Commissioner
Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission (Hawai'i PUC)
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Colin A. Yost was appointed on November 1, 2022 to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission by Governor Ige as an Interim Commissioner. In March 2023, Governor Green nominated Commissioner Yost to continue his service at the PUC, and the State Senate confirmed this nomination for a term ending June 30, 2024.
Prior to his appointment to the PUC, Commissioner Yost was an owner of Oahu-based renewable energy company RevoluSun, where he served for eight years as Chief Operating Officer and for four years as General Counsel. At RevoluSun, he was responsible for general company management, directing the commercial projects division and overseeing human resources, legal and regulatory matters.
In his legal career before RevoluSun, Commissioner Yost founded the law firm of Cruise & Yost and he also worked as an attorney for the Honolulu firm of Paul Johnson Park & Niles. In these positions, he represented clients in the areas of energy and environmental law, civil litigation, business law, consumer law, civil rights, Native Hawaiian rights, real estate matters and administrative proceedings before the PUC and other administrative agencies.
From 1998-2003, Commissioner Yost served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Financial Fraud/Consumer Protection Section of the Oregon Department of Justice, where he led the State of Oregon’s investigation and prosecution of western energy companies, including Enron, Duke Energy and the Williams Energy Companies for matters relating to the west coast electricity crisis of 2000-2001 and secured settlement agreements worth $32 million to the State of Oregon. He also led and resolved the state’s investigation of telecommunications company MCI. In 2001, Commissioner Yost received the Oregon Department of Justice’s Outstanding Service Award.
Commissioner Yost earned his J.D. from Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law and his B.A. in English and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
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General Session: Embracing the Future, Powering the Present
Monday, January 22, 2024
9:10 AM – 10:00 AM HST