We talk to Carrie Zalewski, former Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission and current Vice President of Transmission and Electricity Markets at American Clean Power Association. Together with our Regulatory Director, Sean Moriarty, she talks about connecting renewable energy to the grid, the importance of reliability and affordability when it comes to energy, and why state utility commissions are cool.

You’ll hear the words “PJM” and “MISO” in this episode. These are grid operators. PJM covers all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia in the mid-Atlantic. MISO covers all or parts of 15 central states.

• American Clean Power Association - Read more about the work of the American Clean Power Association to power a stronger, cleaner economy.
• Climate and Equitable Jobs Act - Learn about the 2021 Illinois law aimed at easing costs for energy customers and reducing emissions.
• “Costs to build gas plants triple, says CEO of NextEra Energy” - Read more about Carrie’s mention of the time it takes to build a gas turbine while discussing the need for speed.
• Tracking Transmission Reform - Learn about why transmission reform is a critical aspect of climate response and what’s at stake, and check out what’s being said about transmission in the media.