Coordinating State Legislators in PJM States

Issue

NEC champions and Maryland Delegates David Fraser-Hidalgo and Lorig Charkoudian approached NEC in Summer 2020 for assistance in coordinating legislators across the 13 states and DC served by the Regional Transmission Organization PJM. Recent regulations passed by the FERC and PJM were curtailing the ability of states to meet their clean energy policy goals (essentially by artificially pricing wind and solar energy out of the market). 

Action

Once approached by legislators requesting assistance, NEC conducted research and developed a fact sheet to bring legislators up to speed on this issue and why it was important. From there, NEC hosted individual meetings with legislators and two educational briefings on the issue and what could be done to remedy it. In March, under the leadership of Maryland legislators, NEC organized a letter from 73 legislators from 9 states requesting a meeting with PJM Directors.

After this initial effort, NEC organized 45 legislators from 6 states to submit an official comment letter to FERC requesting the elimination and reform of the policies in question. PJM ultimately granted the request for a meeting with state legislators, and NEC held a final strategy session with state legislators and partners in preparation for a meeting with PJM officials on May 7.

Outcome

On April 28, 2021, PJM the regional grid operator for 13 states in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, moved to make a dramatic change to its capacity markets that would end discrimination against clean energy sources.