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. Mary Louise “Weezie” Nuara is the Deputy Secretary for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs.

• New England Governors' Nuclear Statement (March 31, 2026)
• Memorandum of Understanding on Offshore Wind Energy and Infrastructure Collaboration by and between Massachusetts and Nova Scotia (February 4, 2026)
• Request for Information on State-Led Interregional Transmission Projects Concepts (June 23, 2025)
• Release of a Strategic Action Plan on State-Led Interregional Transmission Priorities (April 28, 2025)
• AD25-4 Northeast States Comments to FERC Regarding the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's Interregional Transfer Capability Study (February 26, 2025)
• Deputy Secretary Marshall and Executive Director Lavinson's Letter to ISO-NE Regarding NPCC Northeast Gas/Electric System Study (January 23, 2025)
• 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)

• 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