leading to restitution and to civil penalties or fines for violation of licensing conditions and regulations, as well as coordination with the state Attorney General’s consumer protection office.
Moderator:Barbara R. Alexander, Consumer Affairs Consultant, Winthrop, ME
Panelists:
Peter Saar,Assistant People’s Counsel, Maryland Office of the People’s Counsel, Baltimore, MD
Clare McGuire, Senior Counsel and Director of the Consumer Energy Program, Georgia Watch, Atlanta, GA
Janice Dale, Bureau Chief,Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Chicago, IL

12:30-2:30 p.m.Lunch

2:30 p.m.CCIF Forum-Majestic D
"The Challenges of a Changing Regulatory Environment" At a time when consumers are reeling under the impact of the mortgage crisis,high unemployment, and electricity rates that are rising higher and faster, utilities and regulators are under increased pressure to provide solutions. Adding to those pressures are concerns related to power quality and restoration in the wake of natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene; federal initiatives regarding transmission (planning, siting, and cost allocation), grid modernization, and demand response; state mandates regarding renewables and efficiency; EPA compliance requirements; cybersecurity; and an uncertain investment climate for new and replacement infrastructure and capital expenditures. These will add increasing costs to an already tenuous situation for consumers.The complexity and cross-cutting nature of these issues require a collaboration of ideas and strategies on how to approach these issues going forward in a way that will mitigate negative impacts to consumers. At this forum, esteemed commissioners, consumer advocates, and electric industry representativeswill collectively address:The numerous challenges presented by today’s changing regulatory environment;

The resulting impacts on each of their communities; and

Potential solutions, which will include but not be limited to discussion of the following:

  • What regulatory tools (existing and new) are available to address these challenges?
  • Could rate design be a magic bullet?
  • How might stakeholders work together to address these issues? Howmight the process be improved?
  • How do we ensure that state commissions, consumer advocates, and utilities have the necessary resources to fully address these increasingly complex issues?
  • Given finite dollars and the need to mitigate rate impacts, how should these numerous challenges be prioritized?

2:30-2:35 p.m.Welcome & Overview of CCIF
CCIF Executive Director Katrina McMurrian

2:35-2:40 p.m.Introduction of Topic
CCIF Executive Committee Member Paula Carmody, NASUCA President & Maryland People’s Counsel

2:40-3:00 p.m.Keynote: Challenges of Today’s Changing Regulatory Environment
Dr. Mark Jamison, Director, Public Utility Research Center at University of Florida

3:00-3:30 p.m. Panel 1: Impacts of Challenges on Regulators, Consumers, and Utilities

Moderator: CCIF Executive Director Katrina McMurrian

Panelists:
Susan Ackerman, Commissioner, Oregon Public Utilities Commission Lewis R. Mills, Jr., Public Counsel, Missouri Office of Public Counsel Scott A. Cisel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ameren Illinois
3:30-3:45 p.m.Break
3:45-5:25 p.m.Panel 2: Potential Solutions to Mitigate Rate Impacts

Moderator: CCIF Executive Committee Member David K. Owens, EEI Executive Vice President

Panelists:
Jeffrey D. Goltz, Chairman, Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission
Robert S. Kenney, Commissioner, Missouri Public Service Commission
Sandra Mattavous-Frye, People’s Counsel, District of Columbia Office of the People's Counsel
David Springe, Consumer Counsel, Kansas Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board
Diane Munns, VP-Regulatory Relations & Energy Efficiency, MidAmerican Energy Company
Richard T. Thigpen, VP-State Governmental Affairs, PSEG Services Corporation
5:25-5:30 p.m.Closing & Next Steps
CCIF Executive Committee Member Tony Clark, NARUC President North Dakota PSC Chairman

Wednesday, November 16th
The Renaissance Grand
9:00 a.m.Making Ends Meet: Ratepayers and the Recession-Majestic C
Let's face it: The economy is still muddling along, with little signs of a quick recovery. Recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics revealed a 2.3 percent decline in the median household income for 2010. Unemployment numbers remain high, and consumers are struggling to make ends meet. At the same time, we are at a critical juncture to upgrade the nation's energy infrastructure. Investors and others predict this will cost in the trillions of dollars range - and the investments have to come from somebody's pocket! Furthermore, projected cuts to federal programs, coupled with fewer dollars available at the State-level, mean fewer resources available to help low-income customers. How can regulators prioritize system needs while also keeping rates just and reasonable for consumers? What other tools or programs are available to make energy costs more affordable to low- income customers? Hear from a panel of experts on how the recession is impacting utility customers and learn how States are grappling with balancing the economic realities.

Moderator:Hon. Betsy Wergin, Commissioner, Minnesota PUC
Panelists:
Cindy Datig, Executive Director, Dollar Energy Fund, Pittsburg, PA
Roger Colton, Fisher, Sheehan and Colton, Belmont, MA
Bill Levis, Consumer Counsel, Colorado Dept. Of Regulatory Agencies, Denver, CO
Bryan Batson , Senior Vice President, Governmental and Regulatory Affairs, AGL Resources, Atlanta, GA

10:45-12:00 NoonClosing General Session with NARUC-Majestic E
Mergers, Consolidation, Convergence, Capital and Consumers
NBC and Comcast. AT&T and T-Mobile. Duke Energy and Progress Energy. Exelon and Constellation. Consolidation is often a key business strategy in the utility sector, but the level of merger activity over the past 12 months is profound. Potentially huge future investments and shifting market dynamics are changing the merger landscape. Companies argue that bigger is better, both in terms of access to capital but also for customer service. Duplicative operations are scaled back, inefficiencies are removed, and reliability improves, merging partners say. But how do regulators ensure that both consumers and shareholders are treated fairly in these transactions, and how do the financial markets view these activities? A panel of experts will debate these issues in a lively, challenging discussion. Attendees will learn cutting-edge intelligence from those who know the utility sector the best - regulators, analysts, consumers, and the utilities themselves. Participants will interact with these experts - and each other - as questions over size, cost, and impact are debated.
Moderator:Hon. Robert Kenney - Commissioner - Missouri Public Service Commission, Jefferson City, MO
Panelists:
Hon. David Armstrong, Chair, Kentucky PSC, Frankfort, KY
Jed Nosal, Chief, Business and Labor Bureau - Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley, Boston, MA
Sidney Dillard, Partner, Investment Banking Division, Loop Capital Markets, Chicago, IL
Mike Balhoff, Partner, Balhoff and Williams, Columbia, MD
Terry Bassham, President and COO , Great Plains Energy Inc., Kansas City, MO