On January 7, Minnesota Governor Dayton announced the appointment of Dan Lipschultz to a six year term to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The Commission oversees a huge sector of the state economy, including the electric, natural gas and telecommunications industries. He joins the Commission at a critical time as it works to implement new legislative directives regarding renewable energy and conservation. The Commission also has under review substantial new infrastructure investments in both the electric and natural gas industries and faces multiple general rate cases, so his desk will be full the day he walks into his new office.
Commissioner Lipschultz brings a wealth of experience and industry knowledge to his position. As an attorney at Moss & Barnett, he has represented both telecommunications and energy companies in state regulatory proceedings and in state and federal courts. Prior to entering private practice, Commissioner Lipschultz served as Associate General Counsel for a telecommunications carrier, as an Assistant Attorney General representing residential and small business consumers and as an attorney for the Public Utilities Commission. He is an active member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, having served as Chair of the Public Utilities Law and Communications Law Sections.
Commissioner Lipschultz will join fellow Dayton appointees Chair Beverly Jones Heydinger and Nancy Lange, along with Pawlenty appointees David Boyd and Betsy Wergin on the Commissioner, all of whom serve staggered six year terms. He replaces Dennis O’Brien, another Pawlenty appointee whose term expired January 6.
