Time to register for the March 30 ISO New England Consumer Liaison Group meeting in Portsmouth

Our regional grid operator ISO New England (ISO-NE) has posted registration information for the meeting of its Consumer Liaison Group (CLG) being held in Portsmouth beginning at noon on March 30.   Follow this link for the information.

The CLG is the public body through which ISO New England discharges (or, at least, tries to discharge) its obligation under federal law to hear from, and explain itself to, the ratepaying public -- i.e., the consumers of the electricity circulated around the region via the bulk power transmission system ISO-NE operates and purchased at wholesale via the competitive markets administered by ISO-NE.  The CLG meets quarterly, usually in Massachusetts but twice a year in one of the other New England states.  March 30 is New Hampshire's turn -- so, the Office of the Consumer Advocate would like to see a prodigious turnout from ratepayers around the Granite State who are concerned about the ever-escalating cost of electricity and the transmission of electricity.

Unfortunately, ISO New England continues to employ a convoluted and complicated registration system -- the same one it uses to sign up participation among industry participants for the training programs it offers them.  To gain entry, CLG attendees have to set up an account with ISO New England via the organization's "ISO-TEN" system.  We have complained and complained about this; in response, ISO New England has promised to streamline the registration process for future CLG meetings.

The Consumer Liaison Group itself is at a crossroads in light of the election in November that made sweeping changes to the makeup of the CLG's governing body, known as the Coordinating Council.  This was the subject of a column from the Consumer Advocate as well as a story in the Boston Globe.

The lineup of speakers is still being finalized but we expect a return to basics -- i.e., an explanation of what the CLG does, how it can do a better job of making sure the needs of the ratepaying public are brought to bear on the work of ISO New England, and where our wholesale electricity markets should go from here in light of the discouraging and debilitating run-up in retail electricity prices over the past two years, brought on by the region's reliance on natural gas generation as its biggest source of electricity.

"Space is limited at this event, so please sign up ASAP," said Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis.  "I want to see a huge turnout of New Hampshire ratepayers so that ISO New England gets the message that Granite Staters want an electricity grid that is responsive to their needs and not just the interests of the big generation and transmission owners."

There is an online attendance option and, for those who register and attend in person, 'free' lunch.  "As everyone knows, there's no such thing as a free lunch," said Kreis.  "In this instance, the lunch is paid for by all of the region's ratepayers because the cost of ISO New England and everything it does is embedded in our electric rates."