RPFSS Brown Bag: Real Estate, Energy, and the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
HSBA Co-sponsored
(RECORDED)

Summary: 

This seminar will provide attorneys with an overview of the convergence of real estate law, energy law, and what approvals are needed before the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to get projects financed and completed.  The panelists, who are lawyers with extensive experience practicing before the PUC, will discuss the effect that the renewable energy revolution has had on real estate projects, including the role that the PUC plays as the decision-maker on whether any of these projects will move forward. 

Speakers:
Jeffrey Ono, Watanabe Ing LLP



Jeff Ono joined Watanabe Ing in January, 2017 with 37 years of legal experience. He focuses his practice on representing regulated utilities and independent power producers before the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Jeff currently sits on the board of directors of Hawai‘i Gas. In addition, Jeff continues a civil litigation practice for which he has 30 years of experience. 

From 2011 to 2016, Jeff served as the state of Hawai‘i’s Consumer Advocate. In that capacity, Jeff served on the E911 board of directors, the executive committee of the Hawai‘i Energy Policy Forum (and continues in an emeritus role), the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, and the Hawai‘i Refinery Task Force. As the Consumer Advocate, Jeff participated in a number of complex dockets that are helping to redefine Hawai‘i’s energy future, including Hawaiian Electric’s Integrated Resource Planning, decoupling investigation, Distributed Energy Resources, Community Based Renewable Energy, and Power Supply Improvement Plan dockets. In 2015, Jeff successfully led a small team of Consumer Advocate staff, consultants, analysts, and attorneys in NextEra Energy’s attempt to acquire the Hawaiian Electric Companies.

Craig Nakanishi, Cades Schutte LLP



Craig is a partner at Cades Schutte focusing on energy, public utilities, and business and real property transactions. He is the chair of the Firm’s Energy and Public Utilities practice group and the Firm’s Digital Media, Internet and Information Technology practice group.

Craig also represents public utility companies and common carriers providing electric, petroleum, water, wastewater, telecommunication and transportation services in rate, regulatory and other proceedings before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Hawaii.

In his business and real estate practice, Craig has handled the acquisition or divestiture of capital stock or assets; transactions involving the purchase, sale and leasing of real property; and the negotiation, documentation, and implementation of a diverse array of contracts and various issues arising in day-to-day operations of his clients. He has advised clients on internal resource and management issues, corporate governance, and reorganization matters, and general corporate matters.

Duration: approximately 1 hour