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POLICY EDITION

Hello everyone and welcome to SPEER’s first policy program newsletter. This newsletter will be a monthly update on federal, state, and local policy actions that have occurred or are upcoming. We will provide educational materials as they are published, let you know about engagement opportunities, and bring you in the loop as to what SPEER is following in our day-to-day work. We hope this will be a one-stop shop for all your policy needs in Oklahoma and Texas!
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In This Newsletter: 
  • FERC Winter Energy Market and Reliability Assessment
  • PUCT EEIP Meeting 10/18 **ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY** 
  • Local Policy Actions
  • Upcoming Events and Webinars
  • SPEER Workshop Recap
  • SPEER Resources
  • What We’re Reading/Hearing

FERC Winter Energy Market and Reliability Assessment 2022-2023

On October 20, 2022, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff released their Winter Energy Market and Reliability Assessment for this upcoming winter season. Key findings from the report are that higher-than-average temperatures are forecasted for this summer which should mean reduced natural gas and electric demand. However, this does not mean a prolonged cold weather event would not occur. The report indicates in an extreme cold weather event, Texas supply would be short 19.7GW, which is close to the shortage experienced during Winter Storm Uri. 
While the Public Utility Commission of Texas continues to work through its approved wholesale electricity market redesign, this report underscores the need for additional focus on energy efficiency and demand response programs to increase Texas reliability and resiliency. The full report can be found here

PUCT EEIP Meeting Update

On Tuesday, October 18th the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) convened its biannual Energy Efficiency Implementation Project (EEIP) meeting (EEIP Docket 38578). For those not familiar with these public meetings, they were developed as a forum for utilities, PUCT and EM&V staff, and stakeholders to learn about, discuss, and report back information on the various energy efficiency programs that utilities provide in the ERCOT market. The meeting was divided into two sessions, a morning and an afternoon session. The morning session of the meeting included a review of key findings from the state’s EM&V contractor, updates on the Technical Reference Manual draft changes, and a discussion on a forward looking low-income geographic tool used by Oncor Electric. The Technical Reference Manual draft changes are posted on the docket and the PUCT and EM&V staff are requesting public comments on the draft due by November 1stIf you have questions on how to submit comments, please reach out to SPEER for assistance.
 
The afternoon session was a brainstorming session on what a future energy efficiency rulemaking process should consider if the Commission should open the rule. The brainstorming session was facilitated by Oncor Electric and following it was a presentation led by the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter reviewing their perspectives on what a rulemaking could look like. Following the afternoon session, staff advised that while there is no guarantee of a rulemaking opening, these sessions and future discussions will be beneficial to crafting what a rulemaking could look like. The EM&V team will be developing a survey for stakeholder input in the coming weeks. When the survey goes live SPEER will be sure to make members and stakeholders are aware of the engagement opportunity. Read our brief recap of this important meeting. 

Local Policy Updates

If you are informed of upcoming policy discussions or actions in your area and would like to share them in this newsletter, please send information to noaks@eepartnership.org
  
Recent and Upcoming Local Government Policy Actions:  
Election season is in full swing. In-person early voting began yesterday on October 24th and ends on November 4th. Election day is on November 8th. Be sure to get out and vote! 

Austin: On October 27, the Austin City Council will consider authorizing the issuance of a five-year production-based incentive to Paloma Ridge Owner, LLC for the installation of solar electric systems on their facility in an amount not to exceed $2,041,981. For additional information please see Austin City Council Agenda page.

Dallas: On October 26, the draft agenda for the Dallas City Council has items related to a resolution to adopt the City’s Federal Legislative Program. For additional information please see Dallas City Council Draft Agenda page.
 
Houston: On October 18, the Houston City Council approved a resolution to adopt the City’s Texas 88TH Legislative Session Legislative Program. For additional information please see the Houston City Council Agenda page.

Upcoming Events & Webinars

CELC Webinar: The City Efficiency Leadership Council is hosting a webinar on November 3, which will review SPEER’s recently released Texas IOU Energy Efficiency Programs report and its recommendations. Following the presentation, we will look toward future policy engagement and actions for energy efficiency in the state. If you are interested in attending, please register here.

CAPCOG and SPEER Workshop: CAPCOG and SPEER will be holding a local government energy reporting workshop on December 8 for cities and counties in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA. The workshop will feature a panel with representatives from SECO, local government staff, and CAPCOG and SPEER staff members. More information can be found here

ACEEE Forum: ACEEE is hosting the Energy Efficiency Policy Forum December 8 in Washington, DC. This forum will review the recent landmark federal legislation and regulations and their implementation
, review opportunities for energy efficiency programs, and look forward to the next congressional session. If you are interested in attending, please register here

SPEER Policy Workshop Recap

If you were unable to attend our Industry + Policy Workshop last month head over to our workshop recap page for a quick summary of topic discussions and to access all presentations. We are grateful to all of our members, sponsors, attendees, and speakers for your support in making the workshop a huge success and we are already looking forward to doing it again next year! The exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst such an incredible group of energy experts was truly extraordinary. 

SPEER Resources

We're excited to announce we have updated our State and Local Policy webpage! You can now find state-specific policy information including links to key state agency webpages, our previous public comments, and additional information about our work in both Texas and Oklahoma. You will also find our released reports, templates and materials for engaging with policy leaders, and additional materials on how our Policy Program interacts with the ongoing Heat Pump Working Group, SPEER Codes Program, and SPEER Local Governments Program. Visit SPEER's State and Local Policy page!
What can you expect to find on our newly launched resource page?
  • SPEER Programs + informational flyers
  • Messaging guides
  • Public Utility Commission of Texas comment template
  • Heat pump resources
We have created a library of local government resolutions, energy plans & policy work, climate action plans, and resiliency initiatives.  These documents are meant to be a resource and showcase the commitment made by local governments to create an equitable, safe, and economically stable future for Texas and Oklahoma citizens. Head over to dive in and bookmark the page as we will continually be expanding and adding new material. 
What We're Reading... 
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PO Box 1246
Buda, Texas 78610
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South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource · PO Box 1246 · Buda, Texas 78610 · USA