OMS 2026 Organizational Goals
| Public Interests | 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 just and reasonable |
| Active and Effective OMS Engagement | Support OMS member engagement in MISO-related issues through education, collaboration, and communication |
| Preservation of Retail Jurisdiction and State Authority | 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 |
| Evaluate OMS Performance | Continually scrutinize the processes and resources available to members to maximize the effectiveness of OMS as an organization |
2026 Strategic Priorities (Board Member Liaison)
Cost Allocation (Chair Sarah Martz)
No assigned OMS Work Group
Goals
| MISO Cost Allocation Leadership | Provide leadership in MISO stakeholder processes and at FERC to ensure state and local regulator voices are central and effectively communicated in cost allocation discussions |
| Regional and Interregional Cost Allocation Alignment | Ensure regional cost allocation priorities and changes are coordinated with the OMS Seams Liaison to ensure compatibility between regional and interregional cost allocation |
Strategies and Projects
| Order 1920 Compliance and Cost Allocation | Lead MISO and states through the transition from the Order 1920 State Engagement Period through MISO compliance filing |
| Transmission Cost Transparency | Increase visibility at MISO into the assumptions and cost drivers for MTEP transmission projects, including but not limited to: Expedited Project Review, local, reliability, and any other projects, and/or potential new or adjustments to existing project types; work to ensure that MISO provides clearer explanations of project need, selection, alternatives analysis, and available information regarding estimated costs so states can better understand impacts on customers |
| Cost Allocation Progress | OMS should advocate and ensure that the costs of new transmission projects are allocated to cost causers and beneficiaries in a manner that is, at a minimum, roughly commensurate with, and preferably proportional to, the costs caused and benefits of those projects, consistent with the Statement of Principles for the Cost Allocation of LRTP Projects in 20211 |
| Facilitate RECB WG and CAPCOM Committees | Lead MISO’s Regional Expansion Criteria and Benefits (RECB) Working Group and OMS’s Cost Allocation Principles Committee (CAPCOM) to effectively develop and evaluate cost allocation mechanisms that are supported by states and local regulators |
1While added in December 2025, this provision is not denoted as ‘new’ because it reflects an existing principle noted in the January 2021 OMS Allocation Principles: https://www.misostates.org/images/PositionStatements/OMS_Position_Statement_of_Principles_Cost_Allocation_for_LRTPs.pdf
Transmission Planning (Commissioner Chris Nelson)
Assigned OMS Transmission Planning Work Group
Goals
| Ensure Forward Look of the MISO Region Transmission Strategy | Ensure MISO’s transmission plans are known to OMS members and understood and align with needs and interests regarding local, regional, seams, and long-term transmission planning |
| Leadership in Transmission Planning | Provide leadership in communicating OMS member and utility resource and policy preferences to MISO and stakeholders in MISO’s transmission planning processes; including, inter alia, transparency in MISO Futures forecasts, scenarios, and Futures selection |
| Consider Advanced Transmission Technologies and Utilize Expert Assistance | Pursue additional technical expertise and modeling capabilities from OMS member staff and external resources, including DOE funding opportunities, to better understand MISO’s MTEP, Midwest LRTP and South Load Pocket Study modeling, project selection, and alternatives transmission technologies |
Strategies and Projects
| Futures Update | Engage in the development of the futures update, scenarios, key assumptions, and methodology for business case assessment for projects identified in MISO’s transmission planning processes, including improved storage integration and assumptions |
| Midwest LRTP, South Load Pocket, & Interregional Studies | Encourage MISO to begin and diligently complete evaluation of potential projects associated with MISO’s MTEP, Midwest LRTP, South Load Pocket, and interregional transfer studies |
| HVDC Market Options | Ensure MISO progresses on HVDC integration into wholesale markets and planning |
| Local Transmission Oversight | Evaluate and recommend options for enhanced local and other transmission project oversight and visibility |
| Sub-Regional Meeting Engagement | Engage in the sub-regional planning meetings to ensure all elements of the annual MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP) continue to provide optimal solutions, sufficient transparency, and value for ratepayers |
| PLEXOS Modeling Software | Provide training for OMS members on the PLEXOS Energy Modeling Software and implement software |
Seams & Interregional Transmission (Vice Chair Joe Sullivan)
Assigned OMS Seams Work Group
Goals
| Efficient Seams Planning | Ensure MISO’s long-range transmission planning efforts consider interregional needs and evaluate how these efforts connect with the FERC, NERC, and DOE interregional transfer efforts |
| Proactive OMS Member Engagement | Gather OMS member perspectives on the value of interregional planning and advocate for these perspectives when appropriate |
| Seams Partner Collaboration | Conduct joint meetings with regulators from neighboring RTOs to discuss priorities related to interregional transmission planning, generator interconnection issues, and market improvements (intertie optimization) |
Strategies and Projects
| MISO-PJM ITCS Next Steps | Support continued progress and transparency on the MISO-PJM Interregional Transfer Capability Study (ITCS) and use its findings to advance consistent interregional benefits metrics and cost allocation approaches that align with Order 1920 requirements |
| Seams Relationships | Engage in interregional transmission planning stakeholder processes (SPP & PJM IPSACs) and identify areas of focus (expand consideration/evaluation of AECI/SPP/MISO study) and propose changes to the joint operating agreements (JOA) between MISO and SPP and PJM |
| Interregional Transmission Planning Coordination | Provide leadership and coordination on interregional transmission planning activities, including the common seams initiative (CSI), coordinated system plan (CSP), and targeted market efficiency projects (TMEP) on the SPP seam, and coordinate with the SPP RSC as necessary |
| Seams Liaison Committee | Monitor progress on the Seams Liaison Committee’s final recommendations and assess whether further actions are appropriate or necessary by OMS; revisit need for renewed OMS-SPP RSC Seams Liaison Committee or similar collaboration between RTOs |
Resource Adequacy and Energy Markets (Commissioner Marcus Hawkins)
Assigned OMS Resource Adequacy and Markets Work Groups
Goals
| Lead on Resource Adequacy Issues | Lead on resource adequacy discussions and metrics evaluation through the OMS Resource Adequacy Committee; ensure any modifications to reliability requirements align with state and local resource planning processes and retail tariffs and consider inclusion of additional RA risk metrics |
Strategies and Projects
| OMS-MISO Survey & Integrated Forward Assessments | Work with MISO and utilities to ensure reports and assessments, provide consistent and transparent information useful to retail regulators, is based on sound data and forecasts, and is ensuring alignment or reasonable assumptions on new load, generation additions and retirements, other pertinent inputs, and outcome scenario development |
| Improvements to the FTR/ARR Construct | Evaluate proposed improvements to MISO’s FTR/ARR construct to ensure optimal benefits to ratepayers that fund the transmission investment and prioritize and/or promote their implementation |
| Collaboration with Regional Entities | Continue improving communication pathways with FERC and NERC, and NERC Regional Entities. Evaluate and provide input, via state reps on the RSTC, or informal feedback to NERC’s LTRA 2025 Report |
| Improved Market Notification and Emergency Event Processes | Lead in the development and implementation of procedures/protocols for the timely notification to and communication with retail regulators, stakeholders, and customers of adverse conditions (both generation and transmission) on MISO’s system that may result in service disruptions and/or load shed events |
| Resource Accreditation Implementation | With National Lab support, provide training to state regulators on the integration of new direct loss of load (D-LOL)-resource accreditation methodology, loss of load expectation (LOLE) model inputs and visibility |
| Lead state regulators through PRMR Allocation Evaluation | Work with MISO and stakeholders to move forward on Planning Reserve Margin Requirement (PRMR) allocation evaluation and delineate next steps |
Distributed Energy Resources (Chair Dan Scripps)
Assigned OMS DER Work Group
Goals
| Lead Order 2222 Initiative | Lead the DERTF to ensure its objectives and work plan align with OMS’s priorities, advocate for renewed engagement, and encourage MISO to dedicate resources to support Order 2222 implementation and maintain stakeholder knowledge and expertise |
| Continue State Education on 2222 Integration | Support OMS members’ Order 2222 implementation efforts and flag opportunities for education and discussion of best practices, challenges, and solutions; this could include coordination of retail programs, state interconnection processes, proactive planning methods, and utility requirements and investments needed to enable DER integration and Order 2222 compliance |
| Ensure Efficient DER Participation in Wholesale | 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, including any changes to demand response participation, requirements, and impacts of third-party aggregation |
Strategies and Projects
| Ensure Order 2222 Enablement | Continue to track FERC's decision on MISO’s final Order 2222 implementation and focus on Order 2222 readiness |
| Lead on a DER Data Registry Effort | Lead efforts to the creation of a formalized DER data collection and sharing process, which may include identification of the proper entities to facilitate such a data exchange and ensure that data is in the aggregate so as to protect consumers’ personally identifiable information |
Click here for a PDF version of our 2026 Strategic Priorities
Click here for a PDF version of our 2025 Strategic Priorities
Click here for a PDF version of our 2024 Strategic Priorities
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 PrioritiesFor information on past strategic priorities, please contact the OMS office.