Senate Rules Committee advances two California ISO board nominees after hour-long hearing on grid reliability and regional markets

The Senate Rules Committee voted to advance Jan Shorey and Dr. Severn Borenstein to the full California Senate after a confirmation hearing that centered on grid reliability, transmission planning, the interconnection queue and regional market proposals.

In opening remarks, Jan Shorey said the Independent System Operator’s (ISO) central responsibility is to keep the lights on while California pursues its decarbonization goals under SB 100. She described progress on summer reliability and resource adequacy and cited the ISO’s increased transmission planning and staff technical capabilities. “I think I have helped bring some practical operational experience to the board’s deliberations, and I would appreciate the opportunity to continue my service,” Shorey said.

Dr. Severn Borenstein told the committee he was seeking a third term on the ISO board and said the state is in a stronger short- and medium-term supply position than in 2019 but still faces challenges: managing a much larger interconnection queue, maintaining physical and cyber security, and building transmission to meet decarbonization goals. “There are also new challenges…we needed to make big changes. We have, and we've really gotten…