6.1a ERMUSR 02-14-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Federal Government Relations 2016 was full of political tumult, division, and chaos—and that was just on the campaign trail. The halls of Congress were the same—contentious, partisan, and on edge. Progress was made, however. In January, Senate Republican leaders put their first bill on the floor—the largest energy package r ,:�, in ten years. The bill had the general backing of 4. ;x ` the electric utility industry, including APPA, but quickly bogged down over non-energy matters, V including the controversial handling of the Flint, Mich., water crisis. The episode set the tone for the year to come: start, stop, partisan divide, bog down, and move on. Could anything get accomplished in an election year? MMUA Government Relations Director Bill Black ad- Turns out, yes, we got some things accomplished in dresses U.S. Sens.Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar at the the areas of tax, environmental regulations, cyber MMUA meetings held as part of the American Public Power Association Legislative Rally. security, and drones, and a big win came in the last few days of the 114th Congress when the utility in- dustry's coal ash language was included in a major The spring also featured lots of debate around the water projects bill. That was a big deal. FAA reauthorization bill, because the FAA has jurisdiction over unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, Early 2016 saw Congressional Republicans con- or drones), which are increasingly important to the tinuing their efforts to repeal or restrict the White utility industry. FAA wanted new regulations im- House's many environmental regulations, including posed on drone usage, but utilities opposed this— EPA's Clean Power Plan (CPP) and the WOTUS and won when the exemption for certain aircraft rule—Waters of the U.S., which would dramati- was expanded. cally alter long-standing definitions of water bodies under the federal Clean Water Act. In February The spring was active with several key issues, in- electric utilities caught a break when the U.S. Su- cluding the Commodity Futures Trading Commis- preme Court imposed an unprecedented stay on the sion (CFTC), WOTUS, coal ash, and tax.A positive controversial CPP; environmentalists howled, but move for public power was the effort to reauthorize the stay continued through the end of the year, and the CFTC, a bill to provide equal treatment for spe- beyond—until the Court decides anew. cial entities using operations-related swaps. March also featured the APPA Legislative Rally, The House and Senate finally reached agreement and the pending energy bill was a top priority for later in the year. And just before the Memorial Day MMUA members. A major battle was brewing over recess the House, which had already passed their a sticky amendment on residential solar programs: energy legislation in late 2015, named their long the King-Reid provision sought to protect solar list of conferees to move to an energy conference customers by limiting the authority of utilities and with the Senate. Things looked promising for an en- state agencies to retroactively change net meter- ergy package after all. ing standards. The amendment was opposed by the utility industry, NARUC, APPA, and MMUA, In the cyber world both the Homeland Security and which shaped their arguments to emphasize the Justice departments announced in the summer benefits of local community solar programs in sev- final guidelines on new federal cyber law known as eral MMUA communities. In April the Senate eas- CISA—Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act— ily passed the energy package but the solar amend- long supported by the utility industry. The new ment did not survive. provisions offered guidance on assisting non-federal entities to share cyber information, on privacy and civil liberties, and on a final process to receive cyber 8-2016 Year in Review 147