Utility regulators in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana are backing North Dakota’s challenge to a $22 billion package of electric transmission upgrades planned for the upper Midwest, arguing the cost-benefit calculations are unfair to their states.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission filed a complaint July 30 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission targeting 24 projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) North subregion. The complaint says the costs, allocated only to the northern states, are “unjust and unreasonable” for North Dakota customers.
MISO, which manages a regional grid in 15 states and part of Manitoba, Canada, says the projects were developed through more than 300 stakeholder meetings and are designed to improve reliability and meet future system needs.
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, a Democrat, opposes joining the complaint, calling it a partisan move to attack renewable energy. Republican commissioners in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi say they worry the cost-allocation precedent could one day apply to MISO’s southern states.
North Dakota regulators estimate the projects would add about $5 per month to an average customer’s bill for decades. Commissioner Jill Kringstad said the upgrades would help other states meet renewable energy goals at North Dakota’s expense.
MISO spokesman Brandon Morris said the plan’s cost allocation applies only to the North and Central regions, not the South. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will review the complaint.
For the full story visit Arkansas Advocate.
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