MINNEAPOLIS – Former Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Doug Scott has joined the Great Plains Institute (GPI) as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.
“After years of working with him as a partner and participant in our work, we are thrilled to have Doug join our team,” said Great Plains Institute CEO & President Rolf Nordstrom. “Doug brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on a wide range of energy policy, regulatory and technology issues and has earned a reputation for being the kind of practical visionary who gets big things done.”
Scott will initially focus on existing GPI projects in which he participated as a state official, including the Midwestern Power Sector Collaborativeand the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative. He will also help the Institute build upon its collaborative, nation-leading e21 Initiative on the utility of the future.
“We tackle complex and politically challenging energy issues, and Doug’s broad technical expertise and unique experience leading both a state environmental agency and utility regulatory commission will be invaluable,” said GPI Vice President for Fossil Energy Brad Crabtree, noting Scott’s expected contributions to ongoing projects relating to EPA power sector regulation and to enhanced oil recovery utilizing carbon dioxide captured from power plants and industrial facilities.
Scott was appointed chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission in March 2011 by then Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. During his tenure with the Commission, he served as a member of the Energy, Resources and Environment Committee for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and of the Task Force on Environmental Regulation.
Scott also previously served as director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency from 2005 to 2011. During those years he chaired the Illinois Governor’s Climate Change Advisory Committee and represented Illinois in the development of the Midwestern Governors’ Association’s energy and climate accords. Scott was a member of the Air Committee for the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) and the US EPA Environmental Financial Advisory Board. He was also elected and served as Mayor of Rockford, IL from 2001 to 2005, after serving as a state representative in the Illinois General Assembly between 1995 and 2001.
A native of Rockford, Scott received his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Tulsa in 1982 and a Juris Doctorate with honors from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI in 1985.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Rolf Nordstrom
612-278-7156
Brad Crabtree
701- 647-2041
Doug Scott
815-315-2115
