LPPC Member CEOs Head to Capitol Hill
Last week, CEOs from the Large Public Power Council’s member utilities (LPPC) gathered in Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers, regulators, and agency officials on energy policies that directly impact more than 30 million Americans served by public power utilities.
To kick off the meeting, members heard from LPPC President Tom Falcone, who provided an update on the Council’s ongoing work in Washington and outlined findings from recent FEMA survey results related to emergency preparedness.
LPPC members heard from a range of guest speakers, including trade association leaders Philip Moeller, EVP of Business Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Edison Electric Institute, Jim Matheson, CEO, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Malcolm Woolf, CEO, National Hydropower Association, and Michael Flannigan, VP of Government Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute. The discussion centered on the role of federal energy policy in addressing the major challenges facing the sector, including permitting reform, expiring power plant and hydropower licenses, and rapidly increasing electricity demand.
Later in the day, LPPC members met with key lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), and Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ). These conversations focused on protecting public power’s access to affordable financing options and the pressing need for permitting reform, and CEOs shared firsthand accounts of projects that took more than a decade to permit or relicense. As the U.S. works to support fast-growing sectors like AI data centers and advanced manufacturing, we simply can’t afford to wait that long to build the infrastructure these industries need.
The following day, the group convened with FERC Commissioner David Rosner to discuss regulatory priorities, including transmission planning and resource adequacy. Commissioner Rosner stressed the need for speed, certainty, and risk-awareness in federal permitting decisions, particularly as the grid evolves.
The group also heard from Debra Phillips, CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), who briefed CEOs on NEMA’s recent white paper, “From Frayed to Future-Ready: A Blueprint for Strengthening America’s Electrical Grid.” The paper outlines policy recommendations for modernizing grid infrastructure, accelerating the deployment of smart technologies, and ensuring the grid is prepared to meet an increase in electricity demand. Heather Reams, CEO of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), also joined to share insights into the current legislative priorities of House and Senate Republicans, particularly as they relate to energy policy and clean energy investment.
