CONTENTS
AGENDA
2:00 pm OPENING REMARKS
• Bob Berry (Big Rivers Corporation), Board Chair
• Alyssa Harre (Prairie State Generating Company), Policy & Strategy Committee Chair
• Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO, America’s Power
2:10 pm GRID TRANSITION
What are the major challenges to a successful grid transition? How long will it take to overcome those obstacles? How do we ensure that coal plays a role during and after the transition?
• Sarah Freeman, Commissioner, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; President of the Organization of MISO States (OMS)
• Kent Chandler, Chairman, Kentucky PSC; Organization of PJM States (OPSI) Board Member; Vice Chair NARUC Electricity Committee
• Asim Haque, Vice President, State Policy and Member Services, PJM
• Melissa Seymour, Vice President, External Affairs Central Region and Governmental Affairs, MISO
• Member discussion (15 minutes)
3:20 pm NEXT CONGRESS
• Francis Brooke, Policy Director, House Republican Whip (Scalise)
• Terry Van Doren, Policy Advisor, Senate Minority Leader (McConnell)
• Member discussion (10 minutes)
4:00 pm ADJOURN
SPEAKER BIOS
KENT CHANDLER
Chairman, Kentucky Public Service Commission
Kent A. Chandler was appointed to the Public Service Commission by Governor Andy Beshear on July 6, 2020, and designated as Chairman on August 3, 2021. His term expires June 30, 2024.
Prior to his appointment, he served as Executive Director of the PSC. Previous to becoming Executive Director, he was an advisor to the commissioners, focusing on federal wholesale gas and electricity markets.
Before coming to the PSC, Chairman Chandler advocated for Kentucky ratepayers as an attorney in the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Rate Intervention. In that position, he regularly represented consumers before the PSC in electric, gas, water and sewer utility cases and also served on the executive committee of the Consumer Advocates of the PJM States.
Chairman Chandler is a member and co-vice chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ electricity committee. He serves on the EPRI advisory council, board of directors of the National Regulatory Research Institute, and as an officer of the Organization of PJM States. He is a member of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners, where he serves as second vice president. Chairman Chandler, a native of Providence, Kentucky, earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Murray State University. He received a Juris Doctor from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law. He and his family reside in Georgetown.
SARAH FREEMAN
Commissioner, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; President of the Organization of MISO States (OMS)
Sarah Freeman was appointed by Governor Mike Pence as Commissioner on September 19, 2016, and was most recently reappointed by Governor Eric Holcomb on December 20, 2021. Commissioner Freeman sits on the Board of Directors of the NARUC and chairs its Subcommittee on Education and Research. She is a member of the NARUC Committee on Telecommunications and represents NARUC members on the Board of Directors for the Universal Service Administrative Company. Freeman also is President of the Organization of MISO States.
Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Freeman served as a senior staff attorney with the nonpartisan Indiana Legislative Services Agency, where she drafted utility and transportation legislation and served as counsel to numerous legislative committees.
A native Hoosier, Commissioner Freeman earned her undergraduate degrees in psychology, French, and political science from Indiana University – Bloomington and her juris doctor degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
ASIM Z. HAQUE
Vice President - State and Member Services - PJM Interconnection
Haque is an officer of the company and leads the State and Member Services Division. The State Government Policy Team works to assist states in the advancement of their policy initiatives through PJM’s core business functions and serves in a traditional external affairs role as the primary conduit between PJM and the states. The Member Services Division is charged with providing cutting-edge service to PJM members and facilitating the PJM stakeholder process.
Prior to joining PJM, Haque was the chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). He was appointed to the PUCO by Gov. John R. Kasich in 2013 and was reappointed to a second term in 2016.
As the state’s chief regulator, Haque led Ohio through some of the nation’s most pressing energy policy discussions. He guided Ohio’s Clean Power Plan compliance efforts, adjudicated cases pertaining to the future of baseload power plants in competitive markets, and successfully executed to completion Ohio’s grid modernization endeavor, PowerForward.
Haque, an attorney, began his career at a large general practice firm and went on to work as in-house counsel at a global auto manufacturer prior to his appointment to the PUCO.
Additionally, Haque serves on the board of the Philadelphia Education Fund, which works to create equitable opportunities for all students to succeed in college and career.
He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science. He received his Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he was awarded the school’s Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award in 2015.
MELISSA SEYMOUR
Vice President, External Affairs Central Region and Governmental Affairs, MISO
Melissa Seymour is vice president of external affairs central region and government affairs for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). In this role, Seymour works with her team of customer and regulatory advisors to understand the needs and issues of stakeholders and regulators, and assure that their policy, strategic, technical, and administrative issues are addressed, resolved, and communicated both internally and externally.
Seymour has more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry. Before joining MISO, Seymour was the director of regional markets and regulation at Iberdrola Renewables, LLC, where she was responsible for advancing policy changes to accommodate renewable energy into the power system better and create business opportunities for the company. Before Iberdrola Renewables, she held various strategic planning, business development, and regulatory positions at the Bonneville Power Administration, PacifiCorp, Southstar Energy Services, and Southern Company Energy Marketing. Seymour holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science and Mechanics from the University of Tennessee.
COAL POWER
