Welcome to the 44th Annual National Conference of Regulatory Attorneys (NCRA) 

to be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 11-14, 2025.

"Professional Growth in the City of Oaks"

The NCRA annual conference is open to all utility regulatory attorneys having statutory responsibility for working with or appearing before State or Federal regulatory agencies.

Location

The sessions for NCRA 2025 will be held in the Raleigh Convention Center, located at 500 South Salisbury Street in Raleigh, and a block of rooms is available at the Marriott Residence Inn immediately next door at 616 South Salisbury Street. A link for reserving your room is provided further below.

CLE Information

Expected total available CLE credit hours: 13

We anticipate that attendance will provide 10 general CLE credit hours, and 2 ethics credit hours. You are responsible for filing for credit in your respective state.  We can provide you with certification to assist you in obtaining credits in your state.

All attendees will receive the course materials as a digital download. A link will be emailed to all registrants prior to the meeting for downloading, viewing, and printing of CLE materials. Speakers may bring supplemental handouts in hard copy to the conference.

Suggested Attire

Please plan to dress casually for the conference. You should bring extra layers in case either the outdoor or indoor weather is chilly. Meeting rooms have a tendency to be cool; we recommend you bring a light sweater or jacket.

Other Places to See and Things to Do

Feel free to explore Raleigh, the Triangle area, and the rest of the State of North Carolina while you’re here, either before or after the conference or during the breakaway session on Tuesday afternoon. More information below!

Sunday, May 11, 2025 — Marriott Residence Inn

1:30 – 5:00          Registration at Residence Inn (Red Bird Meeting Room)

2:00 – 2:45          NCRA Alumni Meeting (Red Bird Meeting Room)

2:45 – 3:30          NCRA Subcommittee Meeting (Red Bird Meeting Room)

3:30 – 5:00          Optional Introductory Session: Tour through Public Utility Law (Red Bird Meeting Room)

                              Scott Hempling, Attorney at Law

5:00 – 7:00          Welcome Reception (10th & Terrace Rooftop Restaurant)

Monday, May 12, 2025 — Convention Center Raleigh (Room 402)

8:00 – 5:00          Registration at Convention Center 

8:30 – 9:00          Welcome and Opening Remarks

                              Opening Remarks by The Honorable Floyd B. McKissick, Commissioner, North Carolina      Utilities Commission

                              Opening Remarks by The Honorable Josh Stein, Governor, North Carolina (invited)

9:00 – 10:00        Session 1: “Justice” in Utility Regulation: What Can We Learn from Pope Francis and Milton Friedman, from our Statutes and our Constitution?

                              Scott Hempling, Attorney at Law

10:00 – 10:15      Break

10:15 – 11:15      Session 2: Let’s Talk About Fair Market Value

                              James Cawley, former Chairman, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

11:15 – 12:15      Session 3: NAESB 101

                              Jonathan Booe, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB)

12:15 – 1:15        Buffet Lunch

1:15 – 2:15          Session 4: The Washington Report

                              James Bradford “Brad” Ramsay, General Counsel, National Association of Regulatory Commissioners (NARUC)

2:15 – 3:15          Session 5: Legal Ethics Jeopardy Returns — Now with 100% MORE Footnotes

                              Sam Brumberg, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & General Counsel, Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC)

3:15 – 3:30          Break

3:30 – 4:15          Session 6: Nuclear Update, Small Modular Reactors, Co-located Load

                              Matthew Price, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Constellation Energy

                              E. Brett Breitschwerdt, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

4:15 – 5:00          Session 7: BIAS in Federal Law: Four Decisions in 10 Years on Whether Internet Service is Information Service or Telecommunications

                              Joseph Witmer

5:30 – 8:00          Dinner at Residence Inn (Red Bird Meeting Room)

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 — Convention Center, Raleigh (Room 402)

8:00 – 1:00          Registration at Convention Center

8:30 – 9:30          Session 8: Southeastern Reliability Council (SERC): Roles and Responsibilities

                              Jon Tauber, Director, Enforcement and Legal, SERC, Moderator

                              Holly Hawkins, General Counsel, SERC

                              Michael Kessler, Assistant General Counsel, Midcontinent Independent System Operator

9:30 – 10:30        Session 9: Administrative Law Judge Panel: Practice Pointers

                              Bridgette M. Frazier, Administrative Law Judge, Arkansas Public Service Commission

10:30 – 10:45      Break

10:45 – 11:45      Session 10: Character and Ethics for Commission Staff Attorneys

                              Henry Walker, Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, former General Counsel, Tennessee Utility Commission, Moderator

                              Kenneth Townsend, Professor, Wake Forest Law School, Executive Director of Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools

                              Rick Simpson, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP, Adjunct Professor, University of North Carolina School of Law,

11:45-12:15         Session 11: AI, Data Centers, and the Demand for Power

                              Lisa R. Youngers, Legal and Regulatory Consultant, Moderator

                              Nanette S. Edwards, Partner, Burr & Forman, LLP

                              Lucas Fykes, Data Center Coalition (invited)

12:15 – 1:00        Boxed Lunch

1:00 – 5:00          Explore/Dinner On Your Own

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 — Convention Center, Raleigh (Room 402)

8:00 – 12:00        Registration at Convention Center

8:30 – 9:30          Session 12: Regulatory Options to Combat the Spreading Risk of Wildfires

                              Mike Grant, Oregon Public Utilities Commission

9:30 – 9:45          Break

9:45 – 10:45        Session 13: The Universal Service Fund at 28: Navigating Its Legacy, Future, and Impact on State Telecommunications Regulation

                              Mignon Clyburn, Former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission and South Carolina Public Service Commission, Moderator

                              Nanette S. Edwards, Partner, Burr & Forman, LLP

                              Douglas Meredith, Director, Economics and Policy, JSI

10:45 – 11:45      Session 14: Gas/Electric Coordination Update

                              Andrew Tubbs, President & CEO, Energy Association of Pennsylvania

                              Matthew Agen, Chief Regulatory Counsel, Energy, American Gas Association

                              Brian J Fitzpatrick, Principal Fuel Supply Strategist, PJM Interconnection

11:45 – 12:00      Closing Remarks/Adjourn

Hotel registration is available now!

The conference hotel is the Marriott Residence Inn, 616 South Salisbury Street, in Raleigh. You may call the hotel to see if rooms are still available at (919) 856-0017. 

Additional nearby hotels include the Raleigh Marriott City Center and Sheraton Raleigh on Salisbury Street. There is also a Hampton Inn not too far away

The Residence Inn is a 20 to 25 minute ride from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and about a 5 minute ride (or 15-minute walk) from the Amtrak train station (Union Station).

The Raleigh Convention Center is located just across Lenoir Street from the Residence Inn.

Raleigh (the home of North Carolina State University) is the State capital and one corner of the Research Triangle in North Carolina — the other two corners being Durham (the home of Duke University) and Chapel Hill (the home of the University of North Carolina).

The conference hotel and Convention Center are located near the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts and the Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh. Nearby concerts and events surrounding the dates of NCRA 2025 include:

Red Hat Amphitheater (https://www.redhatamphitheater.com/):

May 13                Coheed and Cambria * Mastodon : The Infinite Arc Tour with Periphery – Red Hat Amphitheater

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts (https://www.martinmariettacenter.com/):

May 15                Ken Burns: The American Revolution – Fletcher Opera Theater

May 15-18          Swan Lake - Carolina Ballet – Memorial Auditorium

Raleigh's Spring Festival (https://www.visitraleigh.com/event/raleighs-spring-festival-spring-in-the-city/95280/)

May 10                Sprint in the City – Moore Square

Artsplosure (https://www.artsplosure.org/artsplosuretheraleighartsfestival):

May 17-18          Artsplosure Raleigh Arts Festival – Moore Square

Also nearby are the State capitol building, Museum of History, Museum of Natural Sciences, Governor’s Mansion, and numerous state office buildings. 

Also within walking distance is the Warehouse District with art, shopping, and dining. A short ride on the free R Line bus is Glenwood South, a bustling area of bars and restaurants. The 164-acre North Carolina Museum of Art is a 15-minute ride away and boasts 181,000 square feet of exhibition space as well as outdoor sculptures and walking trails. For more ideas, check out visitRaleigh.

 Durham is particularly known for the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and the Duke Lemur Center. The season for the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, begins in late March, so if you arrive early you might catch a game on Saturday or Sunday against the Gwinnett Stripers.

 Outside of the immediate area, Raleigh is just one and a half hours from the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, two hours from Wilmington, two and a half hours from Wrightsville Beach and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, two hours from New Bern and Tryon Palace (the seat of the Colonial Governor), three hours from Morehead City, Beaufort, Emerald Isle, and the Crystal Coast, and three and a half hours from Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and the Wright Brothers Memorial.

The registration fee may be paid with a credit card during the registration process. You may also print and complete the registration form and mail it along with your check payable to National Conference of Regulatory Attorneys to:

           Public Utilities Commission of Ohio

          c/o Nick Walstra

          180 East Broad Street, 12th Floor

          Columbus, Ohio 43215

 You will receive a confirmation email after you have completed registration for the conference.