Program Overview
Who Should Attend
Attorneys, industry executives, governmental officials, customer representatives and anyone else involved with energy development in the Southwest
Why You Should Attend
This year we finally have some real clarity on the course of federal environmental and energy policy under the Trump administration. There have been a broad range of actions, including consideration of tariffs on imported solar panels, with the common thread of supporting production and consumption of fossil fuels. We now have a number of very concrete and specific actions to explore, such as the FERC's Grid Reliability and Resilience Pricing Proceeding and Order 841 arising from the emerging viability of storage due to improving battery technologies and falling prices.
There are regulatory policies and then there are market realities. Customers are expressing a preference for cleaner power in a variety of ways and migrating off the grid.
States and stakeholders are responding to the changes, and pursuing their own agendas, in diverse ways. We have a lot of moving pieces and you can expect huge impacts on electric markets in the Southwest.
We have assembled a comprehensive group of topics and expert speakers to help you map out an effective adaptation strategy for your organization. You'll be able to hear insights from two former FERC commissioners, several state-level regulators, developers, leading practitioners, and regulatory economists.
We hope you will be able to join us.
~ Program Co-chairs: ~ Steve Michel, Esq. of Western Resource Advocates, Thorvald A. Nelson, Esq. of Holland & Hart LLP and Marc L. Spitzer, Esq. of Steptoe & Johnson LLP
What You Will Learn
- ~ Federal energy resource development policy
- ~ Market realities for coal and utility recovery of stranded costs
- ~ The FERC's grid reliability rulemaking and other developments
- ~ NERC activity on standards and enforcement, including cyber security
- ~ Storage as the next breakthrough technological solution
- ~ State regulatory policies in the Southwest
- ~ Market and regulatory Impacts of customer preferences for cleaner power
- ~ Developing successful customer/utility partnerships for renewable energy projects
- ~ Market operations: Expansion of ISO's, RTO's, and EIMs
- ~ Impact on ratemaking for utilities from customer migration away from the grid
- ~ Getting steel into the ground for transmission to California markets
What Attendees Have Said About Similar Programs
- "Such a great program. First class in every respect: planning, administration, facility, program content. Well done."
- "Congratulations on a solid faculty & stimulating closing panel."
- "As a representative of a municipality, this was wonderful information."
LSI Subject Area Expertise
We keep up on current and emerging issues by reading our media sponsor: Energy News Network, a nonprofit news site dedicated to keeping stakeholders, policymakers, and citizens informed of the important changes taking place in the transition to a clean energy system. It's available online at https://energynews.us.
Agenda Day 1
8:00 am
Registration Opens
8:30 am
Introduction & Overview
Steve Michel, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair, Chief of Policy Development
Western Resource Advocates / Santa Fe, NM
Marc L. Spitzer, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair
Steptoe & Johnson / Washington, DC
Michelle Brandt King, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair
Holland & Hart / Denver, CO
8:45 am
Federal Energy Resource Development Policy
The federal emphasis on development of traditional fossil fuel energy resources
Thomas M. Hnasko, Esq.
Hinkle Shanor / Santa Fe, NM
Trade policy and the potential impact of the imposition of tariffs on imported solar panels: To what extent can we expect tariffs to slow the growth of solar and change market dynamics in favor of fossil fueled generating plants?
Judy Chang
, Principal
The Brattle Group / Cambridge, MA
Tax policy: Impact of the anticipated expiration of the federal Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit (PTC); provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 affecting energy production
Phillip G. Oldham, Esq.
Thompson & Knight / Austin, TX
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
Market Realities for Coal: Continued Plant Closures and Recovery of Stranded Costs
State government and consumer preferences for clean power; prospects for carbon taxes and expanded cap & trade markets; regional resource dispatch structures; resulting utility plans for accelerated plant retirement before renewable tax credits expire
Patrick Cummins
, Senior Policy Advisor
Center for New Energy Economy / Denver, CO
Utility recovery of stranded costs
Matthew S. Larson, Esq.
Wilkinson Barker Knauer / Denver, CO
12:15 pm
Lunch (on your own)
1:30 pm
FERC Update Following the Return of a Quorum
Policy priorities at the McIntyre commission; ratemaking authority to impose retroactive surcharges; Grid Reliability and Resilience Pricing Proceeding; related NERC activity on standards and enforcement, including cyber security; other developments
Suedeen G. Kelly, Esq.
Jenner & Block / Washington, DC
2:15 pm
Storage as the Next Breakthrough Technological Solution: Utility Scale and Off the Grid Options
Developments leading to falling battery prices; FERC Order 841 and participation in RTO & ISO markets; interplay with resiliency
William H. Holmes, Esq.
K&L Gates / Portland, OR
3:00 pm
Break
3:15 pm
Special State Policy Panel: The Interplay between State Energy Adequacy Policy and State Regulatory Policy in Light of Federal and Market Developments
Overview: Resource development and siting; conservation programs; ratemaking and other regulatory issues; how the state offices interact
Marc L. Spitzer, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair, Moderator
Steptoe & Johnson / Washington, DC
Commissioner perspectives
The Hon. Sandy Jones
, Commissioner
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission / Santa Fe, NM
The Hon. Kara Brighton Fornstrom, Esq.
, Deputy Chair
Wyoming Public Service Commission / Cheyenne, WY
4:30 pm
Customer Preferences for Cleaner Power
Nevada: Legislative and policy initiatives to deregulate supply and allow customers to buy power on the open market
Frederick J. Schmidt, Esq.
Holland & Hart / Carson City, NV
5:00 pm
Continue the Exchange of Ideas: Reception for Faculty and Attendees
Sponsored by Holland & Hart LLP and Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
8:30 am
Customer Preferences (cont'd): The Push by Local Governments for Customer Choice
Utah: The State's exploration of options for a path towards a clean energy future ranging from community aggregation to acquisition of utility facilities
Gary A. Dodge, Esq.
Hatch James & Dodge / Salt Lake City, UT
Colorado: Update on the City of Boulder's ongoing effort to municipalize its electric distribution system
Tom Carr, Esq.
, City Attorney
City of Boulder / Boulder, CO
9:45 am
Customer/Utility Partnerships for Renewable Energy Projects
Key terms for creating win-win outcomes; drafting tips for getting the details right
Mark Valentine, Esq.
Keyes & Fox / Denver, CO
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
Regionalization of Market Operations: Expansion of ISO's, RTO's, and EIMs
Perspectives on how the politics and economics are working out; prospects for regional balancing of intermittent renewables so that they can take on more of the characteristics of base load generation; other key issues
Michelle Brandt King, Esq.
, Program Co-Chair, Moderator
Holland & Hart / Denver, CO
Don Fuller
, Director, Strategic Alliances
California ISO / Folsom, CA
Joseph P. Hoerner
, VP, Energy Supply Management
Pacific Power / Portland, OR
Paul Suskie, Esq.
, Executive VP, Regulatory and General Counsel
Southwest Power Pool / Little Rock, AR
Timothy B. Woolley, Esq.
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association / Westminster, CO
Stephen J. Beuning
, Director, Market Operations
Xcel Energy / Denver, CO
12:15 pm
Lunch (on your own)
1:30 pm
Getting Steel into the Ground for Transmission to California Markets
A regional look at the most contentious siting issues; impacts on developer access to financing; creative problem solving to move projects ahead
Alan J. Statman, Esq.
Al Statman LLC / Santa Fe, NM
Scott Medla
, Managing Partner
Ansonia Partners / New York, NY
Jason Smith
, President
TransCanyon LLC / Phoenix, AZ
Nann M. Winter, Esq.
Stelzner Winter Warburton Flores Sanchez Dawes / Albuquerque, NM
3:00 pm
Break
3:15 pm
Individual Customer Choice: Trends in Migration Away from Reliance on the Grid and the Impact on Ratemaking for Utilities
Innovative energy products and understanding customer behavior: Examples from the US
Derya Eryilmaz, Ph.D.
NERA Economic Consulting / Washington, DC
Addressing the economic impacts on grid operations: Trends in how regulatory commissions are pricing backup services and addressing stranded distribution costs; potential interplay with tax reductions for utilities in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Ahmad Faruqui, Ph.D.
, Principal
The Brattle Group / San Francisco, CA
4:30 pm
Evaluations and Adjourn
Faculty Bios
Michelle Brandt King, Program Co-Chair, is a partner at Holland & Hart. She industrial and commercial electric retail customers, independent power producers, renewable energy developers, and municipalities throughout the Mountain West.
Steve Michel,
Program Co-Chair, is Chief of Policy Development at Western Resource Advocates.
Marc L. Spitzer,
Program Co-Chair, is a partner at Steptoe & Johnson. He formerly served as a FERC commissioner and as chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Stephen J. Beuning
is Director, Market Operations for Xcel Energy and works on energy market design and wholesale energy market policy issues.
The Hon. Kara Brighton Fornstrom
is Deputy Chair of the Wyoming Public Service Commission.
Tom Carr
is the City Attorney for the City of Boulder, Colorado.
Judy Chang
of The Brattle Group is an energy economist and policy expert with a background in electrical engineering.
Patrick Cummins
is Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for New Energy Economy.
Gary A. Dodge,
a shareholder at Hatch James & Dodge, focuses on energy, regulatory and utility matters.
Derya Eryilmaz, Ph.D.,
NERA Economic Consulting, is an expert in probabilistic dynamic optimization techniques and applied econometrics modelling.
Ahmad Faruqui is a P
rincipal at The Brattle Group. He specializes in smart grid strategies involving the consumer.
Don Fuller
is Director of Strategic Alliances at the California ISO.
Thomas M. Hnasko
is a partner at Hinkle Shanor and focuses on natural resource and environmental issues.
Joseph P. Hoerner
is VP, Energy Supply Management for Pacific Power, a division of PacifiCorp.
William H. Holmes
is a partner at K&L Gates and focuses on renewable energy and infrastructure projects.
The Hon. Sandy Jones
is the Commissioner for the 5th District of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.
Suedeen G. Kelly,
partner at Jenner & Blockis a former FERC commissioner and Chair of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.
Matthew S. Larson
is a partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer and represents utilities.
Scott Medla
is Managing Partner at Ansonia Partners. Prior to founding Ansonia Partners, he founded TAG Energy.
Phillip G. Oldham
is the firm-wide Government and Regulatory Practice Leader for Thompson & Knight.
Frederick J. Schmidt,
partner at Holland & Hart, is a former Nevada Public Service Commissioner and Consumer Advocate.
Jason Smith is President of TransCanyon, President TransCanyon, a joint venture between Mid American Transmission and Bright Canyon Energy and General Manager, Bright Canyon Energy, an affiliate of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation.
Alan J. Statman,
Al Statman LLC, was a founder of Trans-Elect, Inc., North America's first independent transmission company.
Paul Suskie
is Executive VP, Regulatory and General Counsel for the Southwest Power Pool. Previously, he was Chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission.
Mark Valentine is a partner at Keyes & Fox. He formerly served as counsel to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
Nann M. Winter,
Stelzner Winter Warburton Flores Sanchez Dawes PA, focuses on the inter-relationship of incumbent utility practices and local government rights and powers.
Timothy B. Woolley
is an attorney for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.
Continuing Education Credits
Live credits: This program qualifies for 12.7 New Mexico and 12.75 Washington MCLE credits. Upon request, we will apply for, or help you apply for, CLE credits in other states and other types of credits.
Location
Hilton of Santa Fe Historic Plaza Hotel
100 Sandoval Street in Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 988-2811
The conference will be held at the Hilton of Santa Fe Historic Plaza Hotel at 100 Sandoval Street in Santa Fe, NM 87501. For reservations, call the hotel at (505) 988-2811 and tell them that you are attending a Law Seminars International conference to receive our courtesy rate of $200 per night.This is on a first-come/first-serve basis, so register early.
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Tuition
Regular tuition for in person or webcast attendance for this program is $1245 with a group rate of $1120 each for two or more registrants from the same firm. For government employees and Tribal members, we offer a special rate of $935. For students, people in their job for less than a year, and public interest NGO's, our rate is $622.50. All rates include admission to all seminar sessions, food and beverages at breaks, and all course materials. Materials will be available for download and review a few days before the seminar. Make checks payable to Law Seminars International."
" Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Contact our office for more information.
Cancellation & Substitution
You may substitute another person at any time. We will refund tuition, less a $50 cancellation fee, if we receive your cancellation by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. After that time, we will credit your tuition toward attendance at another program or the purchase of a webcast or audio replay.
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