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State Action on Utility Disconnection Protections
Event Summary
This virtual webinar will focus on recent modifications to state disconnection protections to respond to an increased understanding on utility disconnection and climate change realities. Panelists will discuss the current landscape of policies designed to protect customers from electric utility disconnections, recent state activities surrounding disconnection protections, recent national activities related to utility disconnections and energy insecurity, and specific details on how one state has recently revised their policies to be more responsive to climate-related heat risks and to protect more vulnerable populations. The webinar will field Q&A following brief presentations from each of the panelists.
David Konisky
Lynton K. Caldwell Professor, O’Neill School of Public and Environmental AffairsDavid Konisky is a professor at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and a co-director of the Energy Justice Lab. His research focuses on U.S. environmental policy and politics.
Irene Shin
Delegate, Virginia House of DelegatesIrene Shin is a delegate for the Virginia House of Delegates. She servers as vice chair of the House of Communications, Technology and Innovation Committee and as subcommittee chair of the Virginia House Counties Cities and Towns Committee.
Shelby Green
Research Fellow, Energy and Policy InstituteShelby Green is a Research Fellow with the Energy and Policy Institute. Her work focuses on tracking investor-owned utilities in the Southeast and their compliance with (or resistance to) state-mandated decarbonization goals.
Charlie Harak
Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law CenterCharlie Harak is senior attorney for energy and utilities issues. He represents consumers before regulatory agencies, testifies at legislative hearings, and provides legal and policy council to low-income advocates, legal services lawyers, and government officials.
Sanya Carley
Mark Alan Hughes Faculty DirectorSanya Carley is the Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director of the Kleinman Center and Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy and City Planning at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.
Alison Knasin
Lab Manager, Energy Justice LabAlison Knasin is the lab manager of the Energy Justice Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, and also holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Chemistry from Boston University.
