Federal and Regional Energy Affairs (FREA)

The Healey-Driscoll Administration created the Federal and Regional Energy Affairs (FREA) office within EEA to advance the Commonwealth’s clean energy transition through collaboration with state, regional, and federal partners.

• Jason Marshall, Deputy Secretary and Special Counsel for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs
• Mary Louise “Weezie” Nuara, Assistant Secretary for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs
• Ashley Gagnon, Federal and Regional Energy Affairs Senior Director
• Hayden Latimer-Ireland, Executive Assistant

• Massachusetts, New England States Selected to Receive $389 Million in Federal Funding for Transformational Transmission and Energy Storage Infrastructure (August 6, 2024)
• Northeast States Announce Agreement to Enhance Collaboration in Pursuing Electric Transmission (July 9, 2024)
• New England States Seek Federal Funding for Significant Investments in Transmission and Energy Storage Infrastructure (April 17, 2024)
• New England States Issue Invitational Call for Innovative Project Design Concepts to Enhance Grid Resilience and Reliability (September 25, 2023)
• Healey-Driscoll Administration Leads Multi-State Request for Federal Support to Establish Interregional Transmission Planning Collaborative (June 16, 2023)
• Healey-Driscoll Administration to Compete for up to $250 Million in Federal Grants for Clean Energy Infrastructure (May 22, 2023)
• Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces New Positions to Promote the Commonwealth’s Energy Priorities with Regional and Federal Partners (February 27, 2023)

• EEA Comments on ISO-NE Interregional Modeling (November 1, 2024)
• NESCOE Identification of Potential Transmission Needs for a Longer-term Transmission Planning RFP (October 16, 2024) 
• Multi-State Comments to Treasury and IRS in Response to Proposed Rulemaking Relating to Section 45Y Clean Electricity Production Credit and Section 48E Clean Electricity Investment Credit (August 2, 2024)
• Senior Director Ashley Gagnon’s Letter to ISO New England on Affected System Operator (ASO) Study Coordination (July 30, 2024)
• Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission Memorandum of Understanding (July 9, 2024)
• Article by EEA Deputy Secretary Marshall - Transmission planning’s next frontier: A rebuttable presumption for modern grid technologies (June 11, 2024)
• Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission Letter to Joint ISO/RTO Planning Committee on Loss of Source Limit Study (March 11, 2024)
• ISO New England Response to EEA Deputy Secretary Marshall Letter Regarding Order No. 2023 Compliance and Affected System Operator (ASO) Studies (January 31, 2024)
• Multi-State Comments to Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service on the Definition of Energy Property and the Rules Applicable to the Energy Credit (January 22, 2024)
• EEA Deputy Secretary Marshall’s Letter to ISO New England and New England Transmission Owners on Order No. 2023 Compliance and Affected System Operator (ASO) Studies (January 18, 2024)
• EEA Secretary Tepper’s Letter to the White House on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Community Bonus Credit for Offshore Wind (December 11, 2023)
• NESCOE Feedback on the Draft 2050 Transmission Study and Request to Prepare for an Actionable Path Forward (December 1, 2023)
• Offshore Wind Procuring States’ Comments to the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Community Bonus Credit for Offshore Wind (September 27, 2023)
• Multi-State Governors’ Letter to President Biden Requesting Federal Support for Offshore Wind (September 13, 2023)
• Multi-State Letter to ISO New England Requesting the Creation of Environmental Justice Position (August 1, 2023)
• Update on Multi-State Transmission Activities: Transmission Investments at Center Stage in Efforts to Integrate Clean Energy Cost-Effectively and Enhance System Reliability (June 22, 2023)
• Letter to U.S. Department of Energy Grid Deployment Office Director Maria Robinson on Formation of Interregional Transmission Planning Collaborative (June 16, 2023)
• Clean Energy Markets Report, pursuant to Section 85 of An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind (May 24, 2023)

• Clean Energy Transmission Working Group Home Page
• Clean Energy Transmission Working Group Final Report (December 2023)

• Pop-Up Forum on Advanced Transmission Technologies – July 17, 2024
  • About: An opportunity to learn from industry experts about the future of energy and accelerating the deployment of ATTs in New England.

• Welcome:
  • Rebecca Tepper, Secretary, MA EOEEA
  • Michael Barrett, MA State Senator and Chair, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
  • Jeff Roy, MA State House Member and Chair, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
• Presenters:
  • Ariel Horowitz, Deputy Director for Grid Modernization, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Lakshmi Alagappan, Partner, Energy and Environmental Economics (E3)
  • Kevin Steinberger, Director, Energy and Environmental Economics (E3)
• Panelists:
  • Al McBride, Executive Director, Transmission Services & Resource Qualification, ISO New England
  • Andrew Schneller, Vice President of Electric Network Strategy and Regulation, National Grid
  • Vandan Divatia, Vice President of Transmission, Policy, & Compliance, Eversource
  • Jeremy McDiarmid, Managing Director & General Counsel, AEU
  • Jacquelyn Bihrle, Assistant Attorney General, MA AGO
• Moderators:
  • Jason Marshall, Deputy Secretary, Federal and Regional Energy Affairs, MA EOEEA
  • Weezie Nuara, Assistant Secretary, Federal and Regional Energy Affairs, MA EOEEA
  • Ashley Gagnon, Senior Director, Federal and Regional Energy Affairs, MA EOEEA
• Recording

• Pop-Up Forum on Grid Enhancing Technologies – July 24, 2023
  • About: An opportunity for the public and other energy stakeholders to learn from experts about innovative technologies that can transform and optimize our power grid and how New England can chart a path to deploying these new tools in system planning and operations.
  • Speakers:
    • Katie Siegner, Manager, Carbon-Free Electricity Practice, Rocky Mountain Institute
    • Julia Selker, Executive Director, WATT Coalition
    • Terron Hill, Director, Clean Energy Development, National Grid
    • David Quier, Vice President of Transmission & Substations, PPL Electric Utilities
    • T. Bruce Tsuchida, Principal, The Brattle Group
    • Brent Oberlin, Director of Transmission Planning, ISO New England
  • Moderators:
    • Jason Marshall, Deputy Secretary, Federal and Regional Energy Affairs, MA EOEEA
    • Weezie Nuara, Assistant Secretary, Federal and Regional Energy Affairs, MA EOEEA
  • Recording