We The States

Two dynamos of the power industry, Calvin G. Butler Jr., the CEO of Baltimore Gas and ElectricCompany , the nation’s first gas utility, and Nick Akins, the CEO of Ohio-based American Electric Power, joined Gil Gross, the host of We The States, the official podcast of the National Governors Association, to discuss the evolution of the power industry and the unique relationship utility companies have with governors.“We realize that at the core it’s a partnership because their constituents are our customers,”  observed Mr. Butler.“We’re investing billions of dollars into an infrastructure because I don’t want you as a governor come back to me after the fact and say, ‘Why weren’t you doing something?’. I want to proactively put together a plan in front of you and you hold me accountable for executing to that plan.”Both CEOs highlighted challenges to the U.S. power grid, whether from increasingly frequent extreme weather events or cyber attacks. They emphasized that cooperation with state regulators is essent