Oikos Senior Fellow Phyllis Bernard Appointed to the Oklahoma Clean Energy Independence Commission

 “This is an important and exciting time,” Bernard said. “The interests of many sectors – from small, rural municipalities to environmental groups to big business – are converging around the need to provide sustainable, reliable, well-integrated energy for the power grid. The opportunities this Commission presents for constructive dialogue will contribute to our future economy and quality of life. I’m honored to be part of the process.”   

Bernard serves on the Board of Directors of Southwest Power Pool, Inc., a position to which she succeeded OCU President Tom McDaniel. SPP is the regional transmission organization mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (U.S. Department of Energy) to oversee the electric power grid and wholesale energy supply market for an area that includes Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Mississippi and Louisiana. SPP’s chief duty is to assure reliability and to administer the tariff that pays for the wholesale costs of transmitting power, working in cooperation with state entities such as the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. One of the most challenging issues facing SPP is how to integrate into the transmission system and allocate costs for emerging technologies such as wind power. Bernard serves on the Oversight (Regulatory Compliance) Committee and chairs the Human Resources (Compensation) Committee.