Vermont regulator: federal tariffs, offshore wind uncertainty and FERC moves are raising costs and complicating planning

Kerrick Johnson, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service, warned lawmakers that recent federal policy shifts and tariff actions are increasing costs across the state’s energy system and creating uncertainty for utilities and developers.

“It's just mercurial. It's very hard to predict,” Johnson told the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure, describing federal programs and orders as volatile and hard to pin down. He said tariffs on steel, aluminum and similar materials have “a direct impact on materials for grid investments,” and that different manufacturers and utilities are absorbing that cost in different ways, making statewide quantification difficult.

Johnson said…