Insights from our Editorial Team

Republican control of the House may derail smart grid efforts if the new majority pursues rescinding federal stimulus funds for smart grid initiatives and turns back the clock on regulation sought by the industry itself. The new leadership has shown an almost anti-science bias.

On the eve of a United Nations conference in Mexico on climate change, which brings the U.S. to the table with no legislated commitment to cutting carbon emissions, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) spoke yesterday about a bipartisan commitment to energy efficiency. While our elected federal officials are decidedly partisan on climate change, both sides can definitely agree on energy efficiency, she said. But can the U.S. step up to the energy efficiency plate the way, say, Denmark has?

Who owns customer electricity usage data? For Michelle Chibba, who oversees the policy department and special projects at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and for the province of Ontario, the answer's easy. For some states within the U.S., the jury's still out.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) held parallel annual meetings in Atlanta last week and one consumer advocate came away optimistic that smart grid projects will get the balanced scrutiny they deserve. For everyone's sake.