By Amanda Durish Cook

The Organization of MISO States on Monday called on FERC to order the nation’s utilities to cut rates in response to a recent reduction in federal corporate taxes.

OMS board members last week unanimously approved sending the commission a letter outlining their position after Executive Director Tanya Paslawski introduced the idea during a conference call.

“I don’t think it’s anything controversial here … but we want to make sure everyone is comfortable,” Paslawski said. “We’re looking to file this fairly quickly.”

North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak was the first to express her support.

The letter, signed by OMS Chairman Ted Thomas (also chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission), encourages FERC to move quickly to ensure customers receive the maximum benefits associated with the recent reduction in the federal corporate tax rate. The tax reduction “directly impacts the cost of service for regulated utilities across the country,” the letter said.

OMS noted that many of its members have already taken steps “to preserve the value of these cost reductions” for ratepayers within their own jurisdictions and that it is in the public interest that the savings be realized by all customers, including those for electric transmission.

“As such, the OMS members join the chorus of parties urging FERC to take all necessary action to preserve the benefits of the cost reduction from lower corporate tax rates for customers in the form of lower transmission rates for entities within its jurisdiction,” the organization said.

Ever since President Trump last month signed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, state officials across the country have called on utilities to pass the savings to their ratepayers — and some utilities have vowed to do so. The Organization of PJM States Inc. has already sent a similar letter to FERC. (See Utilities Likely to Pass Tax Bill Gains to Customers.)

Several OMS associate members elected to join in the letter, including the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, the Office of Consumer Advocate of Iowa, the Michigan Agency for Energy, the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General and the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin. The Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana also said it supported the letter.

At Thursday’s open meeting, Commissioner Robert Powelson expressed his support for a measure. “I hope we do our part to make sure these tax benefits are accrued to energy users here in America,” he said.

Chairman Kevin McIntyre told reporters after the meeting that he agreed with Powelson’s sentiment and that the commission was considering its options.