Deadline to Register: Friday, April 15, 2016
Decisions made at the Public
Utilities Commission can have a profound impact on low-income households and
communities when addressing issues such as siting facilities and
ratemaking. Low-income communities can easily be underserved because they
often lack a seat at the table. Ron Elwood will moderate a panel of two
experienced consumer protection advocates, Pam Marshall and Paula Maccabee, who
will describe the challenges facing low-income households and address some of
the unconscious assumptions and potential biases that may exist among
practitioners and decision-makers. This CLE will not address open dockets.
Please join us for lunch beginning at Noon, followed
by the program from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Box lunches will be
provided. Special meal requests need to be received no later than Friday,
April 15.
Presenters:
Ron
Elwood is the Supervising Attorney at the Legal Services Advocacy
Project, a statewide division of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. He supervises a
team of attorneys who advocate on behalf of low-income Minnesotans at the State
Capitol and before administrative agencies regarding, among other areas, energy
and telecommunications law. Before joining Legal Aid, Ron worked in
management positions at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and the
New York State Public Service Commission, as a consultant on energy matters for
the Minnesota State Legislature. Ron earned his J.D. from William Mitchell
College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law) in St. Paul, Minnesota, and
was admitted to the Minnesota Bar in October of that same year. Ron also
graduate degrees from New York University and the University of Southern
California, and an undergraduate degree from Queens College of the City
University of New York.
Pam Marshall has
directed Energy CENTS Coalition for 24 years. She has designed and
implemented several low income utility bill-payment and conservation programs,
intervened in numerous utility rate cases and other regulatory proceedings, and
has worked to pass several utility consumer protection statutes. The
Coalition’s advocacy efforts include leveraging $200 million in
utility-sponsored bill-payment and conservation assistance programs.
Currently, the Coalition administers affordability and conservation programs for
both Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy, including the first conservation
program to specifically assist low-income renters.
Paula Goodman
Maccabee is a graduate of Amherst College (1977) and Yale University
Law School (1981) with 35 years of experience in public interest law. Paula has
represented clients, including Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota,
Midtown Greenway Coalition, Sierra Club and WaterLegacy, seeking protection of
minority, tribal and low-income communities from disparate impacts of regulatory
decisions on environmental health and environmental justice. Named as one of
Minnesota Lawyer’s 2010 “Attorneys of the Year,” Paula recently received the
Harvey G. Rogers Environmental Health Leadership Award from the Minnesota Public
Health Association for her lifetime work to protect environmental
health.
CLE Credit:
1.0 Elimination of Bias credit approved
| Event Code:
218548
Cost:
Public
Utilities Law Section Member: $10.00
MSBA Member not in the section: $15.00
Non-Member: $15.00
Law Student: Free
Join the Public Utilities Law Section: $32.00 MSBA members who are not members of the Public Utilities Law Section can join the section & attend this CLE for FREE. Click here to add the section to your membership
and then contact Shawn
Carlson to register for this meeting at no charge.
Remote Participation:
Teleconferencing/webcasting are NOT available.
Want more information about the Public Utilities Section?
To register with a check, please mail in this registration form.
Need to cancel? Please see our cancellation policy.
Questions? Contact Shawn Carlson |
612-278-6305