Jon Wellinghoff

Immediate past Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Jon Wellinghoff is an internationally recognized energy law attorney and clean tech energy expert. He is co-chair of the Stoel Rives energy team.

Jon has nearly 38 years of leadership experience in federal and state energy policy, regulation, and project development. He has particular expertise in emerging clean tech energy system development, including systems for renewable energy production, smart grid, energy storage, energy efficiency, demand response, and energy infrastructure security, including cyber security.

The longest serving chair of the FERC, Jon was first nominated to be a FERC Commissioner in 2006 by President George W. Bush. He was reappointed to the Commission in 2008. In March of 2009 he was named Chairman by President Barack Obama.

Previously, Jon founded and led the Beckley Singleton, Chtd. Sustainable Energy and Clean Tech Division (2000-2006). His clients included the U.S. Navy, MGM Resorts, Powerlight (later acquired by SunPower Corporation), Ormat, and U.S. Geothermal, among others.

He served as General Counsel at the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (1998-2000), and served two terms as the State of Nevada’s first Advocate for Customers of Public Utilities. As Consumer Advocate, he authored the first comprehensive state utility integrated planning statute. That statute became a model for utility integrated planning processes across the country. He was also the primary author of the groundbreaking Nevada Renewable Portfolio Standard Act and was one of the lead participants in developing the regulations to implement the law. He went on to assist six other states with the development of renewable portfolio standards.

During his FERC tenure, Jon worked to make the U.S. power grid cleaner and more efficient, integrating emerging resources such as renewable energy and demand response, including energy efficiency and local storage systems such as those in plug-in hybrid and all electric vehicles.

He championed the agency’s landmark Order 1000 which required grid planners and public utilities to coordinate regional power line projects and encouraged the integration of solar and wind installations. As Chairman, he also created FERC’s Office of Energy Policy and Innovation, which is responsible for investigating and promoting new efficient technologies and practices in the energy sectors under FERC’s jurisdiction, and oversaw development of the National Assessment of Demand Response Potential and the National Action Plan for Demand Response.

Jon has written and lectured extensively on numerous subjects related to energy policy and practice, including renewable project development and renewable portfolio standards; smart grid and integration of electric vehicles and consumer appliances into the grid; demand response and distributed generation; efficient energy market structures; and development of licensing and hydrokinetic systems.

Professional Honors

Award of Appreciation, Marshall University College of Business, 2013
Solar Champion Award, Vote Solar Initiative, 2013
Green Power Leadership Award, Center for Resource Solutions, 2013
Clean Power Champion Award, Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technology, 2013
Bernard H. Falk Award for Outstanding Achievement, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, 2012
Demand Response and Smart Grid Leadership Award, Demand Response Coordinating Committee, 2009
Special Achievement Award, Greater Vermont Law School Alumni Association, 2009
Charles H. Percy Award for Public Service, Alliance to Save Energy, 2008
Thought Leadership Award, EnerNOC, 2008
Leadership in Demand Response Award, U.S. Demand Response Coordinating Committee, 2007

Professional Activities

Co-Chair, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission/ National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Demand Response Collaborative (renamed “Sunday Morning Collaborative), 2006-current
Co-Chair, German Marshall Fund Work Group on U.S./European Utility Business Models, 2012-current
Member, Committee on Energy Resources and Environment, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, 2006-current
Member, Advisory Committee of the Institute for Electric Efficiency, 2007-current
Co-Chair, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission/ National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Smart Response Collaborative
Member, American Solar Energy Society, 1981-current
Co-Chair, FERC/EPRI Transmission Technology Forum, 2008-2010
Advisor, U.S. Department of Defense Science Board’s Energy Policy Task Force, 2006-2007
Advisor, Energy Foundation and NRDC on China-U.S. Energy Policy, 2007-current
Board Member, Desert Research Institute Green Power Program, 2000-2006

Presentations

Jon has lectured extensively on subjects related to energy policy and practice. He has been a speaker and panelist at dozens of leading energy conferences, including Solar Power International, Platts Global Power Markets, MIT Energy Conference, Bloomberg News Energy Finance Summit, PowerGEN International, Deloitte Energy Conference, Edison Foundation’s “Powering the People Conference” and Washington Clean Energy Roundtable. He has also testified numerous times before the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in his capacity as FERC Chairman and Commissioner.

Recent and upcoming presentations include:

Keynote Speaker, “The Comparative Ethical and Professional Challenges Facing International Construction Lawyers,” The Construction SuperConference 2013, San Francisco, California, Dec. 11, 2013
Panelist, “Fireside Chat: Tomorrow’s Utility in a Distributed Generation World,” U.S. Solar Market Insight Conference, San Diego, California, Dec. 10, 2013
Guest Speaker with Greentech Media’s Energy Gang, “East vs. West: How Does East Coast Solar Really Stack Up?,” Solar Focus 2013, Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2013
Panelist, “Exploring Opportunities in Solar,” Solar Power International, Chicago, Illinois, Oct. 23, 2013
Keynote Speaker, The National Summit on Integrating Energy Efficiency & Smart Grid, Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, 2013
Keynote Speaker, Energy Investment Summit, New York, New York, Oct. 3, 2013
Keynote Speaker, Renewable Energy Markets Conference, Austin, Texas, Sept. 22, 2013
Panelist, “Energy Infrastructure and Power Pathways: Shared Experiences in the United States and Europe,” Environmental and Energy Study Institute Briefing, Washington, D.C., Sept. 12, 2013
Keynote Speaker, National Clean Energy Summit, Las Vegas, Nevada, Aug. 13, 2013
Panelist, “Crystal Ball: Navigating the Waters of a Maturing Industry,” Renewable Energy Finance Forum, New York, New York, June 26, 2013

Publications

Co-author, “The Cashback Car,” Plug-in Electric Vehicles, Brookings Institution, Jan. 2009
Co-author, “Facilitating Hydrokinetic Energy Development Through Regulatory Innovation,” Energy Law Journal, Nov. 2008
“Creating Regulatory Structures for Robust Demand Response Participation in Organized Wholesale Electric Markets,” 2008 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficient Buildings, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Aug. 2008
“FERC Commissioners Comment on Hydro,” Hydro Review Magazine, June 2008
Co-author, “Recognizing the Importance of Demand Response: The Second Half of the Wholesale Electric Market Equation,” Energy Law Journal, Nov. 2007
“Dropping Your Load to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint,” San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 2007
Co-author, “Rebirth of Utility DSM Programs in Nevada,” 2004 ACEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Aug. 2004
Co-author, “Boosting Renewables for a Brighter Future,” Geothermal Bulletin, Nov./Dec. 2003

Education

Antioch School of Law, Washington, D.C., J.D., 1975
Howard University, Washington, D.C., M.A.T., Mathematics, 1972
University of Nevada, B.S., Mathematics, 1971

Admissions

Nevada