Laura Lewis, chief legal and government affairs officer at SMUD, started her career in the electric utility industry in 1996, when she began working at SMUD as a law clerk. In 1997, she became a staff attorney. She stayed in that position until 1999, when she left SMUD to practice energy law at Davis Wright Tremaine in San Francisco. In 2002, she returned to SMUD as a senior attorney and was appointed chief legal officer in 2014. Over the years, her role expanded to include oversight of government affairs, reliability compliance, energy trading/contracts, and procurement/warehouse/fleet. Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California San Diego and a Juris Doctor from McGeorge School of Law. She joined the NWPPA Board of Trustees in May.
What are the current challenges at your utility?
As a community-owned utility with ambitious climate goals, SMUD faces the dual challenge of maintaining reliable and affordable service to our customers while transitioning to cleaner sources of energy. Uncertainty around tariffs and shifting federal tax incentives add pressure to delivering dependable, clean power while continuing to keep our rates among the lowest in California.
What do you see as the current challenges in the industry?
The energy industry is undergoing one of the most complex transitions in history—shifting from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable sources while ensuring that power remains reliable and affordable for our customers. Growing electricity demand from electrification and data centers, supply chain constraints, and extreme weather are straining grids and increasing costs. At the same time, new federal priorities and policies create additional complexity and make long-term planning and investment more difficult.
How does NWPPA help your utility and the industry with these challenges?
NWPPA provides a forum for its members to learn from each other and share best practices. It also enables us to speak with one strong, unified voice on federal policy matters to ensure that the unique needs of public power and the communities that we serve are clearly heard and represented.
Any hobbies outside of the public power world?
Outside of work, I enjoy running, hiking, or anything that gets me outdoors. Staying active has always been my way to recharge and keep a positive mindset.
