Who We Are
  The
Interwest Energy Alliance brings together a unique mix
of industry and non-governmental advocacy groups, which
helps facilitate consensus-based approaches to new project
and transmission development throughout the West. Interwest's members
include:
About Us
Craig Cox
Executive Director
Craig Cox is executive director of the Interwest
Energy Alliance, a non-profit trade association that
represents the nation’s leading companies in the
renewable energy industry, bringing them together with
regional non-governmental organizations in the West
(Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and
Wyoming). Interwest performs outreach and
representational activities and seeks to build
collaborative, consensus-based approaches to new project
development and transmission siting throughout the West.
Cox has been active in renewable energy public policy
development since working for Congressman Dan Schaefer
in Washington, D.C., where he formed the U.S. House
Renewables and Energy Efficiency Caucus on Schaefer’s
behalf in 1996. Cox has been a member of various
Western Governors’ Association’s energy task forces in
recent years, along with other state and regional task
forces and working groups throughout the West. He
currently serves on the State of Colorado’s “Renewable
Energy Development Infrastructure” task force, which
seeks to advance utility-scale renewable energy through
the development of technical, financial and policy
frameworks. In 2005, Cox received
a “Wind Advocacy Award” from the American Wind Energy
Association and in 2007 the Colorado Environmental
Coalition’s “Conservation Award.” In 2008, Cox received
the first annual “Governor’s Excellence in Renewable
Energy” individual award from Colorado Governor Bill
Ritter.
Amanda Ormond
Southwestern
Representative
Amanda Ormond, Interwest’s southwestern
representative, is principal of the Ormond Group, a
consulting firm specializing in energy and environmental
project management, community and government relations
and policy development. She has 20 years of experience
in both government and the private sector in the energy
efficiency, renewable energy and the environmental
management fields. In the mid 1980’s, Ormond worked for
an environmental consulting firm on groundwater
pollution investigation and remediation. In 1987, she
joined the Arizona Department of Commerce’s Energy
Division. In 1995 she was appointed Energy Director,
where she served until 2001. She was responsible for
setting policy and managing a staff of 20 and an annual
budget of $10 million in energy efficiency, conservation
and renewable energy. In 2001 she launched the Ormond
Group to provide energy consulting services to
government, businesses and not-for-profit organizations.
Ronald L. Lehr
Consultant
Ronald L. Lehr practices law and consults clients
about energy regulation and business matters. Current
assignments include work for the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory on the DOE program "Wind Powering
America,” for the American Wind Energy Association on
transmission issues for wind energy, and for Resolve,
Inc. on the National Wind Coordinating Committee. He
also works for national trade organizations and private
firms on renewable energy policies and commercialization
strategies. He appears as an expert witness, sponsoring
testimony in utility merger, anti-trust, and government
claim litigation. He served for seven years from 1984 to
1991 as Chairman and Commissioner of the Colorado Public
Utilities Commission. He serves on corporate and
foundation boards of directors and boards of advisors.
He has completed terms as an appointed member of panels
charged to make recommendations on electric industry
restructuring and transmission needs to the Colorado
General Assembly, and as President and Commissioner of
the Denver Board of Water Commissioners, the water
utility for Denver and surrounding suburban areas.
Lisa Tormoen Hickey
Colorado Co-counsel; Wyoming Counsel
A member of the Colorado and Wyoming bars, Lisa has
practiced law for over 20 years, and in recent years her
practice has grown in the areas of commercial real
estate transactions and business formation and
management, and mergers and acquisitions. She especially
enjoys counseling clients related to projects in which
they are actively involved as their primary means of
support because she can help her clients preserve the
results of their business acumen, personal contacts, and
hard work.
Carl E. Hunt
Consultant
Carl E. Hunt is a consulting economist specializing
in public utility regulation and antitrust issues,
primarily in the areas of energy and telecommunications.
Dr. Hunt received a Ph.D. in economics from the
University of Colorado at Boulder with a major field in
industrial organization and public utility regulation.
Prior to opening a consulting practice, he was Chief
Economist for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission
where he was responsible for forecasting the demand for
electricity and natural gas for the state of Colorado.
Additionally, Dr. Hunt has been involved in assisting
public utility commissions in setting electric power
prices and rate structures. Dr. Hunt’s work also
includes environmental issues relating to the building
of electric power plants and the production of
electricity. He helped develop national and state
legislation and rules to implement PURPA, demand side
management and integrated resource planning for electric
utilities. Dr. Hunt has testified before public utility
commissions numerous times and written a number of
articles relating to energy issues.
Interwest Energy Alliance: Legislative
Representation
The Interwest Energy Alliance is represented in the
Colorado and New Mexico legislatures by talented
and experienced governmental relations teams in each
state.
Colorado
Chuck Malick is a veteran lobbyist at the Colorado
State Capitol. For the last twenty years Chuck has
worked on issues related to clean air, clean water, and
energy. In 1986 Chuck began lobbying for the Colorado
Public Interest Research Group and was soon embroiled in
the passage of the Colorado Safe Drinking Water Act. As
renewable energy and the over-reliance on fossil fuels
became centerpieces of Colorado public policy debates,
Chuck became active in legislative issues related to
finding new energy solutions and mitigating the damage
caused by current extractive energy practices. Chuck’s
lobbying organization, CNM Enterprises, is a mission
based firm that focuses on progressive environmental,
health, and public education issues.
New Mexico
In the New Mexico legislature, Interwest is
represented by Drew Setter & Associates, an
Albuquerque-based national government and public
relations firm that has extensive experience at all
levels of government. The firm’s principal, Drew
Setter, has more than ten years of political and
legislative experience at the federal, state, and local
levels working on economic development, taxation,
education, and other policy areas in the public and
private sectors.
Utah
Jerold G. Oldroyd, a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP in
Salt Lake City, has many years of experience in the
lobbying and government relations area. He has assisted
in the passage of legislation and participated in
numerous hearings before administrative and regulatory
agencies on a variety of matters, including technology,
financial institutions, and communications. He was
involved in drafting, negotiating, and securing the
passage of the Utah Venture Capital Enhancement
Act, which attracts venture capital markets to assist
Utah-based early-stage ventures.
Wyoming
Scott Zimmerman has extensive experience
working with legislators and policy makers in Wyoming.
Beginning in 1984, he has represented a number of
interests on natural resource, water, taxation and
insurance issues. He has authored a number of
white papers and participated in various forums to
promote renewable energy. Scott has assisted in
drafting and worked to pass legislation to form the
Wyoming Infrastructure Authority as well as the School
of Energy Resources at UW. He has a good knowledge
of Wyoming’s vast energy resource and understands the
challenges faced in development.
Interwest Energy Alliance:
2010 Board of Directors
- Eric Blank, Community Energy
- Paul Bowman, E.ON Climate & Renewables
- Seth Dunn, GE Energy
- Tanuj Deora, Horizon Wind Energy
- Hans Detweiler, American Wind Energy
Association
- Rick Gilliam, SunEdison
- Keith Jenkins, NextEra Energy Resources
- Carey Kling, RES Americas
- Nicholas Lenssen, Vestas
- Kevin Lynch, Iberdrola Renewables
- Edward Maddox, AES Wind Generation
- John Nielsen, Western Resource Advocates
- Barbara O'Neill, enXco
- Steve Thomas, Sierra Club
- Darrel Thorson, BP Alternative Energy
- Jerry Vaninetti, NextEra Energy Resources
- V. John White, CEERT
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