Thelen Lands Top Public Utilities Commission Lawyer

SAN FRANCISCO (Aug. 6, 2007)Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP announced today that Peter Allen, a senior attorney and former administrative law judge at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), has joined the firm's Energy, Utility, and Infrastructure practice in San Francisco.

Mr. Allen has extensive contacts within the regulatory arena and substantial experience on issues affecting renewable energy. Given the importance of regulatory issues to renewable and other emerging energy technologies, the firm's clients will receive exceptional benefits from Mr. Allen's expertise.

Mr. Allen's broad experience is invaluable to clients facing regulatory and environmental issues.

He represents clients in proceedings before the CPUC and other agencies, primarily in the areas of energy, renewable and alternative energy, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As an Administrative Law Judge, Mr. Allen is known for his work on high-profile energy policy proceedings, many on expedited schedules, including allocation of $30 billion in electricity contract costs, implementation of California's Renewables Portfolio Standard, utility asset sales and leases, and siting of electric transmission lines and substations.

As the CPUC's lead CEQA attorney, Mr. Allen advised the proper application of CEQA to major energy and telecommunications projects, including electric transmission lines, long-distance fiber optic cables, and the proposed sale of PG&E's hydroelectric system and watershed lands.

In addition to his CEQA work, Mr. Allen represented witnesses before legislative committees, negotiated settlements of complex electricity proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory...