2 weeks Ago By Mara Hoplamazian
Climate activists have once again secured leadership of a group focused on facilitating communication between New England’s electricity grid operator and members of the public. Candidates endorsed by environmental advocacy groups prevailed in a Wednesday election, maintaining their leadership of the little-known Consumer Liaison Group. .
The group holds quarterly public meetings, coordinated by a committee of 14 people from the six New England states. It’s a branch of ISO-New England, the nonprofit organization that operates the region’s power grid, administers energy markets, and plans for the energy needs of the future. Wednesday’s election was not competitive; only 13 people ran for the 14 seats.
But the makeup of the candidates solidified a departure from the norm that began in 2022, with the election of six climate activists to the group. At the time New Hampshire’s ratepayer advocate, Don Kreis, called it a “ballroom coup.” This year, all 13 candidates were endorsed by the group No Coal, No Gas, which advocates for transitioning the region’s grid off of fossil fuels.
The group said their initiative was to shift the Consumer Liaison Group away from energy industry interests and towards consumer concerns. ISO-New England has faced criticism in recent years for presenting challenges to renewable energy sources trying to participate in the region’s energy grid. Climate activists are hoping to push grid operators to move away from fossil fuels and support renewable energy along with affordability and transparency.
In a calendar event posted by the advocacy group Extinction Rebellion, organizers said with the presence of activists elected to the group, “CLG meetings shifted from an industry-insider brunch club to a vibrant space for dialogue and community power.” The newly elected committee includes state-employed ratepayer advocates alongside college professors and environmental justice organizers. New Hampshire’s representatives are Rev.
Kendra Ford, a minister from Portsmouth, and consumer advocate Don Kreis. This week’s meeting also included guest speakers from ISO-New England and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), along with a speech from Kannan Thiruvengadam, the director of Eastie Farm in Boston. Thiruvengadam ended his speech with an appeal to address climate change, asking the room to “match the pace of the crisis by fixing our ways and honoring Mother Earth.
” Anne George, ISO New England’s vice president of external affairs, acknowledged during her presentation that the Consumer Liaison Group had changed over the last several years. “In those early, early years, the primary focus was on electricity costs. And while that is still a focus, we've seen a lot more interest in the environmental impacts of the energy system.
So it has been an evolution,” she said. Some advocates present said the group, despite new leadership, still faced challenges bringing ratepayer concerns to the grid operators. Mireille Bejjani, one leader of the environmental justice non-profit Slingshot, told members of the ISO-New England board that many ratepayers in the region were frustrated with the lack of opportunities to participate in decision making.
“It largely has felt like screaming into the void, in terms of the amount of response and active, meaningful dialogue that we get on an ongoing basis,” she said. “We've been making some progress along these lines, and I think there's still more to do.” Bejjani suggested opening ISO board meetings to the public.
The board held one open meeting this year on Nov. 6, but Bejjani said the timing after election day and the venue, which is involved in a labor dispute, posed challenges. ISO board member Mike Curran said he would be open to public board meetings, and that when he chaired the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s board, meetings were open.
Board chair Cheryl LaFleur said ISO-New England did take ratepayer concerns into consideration. “The ISO has made a major pivot in the amount in which it leaned into climate change and its role in decarbonization,” she said. The grid operator’s strategic plan focuses on transitioning to clean energy, mapping a future where the system nearly doubles in size, heating and transportation are electrified, and more renewable resources power the grid.
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