Office of Energy Policy and Innovation (OEPI)

OEPI Org Chart
What We Do

For the Commission, the Office of Energy Policy and Innovation (OEPI) coordinates the development of policies and rules that address emerging challenges in the electric and natural gas industries. We work to develop Commission policies that:

• Evaluate the energy markets and interstate grid to improve economic efficiency, system operations, and reliability in light of new developments and in response to state and federal public policies;
• Evaluate energy market rules to ensure adequate compensation for resources responding to system needs;
• Remove barriers to ensure access to the market and grid by all resources; and
• Enhance coordination between wholesale electric and natural gas systems.

We come from a diverse set of disciplines. In our work on Commission policies, we engage in a range of activities:

• We lead research projects on energy market design.
• We perform economic, engineering, and technical analysis of the energy markets and translate the results into policy recommendations.
• We assess industry trends and innovation in the electric and natural gas industries and identify regulatory barriers to innovations.
• We evaluate the outcomes of recent policy changes on market participant behavior and market operations.
• We provide technical and policy-oriented analysis to support the Commission’s review of industry proposals.

By these efforts, we collaborate with other Commission offices on internal issue papers, public staff reports, Commission rulemakings, orders on industry proposals, and technical conferences. We also reach out to industry members, market participants, public power and other regulators – from state, federal, and international bodies. Our outreach informs our analyses and policy recommendations.
 

Division of Energy Market Assessments

The Division of Energy Market Assessments (DEMA) examines, analyzes, and reports on the structure and operation of the electric and natural gas markets and provides information to the Commission and the public on significant market events and trends. DEMA observes market operations and performance to develop market intelligence to inform the development of policies that promote the competitiveness and efficiency of the wholesale energy markets.

Functions

1. Analyzes market performance and trends and issues periodic reports of its findings to the Commission and the public.
2. Conducts market research and collects information and market data for market analyses.
3. Prepares and presents public reports on the state of energy markets such as the Annual State of the Markets Report and Seasonal Market Assessments.
4. Collaborates with other Commission offices to develop Commission policies that improve the operation and economic efficiency of wholesale energy markets.
5. Conducts outreach and communications with stakeholders, including governmental entities and the market monitors of the organized wholesale electricity markets, to accomplish the work noted above.

Division of Energy Market Assessments is led by Director Mary Wierzbicki and Deputy Director David Hunger.

Division of Policy Development

The Division of Policy Development (DPD) initiates and coordinates the development of Commission policies to:

1. Enhance the efficient planning and operation of energy markets and the interstate power grid;
2. Improve the coordination between wholesale electric and natural gas systems;
3. Remove barriers to ensure access to the market and grid by all resources; and
4. Improve coordination between wholesale and retail electric markets.

DPD’s Work

• Identifies emerging energy issues and develops policies to address those issues.
• Provides analysis and research to support the Commission’s decision making.
• Coordinates with states and other agencies in support of the Commission's state-federal collaborative efforts.
• Fulfills the requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
• Evaluates regional planning processes to ascertain the success of the processes in developing system-wide plans and considering new technologies, and proposes reforms as appropriate.
• Conducts outreach to assess industry trends and innovation in the electric and natural gas markets.

Division of Policy Development is led by Director Christopher Young and Deputy Director Jennifer Shipley.

Division of Economic and Technical Analysis

The Division of Economic and Technical Analysis works to enhance existing market rules, processes, and operations in the electric and natural gas industries in order to promote competition and efficient market design, address emerging challenges, and send appropriate long-term investment signals.

DETA’s Work

1. Evaluates energy market design focusing on the economic and operational efficiency of the markets and proposes policy changes that support accurate pricing, competition, and market-to-market coordination.
2. Evaluates processes for the interconnection of new resources and proposes policies to support efficient entry and exit and to meet long-term system needs.
3. Conducts economic, engineering and technical analysis in support of the Commission’s review of industry proposals, which includes quantitative analysis of electricity and natural gas market data.
4. Manages industry data and empirically assesses the outcomes of policy changes on market participant behavior and market operations.
5. Conducts targeted outreach to review the outcome of policy choices, learn about emerging industry challenges, and discuss the need for future reforms.

Division of Economic and Technical Analysis is led by Director Thomas Dautel and Deputy Director Lauren Campbell.

Administration and Operations

The Administration and Operations staff directs the administrative, human resource, budget, workload tracking, data collection, and strategic and business planning operations of OEPI.

Functions

1. Develops, coordinates, and implements administrative policies and procedures for OEPI. Provide human resources, procurement, training, travel, and logistics support.
2. Coordinates and facilitates training activities.
3. Coordinates all requests for personnel actions and related matters such as performance standards, performance appraisals, awards, adverse actions, and time and attendance reporting.
4. Maintains an accurate and up-to-date inventory of accountable property assigned to OEPI staff in the Commission's Property Management System.
5. Monitors all budget expenditures and prepare reports for management on allocations, year-to-date expenditures, and forecasts (manage-to-budget).
6. Coordinates development and execution of the budget, strategic plan, business plan, Annual Report and the GPRA Annual Performance Plan and Performance Report.
7. Provides workload tracking support for the Office, ensuring the appropriate data is being entered into the workload tracking systems in a timely manner and Commission tracking systems meet the needs of OEPI.
8. Participates in periodic evaluations of information collections in light of policy changes.

Administration and Operations staff is led by Administrative Officer Joyce Douglas.