Enhanced Public Participation in Federal Clean Energy Policy Development

THIS FELLOWSHIP IS OPEN TO RETURNING YALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY

About FERC’s Office of Public Participation:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent federal agency charged with regulating the transmission and wholesale sales of electricity, the transmission of natural gas in interstate commerce, and the transportation of oil by pipelines in interstate commerce.  Although originally contemplated in the 1978 Amendments to the Federal Power Act (FPA), FERC formally established the Office of Public Participation (OPP) in June 2021, whose mission is to “coordinate and provide assistance to members of the public to facilitate participation in [FERC] proceedings.” The creation of the OPP was the culmination of a series of listening sessions, workshops, and a written comment period during the first half of 2021, as summarized in FERC’s June 2021 Report on the OPP. The November 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Act 117-58, amended Section 319 of the FPA and acknowledged the importance of increased public participation at FERC and the benefits of the OPP.

This formative moment for the OPP comes at a time when FERC plays a central role in many critical decisions and issues regarding the transformation of our energy system, and the opportunity to deploy clean energy at scale. 

The opportunity:

The Summer Research Fellow working on this project will explore the role increased public participation and increased diversity of voices in FERC proceedings may have in supporting a transition to a clean energy economy. Depending on the [Intern’s/Fellow’s] interests and skills, specific projects may include: 

• Assisting the OPP in developing a communications and outreach strategy to reach the OPP’s target underrepresented communities: environmental justice communities, landowners, tribal constituents, and consumer advocacy organizations. Projects may include: developing social media posts and traditional media (print, radio, video) materials for distribution to underrepresented communities; creation, review, and focus-group testing of “explainer” documents on key functions and administrative proceedings of FERC and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs); review and analysis of communications and outreach best practices of other federal agencies (with an emphasis on social media); investigation of best practices and valued or preferred communications channels among OPP’s underrepresented communities, through key informant interviews; and development of metrics on engagement and impact of OPP’s communications and outreach efforts. 
• Analyzing recent historical participation in FERC proceedings, establishing a baseline and revealing current trends of who participates, in what status (party, intervenor, commenter, etc.), and in which types of FERC proceedings.
• Reviewing best practices for public participation by historically underrepresented groups in federal and state administrative proceedings (primarily in the energy context, but with the potential to look to other contexts).

The Fellow will report to Rob Klee, Lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, and (incoming) Managing Director of Clean Energy Programming at CBEY. Over the course of the summer, the Fellow will interact with senior leadership of the OPP, including OPP Director Elin Katz, OPP Deputy Director Nicole Sitaraman, and OPP Senior Policy Advisor Joseph Rosenthal.

Location:

The research fellowship will be virtual, centered in New Haven, with flexibility to work remotely.  There may be opportunities over the summer for on-site travel to FERC in Washington DC.

How to apply:

Please submit:

• a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) to include:
  • your interest in this project
  • any relevant background/experience
  • why you believe this work is important
  • share any important identity or identities you hold. Note that this is completely optional. Examples of identities that may be important to you might include (but are not limited to): gender, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, generation, education level, cultural identity, occupation, sexuality, family structure, housing status, mental health (health status/ability), incarceration status, institution affiliation, primary language, religion, immigration status, medical history, first-generation, income/ socio-economic class, quality of education, occupation, and/or parent's education.
• your resume

Please email the above directly to cbey@yale.edu with “CBEY Planetary Solutions Internship Program in Clean Energy - FERC” in the subject line. Application deadline is 11:59 PM ET on April 10, 2022.