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Jonathan A. Lesser, Bates White economist, to present at LSI energy regulation conference
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 9, 2007— Recent state-level efforts to reregulate the electricity industry will do more harm than good, according to Jonathan A. Lesser, Ph.D., Partner at Bates White, LLC, because such efforts are often the result of political deal making and inadequate or incorrect information, rather than being based on sound economic principles.
Lesser contends that harm to consumers and industry might be avoided, and greater benefits derived, if policy makers, advocacy groups, and consumers fully understood the economics of the electricity industry, including the key regulatory concepts of pricing, costs, and tariff and rate setting. Regulatory uncertainty, which has a highly negative impact on industry, and, hence, consumers, must be understood to be avoided.
To that end, Lesser will present “Economics and Energy Regulation: Implications and Challenges for the Electric and Natural Gas Industries” at Law Seminars International’s Third Annual Conference on Electricity & Natural Gas Markets and Regulation. The conference will be held in Washington, D.C., on March 15–16, 2007.
The current, highly complex, deregulated environment is evolving and will continue to present the electricity industry with economic challenges related to consumer demand, restrictions on access to capital markets, market power, investment in infrastructure (such as transmission lines and facilities), and other factors.
Lesser has more than 20 years experience working for electric utilities, government, and academia as an economic consultant. He has addressed major economic and regulatory policy issues affecting electric and natural gas utilities, ranging from market structure and operations to cost allocation, rate design, capital investment decision strategies and general regulatory policy. Lesser has testified before several state public utility commissions and before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In addition, he has testified in commercial litigation cases.
To view the conference agenda, visit http://www.lawseminars.com/frame_seminars.htm.
To download Lesser’s presentation, visit http://www.bateswhite.com/news/pdf/LSI_20070315.pdf.
About Bates White
Bates White is an economic consulting firm of more than 150 professionals. Established in 1999, Bates White offers consulting services in economics, finance, and business strategy. Bates White has offices in Washington, D.C., and San Diego, Calif.
www.bateswhite.com
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