Organization of MISO States

Long Term Focus Areas

1. Lead in the development and implementation of policy issues in the Midcontinent ISO (MISO) region to protect the public interest, enhance the transparency and competitiveness of its regional markets, and ensure that costs to customers are reasonable
2. Support OMS member engagement in MISO-related issues through education, collaboration, and communication
3. Preserve retail jurisdiction from attempts to alter the current balance of local, regional, and federal authority and evaluate opportunities to better define the jurisdictional spheres when it would benefit electric customers
4. Continually scrutinize the processes and resources available to members to maximize the effectiveness of OMS as an organization

2023 Strategic Priorities (Board Member Liaison)

Cost Allocation (Commissioner Joe Sullivan)
•  Provide leadership in MISO stakeholder processes and ensure state and local regulator voices are central in discussions
• Continue to work on an alternative methodology for LRTP cost allocation for Tranches 3 and 4, propose tariff modifications identified as necessary and consistent with OMS LRTP cost allocation principles, and advocate for their inclusion in the MISO tariff
•  Ensure regional cost allocation priorities and changes are coordinated with the OMS Seams Liaison to ensure compatibility between this priority and the seams strategic priority so that regional cost allocation methods complement interregional cost allocation methods and leverage cost allocation methods developed through the JTIQ and TMEP study processes.
• Coordinate with the OMS Transmission Planning and Seams Liaisons to enhance engagement at FERC in any dockets and FERC processes stemming from the transmission planning ANOPR (e.g., transmission planning and cost allocation, generator interconnection, interregional transmission)

Transmission Planning (Commissioner Joshua Byrnes)
• Provide leadership in communicating state and utility resource and policy preferences to MISO and stakeholders to ensure accurate consideration of the OMS long-range transmission planning principles in planning processes
• Engage on the development, key assumptions, and methodology for business case assessment for projects identified in MISO Long Range Transmission Planning Process
• Ensure transmission planning processes properly capture future uncertainty by including state perspectives and appropriate benefit analyses
• Ensure all elements in the development of the annual MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP) continue to provide optimal solutions and good value for ratepayers
• Leverage technical expertise from member staff and external resources to better understand MISO’s LRTP modeling and project selection
• Evaluate the need for specific transparency reforms to transmission planning processes and cost recovery mechanisms, including those coming from ongoing FERC processes while preserving existing state review processes

Seams (Commissioner Jason Holsman)
• Monitor progress on SLC recommendations and advocate for any recommended changes through the MISO stakeholder process
• Participate in joint seams planning processes (e.g., JTIQ and TMEPs) and, in consultation with the OMS Cost Allocation Liaison, coordinate with the SPP RSC to provide leadership on the development of any cost allocation mechanisms that may be necessary
• Ensure long-range planning efforts consider interregional needs and evaluate how these efforts connect with the FERC NOPRs
• Gather member perspectives on the value of interregional planning and advocate for these perspectives when appropriate
• Educate OMS members on the history of MISO’s seams operations and agreements with neighbors

Resource Adequacy and Energy Markets (Commissioner Julie Fedorchak)
• Monitor resource adequacy implications from the Seasonal Construct and Thermal Accreditation filing and support members with information regarding necessary changes to state and local planning processes or retail tariffs
• Advance resource accreditation practices for all resource types that properly value resource attributes while providing accurate accounting for performance risk
• Update the OMS Resource Adequacy principles from 2010
• Ensure market pricing changes incentivize resource availability (e.g., scarcity pricing, VOLL, ORDC)
• Ensure any modifications to reliability requirements align with state and local planning processes and retail tariffs and consider inclusion of RA risk metrics that more accurately identify risk
• Continue to identify ways to improve the OMS-MISO Resource Adequacy Survey
• Work with MISO to ensure its Regional Resource Assessment provides information useful to retail regulators

Distributed Energy Resources (Commissioner Brent Bailey)
• Promote and support MISO stakeholder process for Order 2222 implementation, and continued progress on the DERTF work plan
• Advocate for renewed engagement in DERTF and aligning MISO resources behind the DERTF to support Order 2222 implementation and maintain stakeholder knowledge and expertise
• Assist and educate OMS members’ consideration of retail programs, state interconnection processes, and utility requirements regarding DER integration and Order 2222 compliance
• Support OMS members in education efforts around the OMS-MISO coordination framework, including a formalized data collection process
• Coordinate with MISO and stakeholders across the transmission and distribution system interface to ensure efficient and reliable participation of DERs in wholesale and retail markets
• Share and pursue education opportunities regarding proactive planning methods, potential state actions, and methods for oversight of Order 2222 resulting distribution company actions
• Focus on the many impacts from greater levels of energy storage on both the distribution and transmission systems and coordinate with other priority areas

Click here for a PDF version of our 2023 Strategic Priorities
Click here for a PDF version of our 2022 Strategic Priorities
Click here for a PDF version of our 2021 Strategic Priorities
Click here for a PDF version of our 2020 Strategic Priorities
For information on past strategic priorities, please contact the OMS office.