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Course Details

Course Information
  • smart_display Format

    Live Online with Live Q&A

  • signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level

    Intermediate

  • work Practice Area

    Environmental

Date & Time
  • event Date

    Tuesday, November 11, 2025

  • schedule Time

    1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT

  • timer Program Length

    90 minutes

Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.


  • Live Online


    On Demand

Early Bird Pricing!
MSRP
$297.00
$252.45
Save $44.55

Discount expires 10/7/25

This course is $0 with these passes:

CLE
ALL

This CLE webinar will cover how counsel can work to protect low-income and vulnerable communities from extreme climate-driven energy insecurity. The panelists will discuss root causes of energy insecurity and how legal advocates and industry counsel can structure weather-triggered and seasonal shutoff protections, percentage-of-income payment plans (PIPP), and arrearage management processes to stabilize bills.

Faculty

Laurie Wheelock
Executive Director and General Counsel
Parent: Public Utility Law Project of New York

Ms. Wheelock, Esq. is the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Utility Law Project. She began her career working for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) where she fought for the rights of consumers across the state. Ms. Wheelock went on to work for three different members of the New York State Assembly in both Albany and New York City focusing on a wide variety of issue areas including legislation to promote affordable housing, public access to insurance, nonprofit reform, and environmental protection. She currently serves as a member of the City of Albany’s Sustainable Advisory Committee. Ms. Wheelock received her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Binghamton University and received her Juris Doctorate and Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. She was named a “Rising Star in Albany” in 2019 and joined the “40 Under 40” list. 

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Description

Policymakers and utilities face hotter summers and colder winters, rising arrears, and funding volatility that strain traditional assistance models. Counsel must navigate disparate state programs, medical need and reconnection provisions, and emerging requirements to quantify health and equity impacts as part of the regulatory recordkeeping.

The panel will discuss the federal landscape, including LIHEAP pressures and Title VI enforcement policies, as well as leading state regulatory approaches. Common challenges, including due process notice, fee structures, data gaps, and preemption concerns, will be covered so counsel can advise clients during funding gaps or rapid regulatory change.

Listen as our panel examines the intersection of public health, utility regulation, and compliance advisory strategies, helping clients maintain service, manage risk, and document equitable outcomes.

Outline

I. Introduction

II. Temperature, health, and energy insecurity: the data

III. Regulatory landscapes

A. Federal: LIHEAP and Title VI

B. State protections

IV. Utility regulatory levers that advance equity (PIPP, arrearage management, etc.)

V. Operational challenges and solutions for climate emergencies

VI. Litigation and statute updates

VII. Practitioner takeaways

Benefits

The panel will review these and other important issues:

  • The federal and state framework for energy assistance, shutoff protection, including LIHEAP
  • Leading tools and programs, and when using each is appropriate
  • Affordability solutions (PIPP, tiered discount, arrearage management)
  • Data and public health evidence informing best practices in energy equity
  • Planning for climate emergencies and operations