Abstract
This Policy Brief provides lessons learned from regulation of climate adaptation by energy utilities. The regulatory bodies responsible for oversight of investor-owned energy utilities are ill-equipped to regulate climate adaptation in the energy sector; but they may be the only institutions with authority to do so. In 2018, the California Public Utilities Commission initiated the first quasi-legislative procedure to regulate investor owned energy utilities' climate adaptation activities. The Commission's new rules for climate adaptation offer some general guidance on climate adaptation, and require investor owned utilities to conduct and submit climate vulnerability studies. Structural limitations, including conflicting interest, capacity of staff, and scope of the problem hampered the success of adaptation regulation, which failed to address fundamental questions about what constitutes adaptive measures.
Highlights
The regulatory bodies responsible for oversight of investor-owned energy utilities are ill-equipped to regulate climate adaptation in the energy sector, but may be the only institutions best suited, and with authority, to do so
The Commission convened a multi-stakeholder working group to advise on its initial approach to adaptation regulation
While there were notable successes to the Commission’s approach, significant structural limitations hampered the Commission’s process and the outcome of the regulatory proceeding. This policy commentary presents an overview of this first attempt in the United States to formally regulate climate adaptation processes for private energy utilities, from the perspective of two of the working group participants, and presents recommendations for future regulation of climate adaptation by private energy utilities1
Summary
The regulatory bodies responsible for oversight of investor-owned energy utilities are ill-equipped to regulate climate adaptation in the energy sector, but may be the only institutions best suited, and with authority, to do so. The Commission convened a multi-stakeholder working group to advise on its initial approach to adaptation regulation. While there were notable successes to the Commission’s approach, significant structural limitations hampered the Commission’s process and the outcome of the regulatory proceeding. This policy commentary presents an overview of this first attempt in the United States to formally regulate climate adaptation processes for private energy utilities, from the perspective of two of the working group participants, and presents recommendations for future regulation of climate adaptation by private energy utilities
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