Formerly the Nation's top energy regulator

Member, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 1993-2001; Chairman, 1997-2001.

Senior Counsel
Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP

Board of Directors, Allegheny Energy
2001-2004

Assistant General Counsel, FERC
1983-1988

B.A., Northland College
M.A., Ph.D., University of Kentucky
J.D., University of Wisconsin

Full Biography
Photo

Jim Hoecker represents natural gas and electric companies, trade associations, and regional transmission associations. He has testified in administrative and court proceedings and before committees of Congress.


Recent Publications/Testimony

"A Washington Perspective on National Grid Policy in a Time of Retrenchment"

"The State of the U.S. Grid: Recalibrating Risk and Regulation"

"Transmission Trends: Current Policy and Regulatory Issues and What They Mean for Renewables"

"Transmission Siting and the Federal Landscape"

Roll Call (11/09/09)

Kansas City Business Journal
(10/30/09-11/05/09)

"A National Perspective on Energy Policy"

"Can We Deal with the Challenges to Getting Transmission Built?"

"A Sea Change for Federal Energy Policy?"

"The Age of Infrastructure"

Before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (02/25/09)

"Dear Mr. President-Elect..."

"Is the Era of Big Government Back?"

"The Coming Postpartisan National Energy Policy"

Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (07/31/08)

"Maybe the Fuel of Choice — Again"

"Carbon-Constrained Energy Policy"

Other Resources
HELP PLLC, a Washington D.C. law and public policy firm, assists energy providers, customers, and public-policy makers in electric power, natural gas transportation, and related regulatory, environmental, and climate change policy matters. It provides advice and support in these areas:

  • Regulatory and legislative affairs representation
  • Regulatory risk assessment
  • Strategic planning advice
  • Administrative litigation and compliance
  • Administrative rulemaking and policy formation
  • Expert testimony
  • NEPA and environmental analysis



    • HELP PLLC is strategically affiliated with the prominent litigation, business, and energy law firm Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, with 13 offices from Washington, D.C. to Chicago, Kansas City, Omaha, and Denver. HBS lawyers practice in energy regulation and public utilities, renewable energy, and hydrocarbon exploration and production. This alliance ensures that clients of HELP also have access to full service and diverse expertise. Personal attention to client needs, reasonable rates, and efficient client support remain the goal of both organizations.

    ENERGY QUOTE OF THE WEEK

    "We are creatures of the grid. We are embedded in it and empowered by it. The sun used to govern our lives, but now, thanks to the grid, darkness falls at our convenience. During the Depression, when power lines first electrified America, a farmer in Tennessee rose in church on Sunday and said . . . 'The greatest thing on earth is to have the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house.' He was talking about a few lightbulbs and maybe a radio. He had no idea. Juice from the grid now penetrates every corner of our lives, and we pay no more attention to it than to the oxygen in the air."

    — Joel Achenbach, National Geographic, July 2010.