EPISODE 6

Regulators and Utilities:

Driving Savings, Safety and Satisfaction for Ratepayers through Technology Enabled Vegetation Management

September 26, 2023 | 11:00 AM EDT | 08:00 AM PDT

Despite spending $10 billion (U.S.) annually on vegetation management, vegetation-related damages from wildfires, storms and outages have continued to grow, and regulators are under increasing pressure from the public to ensure that utilities deliver improved performance and controlled costs.

This has put the industry is at a crossroads. Now is the time to address the growing risks associated with vegetation management by ensuring that utilities are using data-driven approaches and new technologies like GPS, LiDAR, satellite, and AI to maintian their systems.

You will learn:

  • How your region’s practices compare to other leading regulators with regard to innovative technologies.
  • How to transition utilities into data-driven operations.
  • How to implement new tech — satellite, LiDAR, AI — to improve service delivery while keeping power safe and reliable.
  • Ways to work with neighboring regulatory bodies to ensure effective region-wide policies.
  • Where to find new research and forums that can offer best practice guidance.

Save Your Seat

Host: Gary Huntley

VP of Distribution Services (Ret.),
Entergy Corporation

See Gary's Bio

Gary Huntley

Former VP, Distribution Services,
Entergy
Gary Huntley is a retired executive with over 32 years in the energy sector. He retired as Vice President of Distribution Services for Entergy Services, in 2021. During his time at Entergy, he led an organization of 400 employees across Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. Gary holds a BS in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University and an MBA from Tulane University.

Guest: Prof. Lawrence J. Kahn

Director,
Tulane University Law School UVMI

See Lawrence's Bio

Lawrence J. Kahn​

Director, UVMI & Distinguished Research Fellow
Tulane University Law School
Lawrence J. Kahn is the Director of the Tulane Law School Utility Vegetation Management Initiative and is a Distinguished Research Fellow at Tulane University Law School. In civilian work for the U.S. Army, he was certified as a Contracting Officer’s Representative to negotiate and enforce government contracts, and protect Army air, water, and land resources. He received his B.A. in Ancient Studies from Columbia University in 1992 and his J.D. from Tulane University Law School in 1995. He practiced law in New York City for more than 20 years, and, as an entrepreneur and an educator, helped to found companies in California’s green industry. He is an active member of the Utility Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture.

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