Speaking on Energy

Economics Professor Robert Michaels Testifies Before House Subcommittee

June 22, 2010

By Pamela McLaren

Robert J. Michaels, Professor of Economics

Robert J. Michaels, professor of economics and an expert on electrical energy, spoke June 16 before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.

The focus of the hearing, “Real-Time Forecasting for Renewable Energy Development,” was to examine "the roles that various federal agencies, as well as the private sector, play in providing forecasting data and services relevant to expanding the availability of reliable, renewable power and the extent to which these efforts are coordinated,” according to Brian Baird, subcommittee chairman.

Michaels has spoken before several state and federal commissions regarding the electrical industry, including a 2009 appearance before the same subcommittee. In 2007, he spoke at a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conference on market monitoring, where he addressed the development of the concept and function of marketing monitoring by the commission. That same year, Michaels spoke at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s fifth annual policy orientation for the Texas Legislature.

He also has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Power, California Public Utilities Commission, Illinois Commerce Commission, California Energy Commission and the Superior Court of California.

A senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research, Michaels is a member of the Registry of Independent Scientific and Technical Advisors at Duke University Law School and co-editor of Contemporary Economic Policy. He has served as an energy consultant and authored numerous articles on the electricity and natural gas industries, including an Oct. 20, 2008, opinion piece “Opposing View: Renewables Aren’t the Answer” for USA Today.

Related Audio:

Listen to an interview with Michaels that aired on KBPK’s “California Commerce.”