[UPDATED to clarify that although Foster will be the third senior executive to leave PJM since the GreenHat default, she had no role in it.]

By Rich Heidorn Jr.

Interim PJM CEO Susan J. Riley on Monday announced a shakeup of the RTO’s State and Member Services Division, the latest in a series of management changes in the wake of the GreenHat Energy default and continued friction with state officials.

Riley announced that Denise Foster, vice president of the division, will resign effective Oct. 31 and that her unit will be reorganized under Associate General Counsel Jen Tribulski. “With Denise’s decision to step down, we have decided to realign the State and Member Services Division to further demonstrate the organization’s willingness to listen to key stakeholders and provide a more direct line of communication between the executive team, the states and members,” Riley said in a letter to members.

Also Monday, Chief Administrative Law Judge Carmen A. Cintron reported that PJM and intervenors have reached a settlement in principle in the dispute over how to liquidate financial transmission rights left over from the GreenHat default. Cintron ordered a 30-day extension in the settlement deadline to “allow additional time to finalize settlement documents for their filing with the commission” (ER18-2068).

PJM declined to provide details, but spokesman Jeff Shields said the RTO is “pleased that the parties have reached a settlement in principle” and will “provide some high-level discussion around it” at the Market Implementation Committee meeting Wednesday.

In June, FERC gave PJM stakeholders 90 days to settle all disputes about GreenHat’s liquidation before initiating a paper hearing. PJM has said the cost of the default could rise by $250 million to $300 million if the RTO is forced to unwind settlements of the company’s FTR portfolio. (See FERC: PJM Settle Disputes Before GreenHat Hearing.)

The GreenHat default in June 2018 came as PJM was already facing strained relations with some members over state nuclear subsidies, the RTO’s push for increased “fuel security” and a FERC order to change its capacity rules. (See PJM Stakeholders Reluctantly OK ‘Fuel Security’ Initiative.)

Foster will be the third senior executive to leave PJM since the GreenHat default although — by all accounts — she had nothing to do with it.

CFO Suzanne Daugherty retired shortly before the board released a highly critical report on the RTO’s failings in the GreenHat matter. CEO Andy Ott resigned effective June 30, announcing his departure two months after the report was released. (See PJM CEO Andy Ott to Retire.) Riley, a board member since 2005, was named interim CEO during the search for Ott’s replacement.

Under the changes announced Monday, Tribulski will become senior director of member services, with oversight of stakeholder affairs, member relations, and state and member training. Tribulski, who graduated from the Quinnipiac University School of Law in 1993, has more than 20 years of experience in energy law. Her direct reports will be Jim Gluck, director of member relations, and Dave Anders, director of stakeholder affairs.

Former Ohio regulator Asim Haque, who joined PJM in February, will continue as executive director of strategic policy and external affairs.

Haque and Tribulski will report to Vince Duane, general counsel and senior vice president of law, compliance and external relations.

Foster will remain as chair of the Markets and Reliability Committee until her departure, Riley said.