Docket No. EL26-49-000
I concur with today’s order, which denies a complaint pertaining to Commission-approved Reliability Standards for geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs).1 I write separately to highlight the significant work already completed to secure the Bulk Power System (BPS) against threats posed by GMDs, and to emphasize the importance of continuing that work as our understanding improves.
The Commission’s GMD Reliability Standards address naturally occurring, solar‑induced geomagnetic disturbances. During these events, charged particles from the sun disrupt the earth’s magnetic field, which induces geoelectric fields that can drive geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) through transmission lines and transformers, risking damage to critical grid infrastructure. In 2016, the Commission directed NERC to address these risks by developing mandatory standards securing the BPS against conditions that represent the high-end of a once‑in‑a‑hundred‑year natural GMD event.
I am encouraged that NERC is now on the fourth iteration of its responsive GMD Standards, providing a proven venue for establishing best practices and adapting to new information. Looking forward, I encourage NERC, industry, academic experts, and federal partners to continue improving how we monitor, model, and mitigate GMDs – and to proactively share new findings that may further secure our grid.
For these reasons, I respectfully concur.
- 1Complaint and Petition of the Ctr. for Sec. Pol’y and the Secure the Grid Coal. v. N. Am. Elec. Reliability Corp., XXX FERC XX,XXX, at P 22 (2026).