01701nas a2200133   4500008004100000245012000041210006900161260002100230490000700251520113900258653001701397100001701414856013601431       2014                        eng d00aTeaching an Old Dog New Tricks: Adapting Public Utility Commissions to Meet Twenty-First Century Climate Challenges0 aTeaching an Old Dog New Tricks Adapting Public Utility Commissio  aBoston, MAc20140 v383 aClimate change and efforts to address it have put the electric utility system under increasing pressure to adapt and evolve. Key to the success of these efforts will be the support of public utility commissions, the state agencies that oversee retail electric utilities. In an effort to determine how these commissions will make decisions, this article explores the history, enabling legislation, and jurisdiction of commissions. It concludes that the authority and purpose of commissions has been narrowly defined to focus almost exclusively on short-term rate impacts to current utility customers, and as a result, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, modernize or transform the electric grid, or expand the path for new technologies such as electric vehicles, will not come from commissions, and in fact may be blocked by the same. Accordingly, the article offers options for modernization, ultimately recommending a melding of economic and environmental goals through a long-term planning process that balances cost and risk, yet remains squarely within the jurisdiction and historical purpose of the regulatory commission.10aBusiness Law1 aScott, Inara  u/biblio/teaching-old-dog-new-tricks-adapting-public-utility-commissions-meet-twenty-first-century-0