CUB’s 2024 Policy Conference: Featured Panel

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Cassie Allen
Tags, Energy, Conference & Events, General Interest

CUB Energy Policy Conference, Energy Policy for People & Planet, is coming up on October 4th! Join us again this year for a day of discussion to explore the intersections between utility planning, customer affordability, and climate protections. Early bird tickets are available now.

Energy Policy for People & Planet will explore the intersections between utility planning, customer affordability, and climate protections. How can we balance reducing emissions without raising disconnection rates? How can the planning process help create a more sustainable rate-making process? And how can we make the most of utility regulation to benefit customers and utilities?

14th Annual CUB Energy Policy Conference

Friday, October 4, 2023
Left Bank Annex
101 N Weidler St, Portland, OR 97227

Ticket Registration

Featured Panel

Ratemaking for Humans: Utility Service as a Right

As Oregon faces multiple overlapping challenges in housing, climate change, and rising costs of living, our utilities must reflect the needs of people. Energy costs can make or break a family staying housed, accessing critical at-home medical care, and children being engaged in their education. Customers suffer when unaffordability leads to disconnection, when extreme weather interrupts service, and when rates go up without sufficient notice. With energy services touching every part of our lives, we need to account for the impacts of how utility regulation impacts the humans on the other side of the energy bill.

How can we meaningfully address ensuring everyone has reliable access to utilities? If we believe utilities are a human right, how does that play out in reality when people are still facing disconnection because they can’t afford their utility bills? How can we change the focus from utility company return on investment to people being able to afford to keep their heat and lights on? What is at risk when a customer gets disconnected, especially in times of extreme weather?

About the Conference

The CUB Energy Policy Conference is designed as a day of discussion, networking, and sharing diverse perspectives. This conference is ideal for community groups, regulators, advocates, utility representatives, attorneys, or those interested in our region’s energy industry.