SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Stoel Rives LLP is pleased to announce that energy litigator Cameron L. Sabin has been selected by The National Law Journal for inclusion in the fourth annual edition of its Energy & Environmental Trailblazers. The special supplement honors legal professionals in the United States who are making their mark in various aspects of legal work in energy and environmental law and who have the quality in common that “each has shown a deep passion and perseverance in pursuit of their mission, having achieved remarkable successes along the way.” Sabin’s Energy & Environmental Trailblazer profile follows below.
Pioneer Spirit
Cameron Sabin credits several partners with giving him projects that involved regulatory work in the energy sector. “Little by little, they gave me more work. I found that I enjoyed dealing with the issues.”
Trails Blazed
Sabin's practice now involves working with technology that disrupts the traditional concept of energy deployment. “We negotiated on behalf of Microsoft before Wyoming's Public Service Commission in 2016. It resulted in successfully implementing a novel Large Power Contract Service (LPCS) tariff with Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power. The new tariff provides for the delivery of flexibly sourced, large-scale power for industrial customers while avoiding new generation, serving as a model for the ever-changing needs of large power consumers. It innovatively satisfies the needs of all stakeholders.” Sabin was also part of a team that recently negotiated and settled a longstanding net-metering dispute. "We used a first-of-its-kind settlement structure, successfully bringing stakeholders together around a long-term net-metering structure. It satisfied the needs of all parties, including a utility, solar/nonsolar consumers and the government of Utah. This innovative, collaborative approach serves as a model to other states."
Future Explorations
New technologies such as batteries and other alternatives are entering a market that has had traditional resources for decades. "We’re seeing a lot of creative ideas, such as cities working independent arrangements with both utilities and nonutilities to create a way to give customers a lot of flexibility in where their power comes from.” Many generation facilities employing coal, fire and gas will be expiring. "It will be interesting to see how utilities and the market cope with that. Renewables provide some answers, but until batteries improve, they won't be the only answer. Things are changing very fast.”
Sabin’s profile is available online. His colleague Beth Ginsberg is also included in the 2018 edition, and they join Stoel Rives attorneys Ryan Steen, honored in the 2016 edition, and Drew Moratzka, honored in the 2015 edition.