People in Power – A NewsData Podcast

Ayla Burnett and Abigail Sawyer chat with Sarah Edmonds and Rebecca Sexton of the Western Power Pool on their backgrounds and the paths that led them to be leaders in the Western energy world. They also discuss the inception of two groundbreaking initiatives: the Western Resource Adequacy Program and the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition.

Carrie Simpson, Vice President of Markets for Southwest Power Pool, brings decades of expertise in power trading, including a stint at Enron. In this engaging discussion, she dives into the groundbreaking expansion of SPP’s RTO into the West, marking a significant milestone in organized wholesale markets. Carrie also explores the evolution of market designs, the challenges of integrating renewables and storage solutions, and how the new Markets+ offering aims to enhance reliability and efficiency across diverse energy sectors.

Abigail Sawyer and Brian Turner of Advanced Energy United and the West Wide Governance Pathways Initiative launch committee discuss the renewed possibility of a seamless, westwide power market that would be governed by a regional organization. The recent passage of California's Assembly Bill 825 cleared the way for California entities to participate in such a market, which, with the load and resources of California's investor-owned utilities, presents a compelling opportunity for non-California entities. Brian also discusses lessons learned from market structures in the Eastern Interconnection and how the California Independent System Operator's extended day-ahead market hopes to avoid making the same mistakes.

Abigail Sawyer and Quinn Nakayama, senior director of Grid Innovation and Development for Pacific Gas &Electric, discuss the role of innovation and partnerships in solving California problems that include load-shifting, load management and utility undergrounding. Recorded live at PG&E's Innovation Pitch Fest 2025 in Oakland.

In this episode of People in Power, we hear from Mark Groves, vice-president of program development and innovations at the Northwest Lineman College. Mark, also a member of the International Lineman Hall of Fame, discusses with California Energy Markets Editor Jason Fordney his background as a lineman; what he looks for in lineman candidates; the rewards and challenges of this work, including its physicality and effects on family life; what it’s like working storms; what you can learn from the old-timers; and nearly sinking a boat while on the job, while grizzled fisherman watch and place bets.

The latest episode of People in Power features a conversation with Arne Olson, a principal at Energy and Environmental Economics, or E3. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience on Aug. 22 at NewsData's 2025 Western Energy Summit in Boise, Idaho. CEM Managing Editor Jason Fordney and Associate and Southwest Editor Abigail Sawyer discussed a broad range of topics with Arne, including resource-adequacy concerns in the West; future loss of load; generation adequacy in the Northwest; Western markets versus Eastern RTOs; lithium-ion batteries; and other interesting items.

California Energy Markets Associate Editor Abigail Sawyer and Dan O'Brien, senior modeling analyst for Energy Innovation, discuss the implications of the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act and other federal policy shifts on the Western energy landscape. Will the earlier end of tax credits for renewable energy make a difference, or have renewables already won in the marketplace? How will new demands around sourcing solar panels and raw materials from China affect development and costs for U.S. energy consumers? Will the nation be able to meet the increasing demand for power or be stymied by these shifts in policy? Dan brings his knowledge about these questions. He offers insight about how the legislation will affect energy costs in different states and how some states might push back against new policies as  the nation's energy future transforms.

The latest episode of People in Power provides an up-to-the-minute update on the extended day-ahead market with Kathleen Staks, chair of the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative Launch Committee. Staks and California Energy Market’s Jason Fordney and Abigail Sawyer discuss new governance structure for EDAM with the official joining of the market by Public Service Company of New Mexico; the status of legislation in California that would enable a new regional organization to govern the market; jitters among California lawmakers about influence by President Donald Trump if California gives up any decision-making power; and worries about the break-up of the Western Energy Imbalance Market. At stake is billions of dollars in market transactions, regional grid reliability and the ability to integrate renewables across the region.

On this episode of People in Power, California Energy Markets Associate Editor Abigail Sawyer talks with Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, about California's unprecedented rate increases over the past several years, the factors driving those increases and what can be done to keep power bills from continuing to rise. Toney doesn't hold back in offering his opinions on reasonable wildfire safety measures, who should pay for them, and whether the California Public Utilities Commission is doing its job.  He also discusses legislation currently before California lawmakers that TURN believes could slow the upward advance of utility rates.

New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera discusses how his 15 years at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission prepared him for his role as a state utility regulator with California Energy Markets' Southwest Editor, Abigail Sawyer.  Aguilera also offers his take on the emergence of competing day-ahead markets and regional transmission organizations in the Western U.S., the implications of market competition for the New Mexico PRC, and the importance of green chile in attracting energy investment to the state.