Industry stakeholders will have a chance to weigh in on the proposals of NERC’s Modernization of Standards Processes and Procedures Task Force in the coming weeks, task force leaders said at the Nov. 10 meeting of the Member Representatives Committee.

NERC has been seeking comments on the MSPPTF’s draft recommendations since Oct. 21, task force Chair Greg Ford reminded attendees, observing that the comment period actually closed earlier that day. (See NERC Seeks Feedback on Standards Modernization Recommendations.) The ERO’s Board of Trustees created the MSPPTF in February in light of the rapidly evolving risk environment, which has made it increasingly difficult to keep up with new threats to reliability.

While the online comment submissions are closed, Ford said stakeholders can share their views on the recommendations at two upcoming stakeholder forums, to be held Nov. 13 in Salt Lake City and Nov. 19 in Atlanta. These forums were intended to be to be held in person, but because of uncertainties around flight availability arising from the ongoing federal government shutdown, Ford reminded listeners that an online option is available.

“We really encourage everyone to come participate in this,” Ford said. “This is where we, as the task force, can learn a little bit more about what your comments were intended to address, but it’s also more for you to hear from the task force members on where our recommendations were headed. We’ll take all of that input and get ready for our December workshop.”

The MSPPTF’s recommendations apply across the standards development process. They include organizing a biannual period for requesting, reviewing and initiating new standards projects; implementing a subcommittee under the Reliability Issues Steering Committee to drive standards drafting; and revamping the standards balloting process to provide more accountability and encourage stakeholder participation.

The task force will revise its proposals based on feedback submitted online and at the forums, and present its final recommendations to the board at its February 2026 meeting in Savannah, Ga.

Leadership Elections and Plan Update

Ford took over running the MRC meeting briefly while Chair John Haarlow, CEO of Snohomish County Public Utility District, and Vice Chair Matt Fischesser, of ACES Power, excused themselves so members could vote on a proposal to grant them another term in their positions.

Haarlow and Fischesser were the only nominees received during the nomination period, which lasted from Sept. 11 to Oct. 9, and as a result were unanimously confirmed to remain.

Camilo Serna, NERC’s senior vice president for strategy and external engagement, then gave members an overview of the ERO’s progress on its next three-year strategic plan. NERC’s current three-year plan will conclude at the end of 2025; the organization had planned to create a new plan to begin in 2026 but concluded earlier this year that long-term planning would be a “fool’s errand” because of the uncertainty introduced since President Donald Trump’s return to office. Instead, 2026 will be treated as a “bridge year” before the new plan begins in 2027.

Serna said NERC is defining the priorities, goals and initiatives to be addressed in the plan and how it will measure progress. The organization will provide a draft of the priorities to the MRC in January so that members can provide feedback ahead of the February board and MRC meetings; this list will be finalized by March.