Gordon van Welie, the CEO of ISO New England. (Photo courtesy of ISO New England)

AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE in our clean energy transition, a little-known, historically secretive, and oftentimes inaccessible organization that operates our grid called ISO New England is about to hold its second-ever public board meeting. On Wednesday, its board members will gather at the Seaport Hotel Boston, offering a chance for advocates, policymakers, and the public to gain a better understanding of the body’s process and decision-making, which has a direct impact on the clean energy transition for our region. Lately, they’ve made some significant shifts in the right direction, like conceding that renewable energy is playing a vital role in keeping our grid stable. But there is so much more to be done to ensure real accessibility and accountability, and to advance a clean energy future.

For years, as the weather starts to get colder each fall, the non-profit organization tasked with governing the electric market and maintaining grid reliability has routinely made the case that fossil fuels are vital for a reliable grid. This year has been different. After extensive pressure from advocates, scrutiny from local media, and an assessment of reliability by one of its consultants, ISO New England declared this summer for the first time that renewable energy sources like solar have brought enough stability to the grid to keep it operating smoothly through 2027. In a significant moment for environmental justice communities, the grid operator also proclaimed the contentious Everett liquified natural gas facility may no longer be needed to ensure grid reliability.

In another vital course correction, ISO New England last fall pulled back the curtain on its board meetings, allowing the public to watch the decision-making process and, if they were lucky, air their opinions and concerns to the 10-member governing body. Until this move, ISO New England was the only grid overseer in the country to hold such meetings behind closed doors.

This is good and welcome progress for hard-working residents and clean energy advocates alike, but to meet Massachusetts’ climate goals — and the clean energy priorities of the other five states ISO New England is responsible for — there is much more work left to be done. ISO New England needs to open its doors even further, break down the governing silos to include more meaningful participation, especially from environmental justice communities, and revisit its mandate and mission to hasten our clean energy transition. So where do we go from here?

Accessibility. While the upcoming ISO New England board meeting is advertised as public, in practice, access to the board is limited because there’s no guarantee that everyone who attends will get to speak.

With our shorelines and mainland getting battered by stronger storms, our air quality impacted by toxic fossil fuel pollution, and residents hit hard by volatile electric bills, it’s past time for ISO New England leadership to make space at the table for communities that bear the greatest environmental burdens. After all, they are the ones who live with the direct consequences of ISO New England’s decision-making.

To advance transparency and accessibility, ISO New England must also catch up to the rest of the nation’s grid operators and make all of its meetings and those of the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL), ISO New England’s more than 500-member stakeholder advisory group, public going forward, accessible via live stream and archived for research and reference.

Accountability.  Greater accessibility also must coincide with a meaningful dialogue with communities and other stakeholders. ISO New England should have an obligation to acknowledge and respond to the ratepayers whose utility bills pay for their operation and to fully assess the impacts of its decisions on the communities it serves. ISO New England board members and key staff should participate in meetings of their established Consumer Liaison Group, especially given that the space has become a truer opportunity for public engagement ever since activists managed to elect a slate of community voices to the group’s governing committee last year.

More participation must also translate to decision-making power. We must fix the imbalance at the NEPOOL forum, which gives outsize voting influence to power generator and utility operator members to the detriment of public interest advocates. A rebalancing of power would enhance the voices of lived experiences and experts fighting on behalf of environmental justice communities.

Lastly, ISO New England must ensure that state leaders and state climate policy priorities are integrated and considered. Progress toward our net zero by 2050 mandate in Massachusetts has been slow, with numerous stumbling blocks. ISO New England should not only assist us in meeting that requirement but be a collaborative partner in that effort.

Mission. To be a partner in the fight against the climate crisis means ISO New England must embrace its central role in accelerating our clean energy transition, not stifling innovative renewable energy sources. In 2022, clean energy accounted for a small but growing percentage of our overall energy sources, with fossil gas amounting to more than half of the mix. Solar has proven itself as a stabilizing force for our grid. Wind will soon do the same, and we are grateful that ISO New England has shown signs of truly acknowledging the role of clean energy in a reliable grid — we hope to see more of that in the days ahead. But ISO New England must also allow clean energy to compete in the energy marketplace fairly.

Our grid is more than just energy infrastructure. It’s part of our social infrastructure as well. The electricity that keeps lights on at our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses and the devices that connect to it are essential to everyday life. We call on ISO New England to fully embrace this integral role by building on its progress toward greater transparency and accessibility as well as its acceptance of the role clean energy plays in ensuring a reliable grid. As we prepare to attend our second public board meeting Wednesday, we encourage ISO to rise to the challenge, work with the communities it serves, and forge a clean, equitable, and transparent energy future.

Mireille Bejjani is the co-executive director at Slingshot and campaign facilitator at Fix the Grid. Phelps Turner is a senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation.