Governor Abbott Appoints Cobos As Public Counsel For Office of Public Utility Counsel
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Lori Cobos as Public Counsel for the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) for a term to expire on February 1, 2021. OPUC represents residential and small commercial consumers in the electric, telecommunications, and water and wastewater utility industries in Texas. The Public Counsel oversees the overall operation of OPUC and lead OPUC’s representation of consumers in utility matters at state and federal regulatory agencies and courts.
Lori Cobos of Austin is an attorney in private practice, and is the principal owner of Cobos Law Firm, where she specializes in representing and counseling clients on legal, regulatory, public policy, legislative, and business development matters in the Texas energy industry. She has over fifteen years of experience in the Texas electric power industry. She has served in several senior-level positions at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), including serving as an advisor for two PUCT Commissioners, assistant counsel to the PUCT Executive Director, and senior policy analyst in the PUCT’s policy development division, and has served as in-house counsel at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, and has served as the chair of the Public Utility Law Section. She serves on the Board of Directors at the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation and is a former board member of the Sul Ross State University Alumni Board. Cobos received a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and a Master of Arts in public administration from Sul Ross State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.
This appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.