A proposal to limit press coverage of NYISO meetings died less than a week after being floated at the bylaws subcommittee meeting on Nov. 20, and the ISO on Tuesday proposed to expand access by allowing press and the public to attend all stakeholder meetings in person or by teleconference.
The proposal before the bylaws subcommittee would have limited press coverage by requiring approval for quotes at more senior committee meetings and barring any coverage of working group level meetings.
A Politico report on the meeting Monday quoted several stakeholders opposed to limiting press coverage, including utilities NYSEG and Con Edison; the Natural Resources Defense Council; Liam Baker, representing Eastern Generation; Aaron Breidenbaugh of Luthin Associates, representing Consumer Power Advocates; and RTO Insider editor and co-publisher Rich Heidorn Jr.
The bylaws subcommittee proposal was prompted by a request by RTO Insider to allow its reporters to attend committee meetings by teleconference, which the current bylaws forbid.
Alan Ackerman, chairman of the bylaws subcommittee, was later quoted as saying the proposal would not move forward as it did not enjoy stakeholder support.
The ISO said Tuesday its management did not support the draft proposal, which it said would have unnecessarily restricted media access.
“The NYISO’s draft proposal reinforces our longstanding commitment to transparency of the shared governance process by allowing teleconference access to all stakeholder meetings.”
Kevin Lanahan, vice president of external affairs and corporate communication, said, “This commitment is a founding principle of the NYISO and our shared governance process since our formation 20 years ago.”
The ISO’s draft proposal says: “The public may attend meetings of the Committee and associated subcommittees, working groups, and task forces, in-person or by teleconference, and shall register with the Secretary prior to attendance. Guests of Members who attend with the representative in person or by teleconference shall also register with the Secretary before entering the meeting. The Secretary shall keep a list of those who register with the minutes of the meeting.”
— Michael Kuser