Entergy’s Retail Regulators have announced the formation of the Entergy Regional State Committee designed to provide collective retail regulatory agency input on the operations of and upgrades to the Entergy Transmission System as well as operations and functions of the Independent Coordinator of Transmission (ICT) in the Entergy region. The members of the E-RSC are five retail regulators of Entergy operating companies: Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC); Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC); Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC); Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT); and the city of New Orleans’ City Council (CNO).

The formation of the E-RSC follows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff’s statement that the E-RSC “will be instrumental in evaluating issues involving the future operations of Entergy’s system, including such issues as evaluating RTO membership and/or an enhanced ICT arrangement.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, the E-RSC elected APSC Chairman Paul Suskie as President; LPSC Commissioner Jimmy Field as Vice-President and PUCT Commissioner Ken Anderson will serve as E-RSC Secretary. Other representatives on the E-RSC are MPSC Vice-Chairman Brandon Presley and CNO Councilmember Cynthia Willard-Lewis.

E-RSC President Suskie applauded the regulators’ collaborative efforts and noted that “the formation of the E-RSC and the work it will perform will improve transmission access in the Entergy region and result in better options for delivering power, economically, safely and reliably and, as a result, will benefit both Entergy’s operating companies and their respective ratepayers.”

E-RSC Vice-President Jimmy Field added “I’m appreciative of President Suskie’s leadership in bringing to fruition the idea that he and I discussed over breakfast in New Orleans at the November 2008 NARUC meeting. Joined by a common goal—the creation of a robust transmission system across Entergy’s system that will improve reliability and unlock access to lower cost electricity for ratepayers—the E-RSC has an opportunity to be a game changer in the development of energy policy across the Southeast. I look forward to working with my fellow Entergy regulators to make our goal a reality.”

MPSC Vice-Chairman Brandon Presley echoed these comments stating “This is historic, in that it's the first time that all the agencies that regulate Entergy have to come together to say 'we are going to work together to tackle transmission issues'.”