Sustainability Leader Replaced with New Commissioner

This month's Behind the Meter episode of the MPSC podcast focused on introducing listeners to the MPSC's newest commissioner, Detroit native and former Michigan legislative leadership staff, Shaquila Myers. 

Chair Scripps (right) speaks with Commissoner Myers' (right) on the MPSC podcast

Prior to Myers' appointment, community members were gifted with former Commissioner Alessandra Carreon after the voluntary resignation of Commissioner Tremaine L. Phillips. Carreon's term became one of the shortest served on the Michigan Public Service Commission in * years. As the first Asian American commissioner in Michigan's history advocates were hopeful seeing, not only her presence on the commission as an aligned perspective, but also with the multiple improvements in public engagement events and increased equity objectives expressed across the commission's communications. When Carreon's departure was announced in June, advocates feared the loss of her influence and the consequences that would have for environmental justice communities that were just starting to see themselves being heard in the regulatory space. 

Residents were reminded of the threat to the substantial process made during Carreon's short term as Myers' consistently abstained from every single voting matter during the MPSC's August 7th meeting. While this wasn't necessarily unusual for a new commissioner, it left residents with no choice but to be skeptical of repercussions of this newest member. 

This month's podcast episode gave us our first opportunity to hear about what Myers hopes to bring to who she describes as "the least of us" through her appointment. The discussion began with an overview of her previous roles: house Speaker Tate's chief of staff, chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist and senior advisor to Governor Whitmer. Myers' played an instrumental role in the passage of 2023's Energy package while in Speaker Tate's office. As apart of Lt. Governor Gilchrist's office Meyer's became intimately involved in the process of expanding access to broadband internet and telecoms describing her reasoning behind the effort saying, “Every part of our life now involves access to the internet and if you don’t have access then that reduces your chances of equity or success…it cuts you off.” Similar phrasing could be used to describe energy itself as it powers broadband, telecoms, and even more significantly lights, refrigeration, heating, cooling and other critical equipment that's often shutoff by utilities in homes across underserved and impoverished communities. As Whitmer's senior advisor, executive order embedded equity and environmental justice into 2023's energy package. Myers' further explains, "Rarely as a policy maker do you get a chance to be apart of implementation," sharing her excitement with being a part of implementing the clean energy standard, broadband access, telecoms and reliability efforts in Detroit, “thinking about the least of us and how we can make their lives better” she says. 

Though Myers isn't a leader in sustainability, environmental justice or clean energy like that of her previous Whitmer appointed predecessors, she has a wealth of experience collaborating between stakeholders in order to bring just solutions in service of marginalized communities. She's aided in bringing broadband internet access to all facets of Michiganders from the creation of Michigan's High-speed Internet Office (MIHI) through the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. This equity driven accessibly effort could be carried through to utilities concerning energy accessibility. Her role in the development of 2023's clean energy package that set the 100% clean energy standard also makes her an authoritative voice on access in implementation across the energy sector, including renewables. 

As Commissioner Peretick inquires about the importance of "continuing our work on incorporating public input" and asking, “how to communicate better”, both areas previously headed by former Commissioner Carreon; Myers' response focuses on the approach to equitable outcomes and the need for reporting back to impacted communities on those deliverables achieved in response to their concerns raised. In conclusion, there were three main takeaways from her first meeting podcast. First, Shaquila Myers has demonstrated adaptability under tight deadlines that could service conflicting interests between advocates and utilities. Second, as a policy maker her interpretation of policy is adept, especially in the areas of the energy package that so much of our EJ work relies on. Finally, she's outlined clear objectives that resident ratepayers can continually hold her accountable to: providing access and reliability while centering the least of us which includes Black, low-to-middle income, fixed income, seniors, medically vulnerable, under serviced and otherwise marginalized populations.

If we have (or even if we don't have) any trust in Michigan's regulatory process, we must do our part to ensure that these objectives are carried through the entirety of Myers' term. Following the end of her term when, and if, those goals that she's expressed are sufficiently integrated then ratepayers are able to effectively lean into the ratemaking process that sufficiently serves their interests balanced with that of utilities who've historically been overwhelmingly catered to decade after decade thus far. Shifting the scales requires intentionality and I believe Myers has the makings to satisfactorily build upon the work that Carreon began by pivoting the commission towards an equity and engagement focus.