EEI/NRDC Agreement Supports Policies to Benefit Electricity Consumers, Environment

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Washington, D.C., and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have announced a joint agreement to advance support for utility policies that enhance the electric power grid for the benefit of all electricity customers and the environment.

EEI, which represents the nation’s investor-owned electric utilities, and the NRDC will work together to encourage state utility regulators to implement policies that balance the desire to promote innovation, while at the same time supporting fair and adequate cost recovery for maintaining the evolving grid.

The agreement urges state utility regulators to adopt a number of policies such as employing new rate designs to ensure utilities remain financially whole when they help customers to adopt distributed generation technologies and use energy more efficiently. Utilities also should assure customers that costs will not be shifted unreasonably to them from other customers.