Michael Alexander, Inspirational Speaker, Speech Coach Keynotes, Energy Economics, Professional Witness, Credibility Expert, On-line Presenter

Michael Alexander, Ph.D.



SUMMARY

Market Economist with a wide range of experience in Regulatory Proceedings from both a policy and technical perspective in Natural Gas and Electricity. Experienced writer and presenter. I have appeared as a professional witness and/or performed analysis in the following areas:

 




 
Regulatory Review of Gas Projects:

o Cost Allocation o Market Design o Price/Demand Issues
o Gas Storage expansion o Energy Procurement o Transmission and Distribution
o Market Power Analysis o Market Design o Pipeline Safety


Electric
 
o Electric Market Design o Ancillary Services o Price/Demand Issues
o Energy Efficiency o Energy Modeling o Gas/Electric Coordination


Other
 
o Writing and Presentation o Professional Witness o Negotiation





ALEXANDER ECONOMICS 2015 to Present
Independent Consultant

Economic consulting and professional witness work on various regulated utility matters


SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON (SCE) 1998 to 2015
Manager: Energy Projects

Managed Company Intervention in Natural Gas Proceedings before the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and the Federal Energy Commission, (FERC) including analyzing filings and positions, building coalitions, writing and delivering Testimony

Natural Gas Restructuring

o Developed a coalition to build a proposal incorporating dramatic change to firm access transmission and storage rights for Natural Gas into the SoCalGas system
o Wrote and sponsored testimony on the proposal
o Quoted frequently in the final Decisions of the CPUC - Resulting in several successful decisions
o Recommended changes to SCE's purchased to handle the newly restructured environment

System Expansion Issues

o Examined the need for expansion of natural gas storage and transmission expansion
o Successfully negotiated storage expansion policy and cost allocation with the Gas Company, including an allocation of storage inventory and injection capacity to different customers
o Provided an accurate analysis of the need for expansion of the system to handle LNG
o Wrote and sponsored testimony of the two expansions
o Oversaw SCE's involvement in storage field Expansion in PG&E and other jurisdictions

Anti-Trust Issues

o Co-Managed a successful anti-trust complaint against El Paso at the FERC for over $1B
o Negotiated the SCE/SoCalGas Omnibus Settlement of several disputed issues including anti-trust violations and served at SCE's witness on the matter in our successful application before the CPUC

Cost and Operational Issues
o Negotiated allocation of costs between customer classes to the benefit of electric rate payers
o Successfully testified in favor of off-system deliveries on the SoCalGas system
o Reviewed Greenhouse Gas, Biomethane, LNG and other gas quality issues and their effect on electric generation in California
o Recommended Changes to SoCalGas' policies for handling over and underdeliveries
o Participated in development of Independent System Operator (ISO) policies for Interstate sales of electricity, integration of renewable generation, etc.


MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE 1990 to 1998
Senior Energy Economist

o Developed and ran an integrated model of statewide use of energy (all fuel types) and the Gross State Product by sector.

o Examined the effectiveness of various energy conservation efforts. Developed rules for market expansion. Testified in over 100 proceedings before the Public Utility Commission

Energy Modeling
o Developed historical database of Statewide energy used
o Forecasted Fuel Prices under base case and alternative policy scenarios including an analysis of the effects on the state economy

Policy Development
o Evaluated the effect of energy policy on the state's economy, and vice versa, permitting more informed policy decisions
o Developed Gas and Electric Integrated Resource Planning models for the state
o Wrote the rules for expansion of gas utilities into previously unserved serve areas

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Toastmasters International, Distinguished Toastmaster
o Area Governor of the Year in 2006
o Master of Ceremonies, and contest chair for more than 20 contests
o Served as mentored to the individuals in several clubs
o Organized, recruited and founded three different clubs
o Chief Judge for the Founder's District

Teaching o Taught Economics at the undergraduate and graduate level at five colleges
o Coach an award winning middle school Mock Trial team
o Tutor FBLA students in public speaking and business math

EDUCATION

o B. A. Economics and Mathematics - Cornell University
o M. A. Economics - Washington University
o Ph. D. Economics - University of Minnesota

RATE CASE TESTIMONY

Southern California Gas Company's 2011 Triennial Cost Allocation Proceeding before the California PUC, Docket No. A.11-11-002, Case Manager, co-negotiator for Southern California Edison (also wrote testimony presented by the witnesses)

San Diego Gas & Electric/Southern California Gas Company's Firm Access Rights Update Application before the California PUC, Docket No. 10-03-028, Policy Witness for Southern California Edison

San Diego Gas & Electric/Southern California Gas Company's Off-System Delivery Application before the California PUC, Docket No. A. 08-06-006, Witness for Southern California Edison

Southern California Gas Company's 2008 Biennial Cost Allocation Proceeding before the California PUC, Docket No. A.08-02-001 Principal Witness for Southern California Edison in both Phase I and Phase II of the Proceeding

Southern California Edison/Southern California Gas Omnibus Proceeding before the California PUC, Docket No. A 06-08-026, Rebuttal witness for Southern California Edison

San Diego Gas & Electric/Southern California Gas Company's System Integration and Firm Access Rights Proceeding before the California PUC, Docket No A. 04-12-004, General witness for Southern California Edison in both Phase I and Phase II of the Proceeding

Southern California Gas Company's 1999 Biennial Cost Allocation Proceeding before the California PUC, Docket No. A.98-10-012, General Witness for Southern California Edison

Northern States Power's 1992 Gas Rate Case before the Minnesota PUC, Docket No. G002/GR-92-1186, Forecasting Witness for the Minnesota Department of Public Service

Minnegasco's 1993 Gas Rate Case before the Minnesota PUC, Docket No. G008/GR-93-1090, Forecasting Witness for the Minnesota Department of Public Service

Interstate Power's 1995 Gas Rate Case before the Minnesota PUC, Docket No. G002/GR-95-406, Forecasting Witness for the Minnesota Department of Public Service

Minnegasco's 1995 Gas Rate Case before the Minnesota PUC, Docket No. G002/GR-95-700, Forecasting Witness for the Minnesota Department of Public Service

Northern States Power's 1997 Gas Rate Case before the Minnesota PUC, Docket No. G002/GR-97-1606, Forecasting Witness for the Minnesota Department of Public Service

Lakehead Pipeline Company's 1998 Certificate of Need for Increased Capacity, PL9/CN-98-327, Forecasting Witness for the Minnesota Department of Public Service



MAJOR PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS:

The Effect of Changes in Technology of Derived Demand: The Takeback Effect in Energy Conservation Programs, University of Minnesota, Ph.D. Dissertation, December 1997

"The Effect of Green Taxes and Carbon Tax Shifting on the State of Minnesota," Report to the Minnesotan's for an Energy Efficient Economy, International Journal of Public Administration, v.22, no.6, 1999

"Impacts of the Clinton Plan on Minnesota: A Preliminary Analysis," The 1993 Energy 2020 Users Conference, Ottawa, Canada, June 1993

"Hard Choices for Minnesota: The Use of Energy 2020 in Policy Planning," The 1992 Energy 2020 Users Conference, Atlanta GA, September 1992

"Transportation and Energy," Center for Urban Transportation Conference, St. Paul MN, June 1992

"The Effect of a Carbon Tax on the State of Minnesota," Minnesota Department of Public Service, February 1992

"An Empirical Evaluation into the Validity of Technical Charting Techniques," a VARMA investigation of what predictive information is presented by the addition of high and low price, volume and open interest data to the information given by closing price. Presented at the 1982 International Time Series Modeling Conference, Cincinnati OH, 1982

"On Application of Economic Studies to Evolution Modeling" an interdisciplinary application of models originally developed for economics to the field of biology. Presented at University of Missouri St. Louis and at Washington University, 1978

1996 Energy Policy and Conservation Report, Minnesota Department of Public Service, July, 1996

1992 Energy Policy and Conservation Report, Minnesota Department of Public Service, November, 1992

Minnesota State Energy Data Book, Minnesota Department of Public Service, 1991, 1994

CRICKET GRAPH a training manual for a graphics software package for the Macintosh, 1990

Minnesota/Wisconsin Power Suppliers Group Advance Forecast Review, for 1990, 1991, and 1992