On August 30, FERC plans to hold a virtual workshop to discuss how members of the public (including customers and consumer advocates) can better participate in hydroelectric proceedings. The workshop is part of Commission’s increased focus on stakeholder engagement and environmental justice.

The meeting will be held by the Office of Public Participation (OPP), which was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to assist the public with Commission proceedings. In June 2021, OPP released a report intended to identify challenges to public participation in FERC proceedings and among its findings is better community education on the commenting process. In April 2022, FERC announced its Equity Action Plan, which emphasized the need to build and staff OPP to provide public education opportunities.

The “WorkshOPP on Filing Comments” will include video demonstrations on the steps involved on filing comments and information on the commenting process to facilitate increased public participation in Commission processes and decision-making. More information on how to participate in this remote meeting is available here.