Gray was appointed executive director at NARUC in 1999 after serving as general counsel and deputy general counsel for the association. NARUC represents the nation's state utility commissioners, who regulate the rates, terms, and conditions of utility services such as electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and transportation.
As executive director, Gray oversees NARUC's Washington office of 25 staff members. In this role, Mr. Gray has represented NARUC in congressional debates over the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the recent Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and Senate floor debate over climate-change legislation. He has also overseen NARUC's advocacy work before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Windfall Profits A Concern We have concerns that a merchant allocation will result in windfall profits, similar to what happened in the European Union. This is a tough question to answer right now because we know the bill will change as it goes through the legislative process. Chairman Boxer has already indicated she will produce a Chairman’s mark, so much of what we have seen thus far can and will likely change. That said, we see plenty to like and dislike. And, of course, there are lots of unknowns. As I’ve mentioned before in this forum, if Congress pursues a… Read more
Politically, passing anything with the word “tax” in it is difficult. But many believe a “carbon tax” is the most efficient, fairest, and easiest way to attempt reducing carbon through a market-based system. NARUC endorses a market-based approach to control CO2 emissions. We have not specifically thrown our support behind cap-and-trade, though we have offered a set of principles Congress should consider to protect consumers if it were going to implement such a system. Any cap-and-trade system must be workable, flexible, and adaptable. It must provide the right structure so that consumers are not overly burdened and investments can be… Read more
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