LA JOLLA, Calif. — FERC Chair Mark Christie and Commissioner Judy Chang downplayed the current political environment’s impact on the agency, saying during an industry meeting April 3 that its role is to follow the law and ensure the fairness of procedures.
Stability comes from the commission’s dedication to following the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act, Christie said in a conversation with New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera during the spring meeting of the Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation and Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body.
FERC’s decisions affect whether investors will put up “literally hundreds of billions of dollars into the assets that we need to invest in,” Christie said. “There has to be a certainty and a stability before those investors are going to put up that kind of money to build the assets that we all know we need.”
Christie also stressed that the commission will adhere to its ex parte rules.
“We’re going to follow the procedural rules. There’s not going to be any violation of our ex parte communications, and we’re going to follow the statutes that apply to each case, whether it’s Federal Power Act; whether it’s Natural Gas Act,” Christie said. “If you’re following the statutes and your procedural rules, that’s where credibility comes from. And we are.”
In a separate panel moderated by Washington Utilities and Transportation Commissioner Milt Doumit, Chang said the new administration will not change FERC’s mission of “keeping the lights on.”
However, she noted “nervousness” around voluntary retirements spurred by the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer to the entire federal workforce in January.
“There are some uncertainties, but I think we’re keeping … our eye on the road,” Chang said.
Markets in the West
The two FERC commissioners also praised efforts to create day-ahead markets in the West in reference to SPP’s Markets+ and CAISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Markets. Both offered insights into how the industry can navigate issues between the two market options, such as seams.
Chang suggested the West look to MISO and SPP, which have created operating agreements and task forces to navigate seams, she said. She urged stakeholders to avoid imposing barriers to “allow the efficient exchanges to occur and trades to occur.”
“Avoid locking in historical patterns, because when you start creating new markets, things are going to change, or policies might change, or generation fleets mix might change, or transmission buildout will change the flow,” Chang said. “Try to be flexible to future changes. And that includes, really, all kinds of parameters around market design.”
Christie emphasized the importance of state regulators collaborating to tackle challenges.
“You can have the bigger meetings where 90% of the people there are not state regulators, and they’re there with their own interest,” Christie said. “And that’s fine, as long as you, as state regulators, set aside time where you all go in a room and you talk to each other about how you’re going to work through these challenging issues.”
Chang’s Goals
Chang, who joined FERC in July 2024, laid out her goals before her term expires in June 2029.
The West’s market evolution is a priority, with Chang saying she wants “to understand it; to help you develop what you need for your customers.”
Other focus areas include resource adequacy, the interconnection queue and transmission planning.
“I think the rules in [Order] 1920 are very solid,” Chang said. “I would love to see parts of the country, maybe the whole country, implement better transmission planning and cost allocation and get some very needed transmission at least developed, maybe not in my term, but at least prepared for in the future.”
Chang also said she “would love to see more advanced technologies be implemented as part of transmission buildout, because I think we have an obligation to serve customers in the most efficient way, and we can squeeze more out of existing infrastructure and new infrastructure.”
