Hybrid Event - Choose participation type at
registration. Online registration is closed. Walk-ins are welcome and
you can register at the door.
Please join us for the 2024 Public Utilities Section Annual Energy Institute on "A Changing Community
Landscape in the Energy Transition"! This is a hybrid event but we encourage everyone to attend
in person if possible to network with your colleagues.
Lunch will be provided for those attending in person.
Special meal requests must be received no later than April 24th.
SCHEDULE:
8:30 am | Registration Opens
9:00 – 9:30 am | Keynote Speaker, Matt Schuerger
Matt is
the President of Boreal Energy Strategies LLC and is a Senior Fellow at the
Energy Systems Integration Group, a nonprofit educational organization whose
mission is to chart the future of grid transformation and support progress that
is economic, reliable, sustainable, thoughtful, and collaborative. He has
thirty-five years of experience in the energy industry as a regulator, senior
manager, and professional engineer. For the past eight years, Schuerger
was a Commissioner of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, where he
focused on affordable, reliable, resilient utility service that is increasingly
clean and sustainable. He has provided key state, regional, and national
leadership on reliability, integrated planning, and distributed energy
resources. Schuerger earned a MS in Electrical Engineering from the
University of Minnesota, a MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a BS in
Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
9:30 – 10:30 am | Session I: Tribal Cultural Resources and
Energy Siting / Permitting
With eleven federally recognized American
Indian tribes located in Minnesota, Tribal Nations will be an important partner
in facilitating Minnesota’s Energy Transition. What issues are the most
important to these sovereign nations and the communities they serve? What is the
role of siting and permitting of energy projects on or near tribal lands, and
how can the siting and permitting process lead to partnerships among all
stakeholders with an interest in these projects?
Moderator: Shubha
Harris, Equitable Policy & Affordability Consultant, Fresh
Energy
Panelists: Kelly Applegate, Commissioner of Natural Resources, Mille
Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Heather Westra, Consultant to the Prairie Island Indian
Community; Charley Bruce, Public Engagement and Tribal Affairs Manager,
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
10:30 – 11:30 am | Session II: Underserved Communities and the
Energy Transition
The current transformation of the energy sector
provides an opportunity to learn from the past and ensure that more voices and
perspectives are heard as an energy project proceeds through a commission
docket. What are some of the unique perspectives of underserved communities?
What are some strategies for engaging underserved communities to assist in a
docket? Learn about successful approaches to engaging communities from across
the country.
Speakers: Lisbeth Bouchelle and Matthew Rolnick, Public
Participation Office, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Session III: Host Communities and the Energy
Transition
A changing energy landscape will have major impacts –
some potentially positive and some potentially negative – on communities across
Minnesota. How do we ensure that the reverberations of the energy transition
help those communities who currently host retiring infrastructure, and how do we
ensure that new host communities don’t inequitably spread the benefits and costs
of new projects?
Moderator: Commissioner John Tuma, Minnesota Public
Utilities Commission
Panelists: Tamara Lowney, President & CEO, Itasca
Economic Development Corporation; Jennifer Cady, Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, Minnesota Power; Shane
Zahrt – Senior Attorney and Lobbyist at Flaherty/Hood; Carla
Vita – Director of Minnesota Energy Transition Office
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm | Networking and
Lunch
CLE Credits: 3.5 CLE credits, inluding 1.0
Elimination of Bias CLE Credit applied for | Event Code: 503938
Cost:
Public Utilities Section Member: $25
Member, not in
the Public Utilities Section: $35
Non-Member: $45
Law Student & New Admittee: FREE
Registration Deadline: April 24, 2024. To register after that time, email the program manager.
Remote Participation: Remote instructions will be
emailed to you the day before the program.
Program Manager: Tram Nguyen | tnguyen@mnbars.org |
612-278-6316
Payments/Cancellations: Please register online or over the phone by credit card
whenever possible. If you must pay by check, please use this registration
form. Need to cancel? Please see our cancellation
policy .
Accommodations: We are
committed to creating an inclusive environment in which all members can
participate fully. If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in this
event, please notify the program manager with at least 72 hours notice prior to
the meeting to allow sufficient time to make arrangements for accommodations.
Thank you.