Faculty Engagement in Public Service
December 18, 2024
In addition to producing policy-relevant research and analysis, Energy Institute Faculty Affiliates serve in formal policy roles and provide informal advice directly to decision makers. We asked some of our faculty to speak about some of the important topics they are engaging on.
Faculty Director Severin Borenstein has served on the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) Board of Governors since 2019. He has also been advising state agencies and legislators on approaches to mitigating gasoline prices.
“California faces huge challenges balancing decarbonization of transportation with maintaining affordability. In the last few years, both the challenge and the policy debate have ratcheted up. I’m very flattered to be asked to participate in those discussions by people from a variety of viewpoints.”
James Bushnell is a member of the Market Surveillance Committee of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). He has also worked with the California Air Resources Board on cap-and-trade design.
“My policy roles have forced me to dive deep into the details of various California policies and allowed me to interact with a lot of really knowledgeable people working in these sectors. I think this has given me a valuable perspective to bring to research on these topics.”
Duncan Callaway and coauthors released research in late 2023 that is having transformative impacts on transmission planning and development. The research looks at how advanced conductors deployed in existing rights-of-way can accelerate transmission investments. The research has inspired action at the federal and state level to make greater use of advanced conductors.
“Many federal and state policymakers are looking for ways to increase the transmission grid’s capacity to handle more zero carbon electricity. Since our research came out I have had the chance to engage with stakeholders about the role that advanced conductors and other grid enhancing technologies can play.”
Executive Director Andrew Campbell is a Member of the Western Energy Markets Governing Body, a board that sets power market policies for markets serving eighty percent of the western United States.
“Since its establishment in 2014, the real-time power market in the western US has lowered consumer costs by billions, increased reliability and balanced higher levels of renewable energy. I’m excited to continue working through the market policies that will underpin a new day-ahead market that starts in 2026.”
Faculty Director Meredith Fowlie is Chair of the CalEPA’s Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee (IEMAC), a group that analyzes the environmental and economic performance of the state’s cap-and-trade program and other relevant climate policies, then reports its findings to the California Air Resources Board and the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change.
“California is looking ahead to an important conversation around reauthorization of the greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program in 2025. There are lots of important issues to navigate here and I am hoping IEMAC can be a constructive and objective voice in this conversation.”
Kelsey Jack is advising the City of Cape Town’s municipal government on electricity tariff design, using empirical evidence to inform policy. In Cape Town, Kelsey leads an embedded lab (WAE Lab) that is a joint initiative of the government and researchers.
“Cape Town faces policy challenges similar to those faced by utilities around the world: balancing affordability concerns with declining revenue. What is more unusual is Cape Town’s commitment to evidence to inform how to solve these challenges. The level of engagement between policy and research has made this collaboration very fulfilling.”
Additionally, since 2023 Maximilian Auffhammer has been a member of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. The SAB reviews the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used by the EPA, reviews EPA research programs and plans, provides science advice as requested by the EPA Administrator, and advises the agency on broad scientific matters. He is also an author on the Economics Chapter of the 6th National Climate Assessment, which will be published in Fall 2027. Reed Walker recently served on a National Academies’ Committee on Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States and is currently serving on the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) Scientific, Technical, and Modeling Peer Review Advisory Group.
