The ERO Enterprise state outreach initiative is continuing to strengthen relationships between ERO Enterprise staff and other regulatory agencies, enabling the ERO to become a valued and trusted resource for federal and state regulators. Additionally, MRO continues to coordinate with neighboring regions on outreach opportunities in states located within multiple regional footprints. On April 22, 2022, Sara Patrick, President and CEO, attended a joint meeting with the NERC Board of Trustees and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC’s) Electricity Committee. This meeting focused on strategic reliability and security issues, including the intersection of state and federal jurisdictions.
MRO will continue to send communications to and meet with state regulators within its regional footprint to
provide information on MRO and the ERO Enterprise and inform these agencies of public reports published
each year highlighting the risks and challenges facing the bulk power system. These correspondences
also highlight opportunities to attend educational events hosted by MRO and the ERO Enterprise. The next
scheduled communication will be informing state regulators of MRO’s Summer Reliability Assessment.
In June, by invitation, MRO president and chief executive officer Sara Patrick, director of security Steen
Fjalstad, and I will meet with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to discuss current trends and concerns
around cybersecurity topics. In addition, at a jointly hosted presentation by the Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission and Department of Commerce, Steen Fjalstad will be part of a five-person panel discussion about
cybersecurity threats to the grid. John Seidel, Principal Technical Advisor, along with staff from Reliability First,
will give a presentation to the Illinois Public Utility Commission about battery storage.
John Seidel will also be part of the Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation regional education workshop
“Shattered Cheddar,” held in partnership with Wisconsin Emergency Management and with support from
the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of
Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response). This workshop is for state emergency management
and energy office emergency response staff from the Midwest, Great Plains, and Rocky Mountain regions to
explore how states can improved their ability to identify gaps in energy management plans as they relate to
multi-state coordination, among other current issues states may face.
Director of reliability analysis Bryan Clark and I will attend the Mid-American Regulatory Conference (MARC)
Annual Meeting being held June 19-23, 2022. MARC is an association of regulatory agencies from 14 Midwest
states (Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin). The annual meeting is attended by state commissioners,
commission staff, and representatives of regulated industries and is open to the public. Topics on this year’s
agenda include FERC Order No. 2222 Use Cases and Implementation, and Building for the New Normal:
Development of Grid Enhancement Investments and Other Technologies.
Regulatory Update
On May 19, 2022, NERC released a statement on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) May Open Meeting actions. “At its monthly open meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved in part and denied in part NERC’s petition for revisions to its Rules of Procedure regarding its compliance monitoring and enforcement program. The order approves revisions for the Personnel Certification and Credential Maintenance Program in ROP section 600, the Training and Education Program in section 900, and Confidential Information in section 1500. The order also approves in part and rejects in part proposed revisions to the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program (“CMEP”) in section 400, Appendix 2, and Appendix 4C.
The ERO Enterprise will submit a compliance filing within 60 days as directed by the Order.”
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].