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Patrick J. Oshie, Commissioner

Patrick Oshie was appointed to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission by Gov. Gary Locke in 2001, and reappointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire in 2006. Prior to his commission appointment, he was a partner in a Yakima law firm, specializing in federal Indian and environmental law and representing the Yakama Nation in the development and construction of the Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project, a collection of facilities designed to restore and enhance anadromous fish populations. Earlier, he served as an assistant city attorney for the City of Seattle, representing Seattle City Light in the relicensing of its Skagit River Hydroelectric Project and in matters pertaining to the construction fo the Lucky Peak Hydroelectric Project. He also served as an assistant attorney general in Utah where he represented the Division of Public Utilities and the Committee for Consumer Services before the Utah Public Service Commission on natural gas, electricity and other utility matters. While in Utah, he was an adjunct professor of law at the University of Utah’s College of Law in 1986.

Commissioner Oshie is a member of the Energy Resources and the Enviroment Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and served as the committee's Chair and Vice-Chair. As Chair, he represented the committee on NARUC's Board of Directors. He is also a member of NARUC’s Committee on Consumer Affairs, and serves on the National Council of Electrical Policy and the Advisory Committee for the Institute for Electric Efficiency. In addition, he Co-Chairs the State Energy Efficiency Action Network's Evaluation, Measurement, Verification Work Group. Since his appointment, he has served on the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Leadership Group, the Electric Power Research Institute's Advisory Council and the Gas Technology Institute's Public Interest Advisory Committee. From 1998-2009, he was a member of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Justice Project, a publicly-funded legal aid organization serving throughout Washington. During his tenure, he served as the board's President, Vice-President and Chair for its Audit-Budget Committee. He has also served as a board member of the Providence Hospital Foundation and Washington's Center for Enviromental Law and Policy.

Oshie received his law degree from the University of Washington in 1980.