Lori Anne Dolqueist

Dolqueist, a partner at Nossaman LLP, helps water utility companies navigate a sea of complex regulations.

“I love that I get to use a variety of legal skills in my practice, she said.

Her legal expertise often lands her before the California Public Utilities Commission or CPUC.

She helped secure a great result for her client the California American Water Co., which needed approval from the commission to go forward with its Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project. The goal for the project is to expand water supplies in the company’s Monterey District. Facilities in this district formerly drew water from the Carmel River but will now have new sources, including desalination as a result of the project.

The commission had to do an environmental review of the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project, as well as decide whether the project was necessary and reasonable. Dolqueist handled the latter portion of the proceeding, which involved obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity.

“As part of that review, the CPUC considered the need for the project and whether it was the best solution to address the water supply constraints facing the Monterey Peninsula,” she said. “During the course of the proceeding, we addressed issues related to the CPUC’s jurisdiction, projections of future water demand, and the appropriateness of various aspects of desalination technology.”

The process brought challenges.

“There were a lot of moving parts to consider in obtaining CPUC approval of the project and keeping track of the legal and policy issues as they evolved over time was one of the key challenges,” Dolqueist said.

She started working to get approval for an alternative water supply for Monterey in 2001. In September 2018, the commission approved the project, which is expected to cost around $322 million.

The challenges were overcome with “a great team,”Dolqueist said.

“I was fortunate to work with a great team at California American Water Company, both legal and non-legal, who remained focused on the goal of providing a water supply solution for Monterey,” she said. “These people worked incredibly hard to develop a full and accurate record for the CPUC to use in making its decision.”

—Carter Stoddard