John McManus, Partner and leader of the Harris Beach Murtha Energy Industry Team, will moderate a panel at the 2026 NY Energy Summit, taking place April 14-16, 2026 in Albany, NY. A description of John’s session is below:
Panel Discussion: Policies to Accelerate Transmission Buildout & Enable Interconnection
Transmission expansion and faster interconnection are critical to achieving NY’s energy goals, however ongoing changes to state and federal transmission planning and development have made it difficult for stakeholders to pivot future planning. This panel will explore federal and state policy changes underway, their impacts, and what can be done to bring certainty and consistency to the process.
- Have FERC Orders 1920, 1977, 1920 and 2023 helped transmission planning, siting, permitting, and construction in NY? How might FERC support NY transmission?
- How is the interconnection study process and queue reform working for NYISO and other regulators, developers, and transmission operators? Are studies and other approaches to accelerate interconnection creating efficiencies and easing backlogs?
- The RAPID Act: Is ORES under DPS oversight streamlining transmission infrastructure permitting and siting processes as planned? What about the Quebec interconnect?
- Cost allocation: Is the mechanism allowing states and customers to voluntarily fund transmission working? What about GETS vs new lines? Who pays for what?
- Did 2024’s Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission MOU move the needle on interregional planning? How can regional and federal coordination in transmission planning, permitting, cost allocation, and interconnection be improved?
Panelist will include:
- Ali Amirali, Managing Director, Lotus Infrastructure Partners
- John Bernecker, Director, Large Scale Resources, NYSERDA
- Paul Haering, Vice President, Capital Investment, NY Transco
- Schuyler Matteson, Clean Energy Planning Lead, New York State Department of Public Service