MISO’s Advisory Committee has set aside time next month for a roundtable discussion on the federal government’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s effect on the RTO’s footprint.
The Organization of MISO States requested the time when the committee, comprising member companies, meets March 23 during MISO’s upcoming Spring Board Week in Memphis, Tenn.
OMS Executive Director Marcus Hawkins asked MISO sectors to prepare discussion points on how they plan to address the bill.
“The focus will be on what different sectors are doing in response to the legislation, what their hopes are, and identifying areas where coordination could be useful,” Hawkins said during Wednesday’s Advisory Committee meeting.
He said sectors should come prepared to answer questions on how the bill could impact the MISO footprint and its processes, whether their organizations plan to pursue funding, and how the RTO should participate in the bill.
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan legislation passed Congress in November and was quickly signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill provides $11 billion in grants for states, tribes and utilities to improve electric infrastructure’s resilience against extreme weather, cyberattacks and other disruptive events. (See Biden Signs $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill.)
It also establishes a $2.5 billion Department of Energy transmission facilitation program to help develop nationally significant transmission lines, increase resilience by connecting regions and improve access to cheaper clean energy sources.
Hawkins said the bill is certain to affect the MISO region with its funds for new transmission, energy efficiency, electric vehicle charging stations, carbon-capture technologies and nuclear fleet preservation.
Stakeholders asked that RTO leadership also come prepared to speak on the grid operator’s preferred role in the bill’s investments and how they envision it could alter the MISO landscape.
“Are MISO’s tariff and business practice manuals ready to handle this?” the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Sam Gomberg asked. He urged MISO to examine its rules to see if they are innovative enough to handle an unprecedented grid refresh.
Registration for the March 21-24 Board Week is now open.
