The Magic City is site for 7th fall meeting.
The membership of AIEC held its regular fall meeting in Birmingham on November 26-27, 2012. The session began with an evening gathering on Monday where the members met with Charles McCrary, president of Alabama Power Company, and other officials of the Company to share their respective concerns and interests for the coming year.
On Tuesday, the all-day session began with a review of the regulatory activities before the Alabama Public Service Commission. Items addressed included (1) AIEC’s intervention in APCo’s Buffalo Dunes wind project and the information acquired in discovery, (2) the ongoing analysis of rates RSE, ECR, and CNP-C through the year and likely rates in 2013, (3) issues concerning efforts by APCo to reclassify certain expenses under RSE to ECR, (4) comparison of relative rates of utilities across the south, (5) report on investigation of natural gas rates and tariffs, (6) report on our investigation of APCo’s calculation of avoided cost, (7) report on PSC elections and outlook for Commissioners’ agendas, (8) report on AIEC participation in the energy policy academy conducted by the National Governors’ Association, (9) report on last year’s action items.
PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh addresses AIEC
President Twinkle Cavanaugh of the PSC, accompanied by her chief of staff Sally Corley, appeared and presented a report on the state of the PSC and energy issues in Alabama. She reiterated her concern about the recent regulatory activities of the EPA, although she noted that the recent two wind projects approved by the PSC were shown to be deserving for Alabama. She has been, and will continue to be, active before the EPA through the state associations at the federal level. She encouraged members to call her about any concerns.
Alabama Power reflects on 2013
APCo made several presentations by its respective personnel in the areas of resource managment, pricing, fuel and gas managing, environmental compliance, and regulatory affairs. APCo reported on its budget outlook for 2013, their analysis of the computations under RSE and ECR and CNP-C, and those rates remaining level in 2013. The group engaged APCo at length about its efforts to comply with the several new federal clean energy requirements, costs, strategy, short and long term outlook.
Heather Goggin reports for the Governor
Heather Goggin, program manager for the energy division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, appeared and made a presentation about Governor Bentley’s hosting the ongoing energy policy academy by the National Governors’ Association. The AIEC is a participating stakeholder and will meet with the academy again in December. The academy is exploring effective startegies for improving industry energy efficiency and will complete its report and recommendations next year.
The meeting concluded after a members-only discussion on action items for 2013. The group will meet again for its spring meeting in Montgomery, probably in April.
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