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Ave M. Bie

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//May 25, 2009//

Ave M. Bie

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//May 25, 2009//

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It could’ve been a 9-to-5 job in a state agency that quietly regulated public utilities, and as long as Wisconsinites had power, no one would pay much attention to what happened there.

That wasn’t the case for attorney Ave M. Bie, who joined the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in 1997, when the agency was about to enter a period of transition — and, frankly, some turbulence.

Specifically, a number of news reports, both within the state and elsewhere, had suggested the very real possibility of rolling power blackouts in Wisconsin due to woefully inadequate infrastructure.

That meant that early on, every day at the PSC, Bie and her colleagues made difficult decisions centering upon how the state would address its energy and infrastructure needs, as well as planning for future economic development. It was a difficult balancing act. Her days involved participating in heated policy debates, hearing applications before the commission, and siting and authorizing infrastructure — to name just a few of the job requirements.

In the latter years, the agency started becoming more active on the national level.
“The realization that states could no longer plan for their infrastructure in a vacuum was becoming very evident. We had to start reaching across state borders, to build infrastructure and to address issues in a regional way. I found myself in the midst of the national debate on energy in the United States in regional marketplaces,” recalls Bie.

Just three years after joining the PSC, in recognition of her depth of knowledge and leadership in energy policy, Bie was asked to speak at the 2000 Republican National Convention.

Now in the private sector, practicing with the Madison branch of Quarles & Brady LLP in its Public Utilities Practice Group, Bie relishes her new role within that debate: as a trusted advisor to clients at the firm’s six offices nationwide.

The move was a natural progression because her practice brings her in contact with a number of the stakeholders she dealt with previously. Moreover, the work is extremely collaborative, and Bie says she thrives in that environment.

“What keeps me going every day is the ability to affect the quality of life of people, and help feed the economic engine of the state through the energy debate,” she says.

In January, Bie was named managing partner of the Madison office.

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