Organization of PJM States, Inc.

Organization of PJM States, Inc.
Name	Organization of PJM States, Inc.
Abbreviation	OPSI
Formation	2003
Type	Nonprofit trade association
Headquarters	Valley Forge
Location	United States
Region served	Mid-Atlantic United States, Midwest United States
Membership	State public utility commissions
Leader title	President

Organization of PJM States, Inc. The Organization of PJM States, Inc. is an interstate association formed to coordinate state-level participation in matters affecting the PJM Interconnection regional transmission organization and to represent state public utility commissions in regulatory and legislative forums. It serves as an institutional forum linking state regulators, consumer advocates, utilities, and regional entities in deliberations involving Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, American Public Power Association, and other stakeholders. OPSI engages with policy processes that shape transmission planning, wholesale markets, reliability standards, and resource adequacy across the PJM footprint.

History

OPSI was founded in 2003 amid restructuring debates following events that implicated the PJM Interconnection and national debates after the Northeast blackout of 2003 and the evolution of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reshaping wholesale markets. Early activities intersected with proceedings involving Regional Transmission Organization, Independent System Operator, and state commission coordination seen in prior eras such as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas controversies and discussions linked to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The organization developed protocols responding to market design reforms after prominent cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and regulatory guidance from successive FERC chairs such as Joseph T. Kelliher and Jon Wellinghoff. OPSI’s evolution reflects interactions with trade bodies like the Electric Power Supply Association and consumer-interest groups such as the Utility Consumers’ Action Network.

Structure and Governance

OPSI is incorporated as a nonprofit association with a governance model aligning commissioners from member jurisdictions, similar in concept to intergovernmental arrangements seen in entities like the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative. Its bylaws establish a board of directors composed of designated state utility commissioners from jurisdictions within the PJM Interconnection footprint, supported by committees that mirror technical and policy workstreams in organizations such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Executive leadership coordinates liaison activity with professional staffs, legal counsel, and external consultants drawn from firms that engage in proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state courts, following practices observed in associations like the American Gas Association.

Membership and Representation

Membership comprises the public utility commissions and similar agencies of states and jurisdictions within the territory served by PJM Interconnection, including commissioners from entities analogous to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Maryland Public Service Commission, and the District of Columbia Public Service Commission. Voting structures allocate representation to commissioners or their designees, reflecting comparable governance seen in multistate bodies such as the Multistate Tax Commission and the Organization of MISO States. OPSI also interacts with non‑voting participants and intervenors including consumer advocates, municipal utilities like the City of Philadelphia Water Department utilities, investor-owned utilities similar to Pepco and PPL Corporation, and regional market participants.

Activities and Functions

OPSI convenes technical conferences, files briefs in regulatory dockets before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state courts, and submits comments to regional planning processes run by PJM Interconnection and reliability entities like the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. It organizes stakeholder working groups on issues such as capacity markets, transmission planning, and interconnection procedures, paralleling initiatives from entities like the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. OPSI prepares position statements, expert testimony, and coordinated filings in proceedings tied to high‑profile cases such as capacity market reconfigurations scrutinized post‑FERC Order 719 and implementation of orders comparable to FERC Order 1000.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

OPSI advances policy stances on matters including resource adequacy constructs, transmission cost allocation, interconnection reform, and state authority over generation retirement and electric resource procurement. Its advocacy has intersected with debates involving clean energy standards promulgated by state legislatures, interactions with federal initiatives under administrations such as those of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and legal contests adjudicated in venues like the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. OPSI’s filings often engage with arguments from entities such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, American Wind Energy Association, and the Solar Energy Industries Association while balancing perspectives from investor‑owned utilities and consumer groups.

Funding and Financial Management

Funding for OPSI is derived from member dues, contributions, and cost‑sharing arrangements for legal and technical representation, structured similarly to funding models of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Organization of MISO States. Financial management includes budgeting for participation in contested proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, procurement of consultants, and administrative operations based in the PJM Interconnection region. Audit and transparency practices reflect nonprofit compliance obligations under state incorporation law and federal tax filing standards analogous to those applied to trade associations such as the American Public Power Association.

Category:Energy policy organizations in the United States Category:Organizations established in 2003