Attorney to join panel discussion on economic regulatory policy

Plunkett Cooney senior environmental law attorney Saulius Mikalonis will be among the featured thought leaders at the 2016 Michigan Forum on Economic Regulatory Policy. The one-day conference, which will be held on Feb. 26 at Michigan State University's Kellogg Center in East Lansing, is designed by the Institute of Public Utilities (IPU) for the Michigan Public Service Commission, the Michigan State Legislature, the Offices of the Governor and Attorney General, consumer and environmental advocates, utility industry representatives, and others interested in Michigan regulatory policy. Mikalonis will be featured on the Analyst and Advocate Perspectives panel, which will also include the following experts: - Dr. Janice Beecher, director, IPU-MSU, moderator - Sarah Mullkoff, energy program director, Michigan Environmental Council - Douglas Jester, principal, 5 Lakes Energy The conference kicks off at 8:45 a.m. with a status report on energy policy and the electricity markets presented by Dr. Kenneth Rose, an independent consultant and IPU senior fellow. His update will be followed by a plenary session, titled: "Energy Transformation National and State Policy Perspectives." Following lunch, the conference continues with the afternoon featuring three ­consecutive panel discussions on a range of topics lending perspectives on clean, reliable and affordable energy infrastructure. The cost to attend the conference for members of the private sector is $120. The fee for the nonprofit sector is $40 per person. Attendance is free to all Michigan legislative and Public Service Commission staff. The IPU supports informed, effective and efficient regulation of the infrastructure-intensive network industries providing vital utility services. The IPU fulfills its mission by providing to the regulatory policy community integrative and interdisciplinary educational programs and applied research on the institutions, theory and practice of modern utility regulation. Mikalonis is a senior attorney in Plunkett Cooney's Bloomfield Hills office, and he leads the firm's Environment, Energy and Resources Law Industry Group. He advises clients and represents their interests in litigation and administrative hearings on issues related to environmental liability and compliance, natural resources and energy law with particular emphasis on greenhouse gases, renewable energy and green building/LEED. In addition, Mikalonis represents clients in commercial and real estate transactions involving the development of Brownfields and otherwise environmentally-sensitive sites. He also assists clients with completing due diligence in complex transactions, including the identification, allocation and reduction of environmental risks. A prolific "green" blogger, Mikalonis writes about sustainability issues, alternative energy and environmental law for Crain's Detroit Business, one of Metropolitan Detroit's leading business news publications. His "Essential Environment & Energy Blog" posts can also be found at http://www.plunkettcooney.com/blogs-environmentalandenergylawblog. Published: Thu, Feb 25, 2016