The Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS) has a long history of strong advocacy for a robust transmission grid and competitive wholesale electric markets that will bring real benefits to consumers. A stronger grid is needed for electric reliability and to enable utilities to meet their obligations to serve customers over the long term at reasonable costs. Many parties now recognize that a more robust grid is also essential to develop the nation’s renewable energy resources. The U.S. grid makes our electric system work. It must be planned and constructed to meet multiple needs.

CORE Position Statements

National Electric Transmission Advocacy Group Names Executive Director

Effective January 1, 2024, Thomas J. Heller has been named as the new Executive Director of the Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS).  He succeeds Terry Huval, who served in this capacity since 2020.

TAPS was organized in 1989 as an informal association of transmission-dependent electric utilities to advocate for the improvement of the transmission grid in America. Under TAPS, leaders of utilities from across the country work together to advocate on behalf of national policies that protect the interests of consumers in energy markets across the country.

Until his retirement in June 2023, Thomas J. Heller served as the President and CEO of Missouri River Energy Services—a large regional joint action agency that provides wholesale power supply and critical energy services to public power communities across Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. He joined MRES in 1992.  Prior to his tenure with MRES, he worked for the Moorhead (Minnesota) Public Service Department for 16 years, including seven years as general manager. Nationally, Heller has previously served as chair of the TAPS Executive Committee as well as on the boards of directors for the American Public Power Association (APPA), National Hydropower Association, Electric Power Research Institute, and the Consumer Federation of America.

Heller’s successes and achievements have been widely recognized at the national level.  He was the 2014 recipient of the APPA’s Alan H. Richardson Statesmanship Award, and in 2020 he was awarded APPA’s Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award.  In 2023, he was honored with APPA’s prestigious Alex Radin Award, which recognizes exceptional leadership and commitment to public power.

TAPS Chair Jane Cirrincione, Assistant General Manager for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the Northern California Power Agency welcomed Heller to this important new role, “Tom has a strong record of leadership and accomplishment in the public power sector.  He understands the importance of transmission policy as an underpinning of a workable and fair energy market, and as a key component of assuring affordability and reliability for electric customers across the country.”  She continued, “Tom has dedicated his career to the advancement of public power systems and the communities we serve—and has been instrumental in shaping federal energy policy to protect their interests.  TAPS looks forward to Tom bringing his vision and expertise to this new role—and continuing to build on our organization’s long record of effective advocacy in Congress, at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and before the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.”

TAPS’ mission includes:

  • Advocating for open and equal transmission access and strong protections against the exercise of market power in electric markets.
  • Supporting vigorously competitive wholesale electric markets and a robust grid.
  • Participating in policy proceedings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, and other federal agencies that deal with electric transmission and market power in the electric utility industry.
  • Testifying before Congress and educating members of Congress and their staffs on federal legislation issues related to competitive, reliable wholesale electric markets, open transmission access, and the need for a robust transmission grid.
  • Protecting and advancing the interests of transmission-dependent utilities, and their customers before the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB).

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For more information:

Jane Cirrincione, 916-847-2956; jane@ncpa.com
Thomas J. Heller, 605.330.6942; theller@tapsgroup.org