Slide presentations shared at MARC 2011 are posted here. Visit the agenda page for the complete conference summary and list of speakers.

Electric Presentations
Natural Gas Presentations
Nattional Regulatory Research Institute Presentation
Telecommunications Presentations
Water Presentations

Electric Presentations
This is Going to Screw Up Everything!
This panel focused on generation in a dynamic electric world. Will the recent natural gas discoveries just lead everyone to the other side of a sinking ship and swamp us? The conversation will focus on tenets of electricity: affordability, reliability, sustainability, environmental compatibility and immunity to foreign manipulation. Will generation built today be the "right" form of generation needed tomorrow? Commissioner Gary Hanson of South Dakota rooted out why companies and experts believe their portfolio of natural gas, coal, nuclear and renewable are the best decisions for the future, not just for today. How do we know what is short-sighted and what is true wisdom?

Pursuing a Balanced Portfolio (601 KB)
     Scott Wilensky, Vice President of Regulatory & Resource Planning, Xcel Energy

Can't We All Just Get Along?
This discussion focused on how MARC states can effectively work together on transmission projects that will crisscross our region. In recent years, commissions have committed substantial resources to regional planning groups like the Eastern Interconnection States' Planning Council and the Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative. Panelists brainstormed about common ground and efficiencies that can be gained among MARC stakeholders in these regional planning efforts.

The Case for Consistently Treating and Incorporating Energy Efficiency into the Regional Planning Process (2,562 KB)
     Kevin Cullather, Senior Policy Manager, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Multi-Value Projects (646 KB)
     Clair J. Moeller, Vice President – Transmission Asset Management, Midwest ISO

HVDC: The Key to the Continued Growth of the Wind Industry (1,852 KB)
     Jimmy Glotfelty, Executive Vice President – External Affairs, Clean Line Energy Partners 

Report on Transmission Cost Allocation for RTOs and Others (1,076 KB)
     Lynn Coles, Senior Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I Love Ya, Tomorrow! You're Always a Day a Way!
Twenty years ago there was no such thing as a "tweet" and a "friend request" meant passing a note to a cute girl in third grade. What's going to happen in the electric arena now that "data" is beginning to creep in? With Smart Grid, smart meters, and even smarter kids these days, what will the electric industry look like 20 or 30 years from now? Will we still be using fossil fuels? Will checking our usage be as common as checking our email? Will supporting distributed generation be the ticket to a company's viability? How will issues like regional haze and the EPA affect the future of electric generation? This panel donned their George Jetson suits in an attempt to explain the trajectory of the electric industry in a world of bits and bytes.

The Future of Electricity Generation (2,151 KB)
     Dr. Roger Bezdek, President, Management Information Services, Inc.

Presentation (1,664 KB)
     John Bear, President & CEO, Midwest ISO

Natural Gas Presentations
Keep Her Steady Scotty
Panelists discussed how new procedures and technologies are changing the rules in the natural gas pricing game. Developments in hydro-fracking and horizontal boring have changed drilling in America forever. The sudden shift has resulted in regulators and industry members looking at production, supply, consumption, storage and prices from a slightly different angle.

Presentation (1,464 KB)
     Bob Morman, Manager of Gas Supply, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co./Great Plains Natural Gas 

North American Gas: A Quiet Revolution (131 KB)
     Dawn Constantin, Head of Partnerships & Analytics, BP - North America Gas & Power

Presentation (812 KB)
     Paul Wilkinson, Vice President of Policy Analysis, American Gas Association

I Need to Know, Exactly
Panelists discussed pipeline safety. The aging pipeline infrastructure affects all MARC states. Determining if a pipeline is safely operating is crucial to the three commandments of regulation: safe, affordable, reliable. Is the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration being overtaxed? With recent calls for budget cuts, are safety programs in question? How do we know we are doing all we can?

Pipeline Safety Update: A D.C. Perspective (1,757 KB)
     Jeff Wiese, Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 

Enhancing Data-Driven, Risk-Based Decisions for Our Infrastructure (3,301 KB)
     Edward Johnston, Managing Director – Delivery Sector, Gas Technology Institute 

Building Pipeline Safety (1,926 KB)
     Chad Zamarin, Vice President of Engineering, NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage 

Will You Marry Me, Juliet?
This panel discussed the merits of what some call a perfect marriage: natural gas and renewable energy. What are the environmental and economic benefits of this marriage? Is natural gas really the best partner of renewable?  Are we just swapping one fossil fuel for another? If this is a match made in heaven, we need to make sure the devil is not in the details.

Presentation (1,643 KB)
     Paul Suskie, Senior Vice President – Regulatory Policy, Southwest Power Pool

Least-Cost Decision Rules for Utilities and Regulators in 21st Century Electricity Markets (226 KB)
Least-Cost Planning for 21st Century Electricity Supply; Meeting the Challenges of Complexity and Ambiguity in Decision Making (1,882 KB)
     Mark Cooper, Senior Research Fellow for Economic Analysis, Institute for Energy and the Environment

Energy Cost Impacts on American Families (106 KB)
     Eugene Trisko, Attorney, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity

Yes. … No. … Definitely Yes. … Absolutely Not!
Different personalities and beliefs, whether they belong to a legislator or a regulator, lead to varying views on energy. Each passing year presents new players and challenges. However, once an accepted technology is in place, it seems to stay in place. So what is ready now? Can we reduce carbon with natural gas alone? Is the supply vast enough to sustain us? Will carbon capturing catch up and be go for launch in the near future?

Presentation (1,288 KB)
     Paul Wilkinson, Vice President of Policy Analysis, American Gas Association

National Regulatory Research Institute Presentation
Effective Regulators, Effective Regulation: What are the Paths to Success? (32 KB)
In this session, Scott Hempling, the executive director of the National Regulatory Research Institute led a series of discussions on how regulators and commissions can achieve excellence. Topics included: What is regulation's mission? How do we know when we've succeeded? What personal characteristics make some regulators better than others? What are the positives and negatives of "politics" in regulation? Protect the consumers – from what? Smart grid: a maze of missions and market structures.

Telecommunications Presentations
Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale
A Tale of the FCC. We set sail with Wireline Competition Bureau Chief Sharon Gillett for a one-hour tour of the Federal Communications Commission. We heard how her crew is handling the sometimes calm, sometimes rough waters surrounding the National Broadband Plan. We also learned how the bureau keeps afloat as it steers through intercarrier compensation, forbearance and other challenges.

Transforming the Universal Service Fund & Intercarrier Compensation System for the Broadband Era (2,627 KB)
      Sharon Gillett, Wireline Competition Bureau Chief, Federal Communications Commission

Water Presentations
You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But How You Gonna Pay for It?
The prospect of replacement of aging infrastructure and compliance with increased water quality standards will pose financial and managerial challenges for water and wastewater utilities.  Meeting the needs of increased investment and compliance while attracting capital will require new emphasis on operating efficiencies, innovation and regulatory practices. This panel looked at innovative tools financially sustainable water utilities can implement.

Presentation (597 KB)
     Dave Parker, Senior Utility Analyst, Robert W. Baird & Co.

ARM's Three Legs; We're Not in the ‘70s Anymore (3,497 KB)
     Steve Klick, Executive Policy Manager, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

Presentation (5,506 KB)
     Kimberly Joyce, Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Aqua America, Inc.

Thousands Have Lived Without Love, Not One Without Water
Water supply and water quality are becoming increasingly stressed. How do financially sustainable utilities serve as environmental stewards? Are there enhanced watershed approaches utilities can take to improve the environment? As consumers implement conservation practices and state policies direct both consumer and utility towards conservation, what are the economic effects to the financial sustainability of utilities? Additionally, in the next few years, the U.S. water supply industry can face complex compliance challenges from potential greenhouse gas emissions controls. Since GHG policies will introduce new regulatory changes to all facets of water utility operations, they represent a challenge of unparalleled scope and complexity. This panel addressed how can water utilities, government officials and other stakeholders work together and collaborate on effectively addressing these issues.

Presentation (3,354 KB)
     Karla Olson Teasley, President, Illinois American Water

Water Use Efficiency & Water Utility Financial Impacts (667 KB)
     Shonnie Cline, Senior Account Manager, Water Research Foundation