The House and Senate Insurance & Commerce Committees met on Monday, November 3, 2025, with the primary purpose of adopting Interim Study proposals (ISPs). The committee adopted 14 ISPs, including the following related to energy and utilities:
ISP 2025-012 by Representative Jack Ladyman – Concerning Wind Energy Production
ISP 2025-020 by Senator Dan Sullivan – To Provide Transparency and Accountability for Public Utilities
ISP 2025-072 by Representative Zack Gramlich – To Adopt the Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact
The committee then received presentations and testimony on transmission issues from a panel which included Steve Purdy (Southwest Power Pool), Daniel Berkowitz (Bekaert Corporation), Danni Hoefer (ARPSC), and Brent Bailey (EPL Advisors). While committee members had questions about the Transmission Compact proposal, the presenters focused most of their time on explaining how the transmission process works, identifying opportunities to improve the grid, and discussing challenges related to deploying transmission.
Arkansas Advanced Energy Association will continue to monitor and update members.
ISP2025-012 by Representative Jack Ladyman – Concerning Wind Energy Production
Under Section 23-18-1302, the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC) would be required to regulate wind energy production, including wind farms and wind turbines.
The rules promulgated by the APSC would include specific requirements such as:
Setback requirements for wind farms with respect to adjacent real property.
Decommissioning requirements for wind farms at the end of their useful life.
Noise limitation requirements for wind farms.
Restrictions regarding “shadow infiltration effects” (likely meaning shadow flicker or visual effects) on adjacent real property.
Provisions related to aviation or flight operations (e.g., crop dusters) in areas near wind turbines.
Monitoring requirements addressing environmental and wildlife/animal life impacts of wind farms.
ISP 2025-020 by Senator Dan Sullivan – To Provide Transparency and Accountability for Public Utilities
Arkansas Code Title 23, Chapter 3, is amended to add Subchapter 8 — Transparency and Accountability of Public Utilities
To make utilities publicly accountable for non-core spending and ensure ratepayers are not unknowingly funding lobbying, PR, or excessive executive perks
Would create an annual reporting regime requiring Arkansas’s major electric and gas utilities to publicly itemize and justify non-operational expenditures—aiming to make utility spending transparent, prevent ratepayer-funded political activity, and enhance legislative oversight of rising energy costs.
ISP 2025-072 by Representative Zack Gramlich – To Adopt the Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact
The proposal would enact the Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact by reference in Arkansas statute, adding a new subchapter to Arkansas Code Title 23, Chapter 3.
Its stated intention is to lower the cost of constructing new high-voltage transmission infrastructure and facilitate expansion of transmission capacity via cost-effective planning, siting and construction.
It points out that the “mid-South region” is seeing rapid growth in energy demand as industry and business relocate, so states in that region (including Arkansas) would benefit from cooperating on transmission infrastructure to support economic growth, reliability and resilience.
This Compact emphasizes non-discrimination among energy generation technologies (principle of being “energy agnostic”) — important in the advanced energy transition context.
The emphasis on grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) aligns with advanced-grid modernization goals.
The creation of a multi-state framework for transmission cost allocation and competitive construction could impact transmission planning, siting and investment decisions in Arkansas — a significant lever for clean energy development and interconnection of renewables.
For workforce/economic development: improved transmission infrastructure supports regional industrial growth, job creation, and energy reliability.