Former Massachusetts DPU Chair James Van Nostrand Joins Future of Heat Initiative to Lead Regulatory Reform Efforts

Van Nostrand brings a proven record of protecting consumers from rising gas costs and deep regulatory expertise as states confront an energy-affordability crisis.

As American households face record-high gas utility bills heading into the winter heating season, the Future of Heat Initiative (FoHI), a nonprofit policy institute focused on modernizing utility regulation to protect consumers, today announced that James Van Nostrand, former Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, has joined the organization as Policy Director.

Van Nostrand brings over four decades of experience in energy regulation and utility law. Before serving as DPU Chair, he practiced energy law for over 20 years with leading law firms in the Pacific Northwest and served as founding Director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the West Virginia University College of Law, where he taught energy and environmental law for over a decade.  

As Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU), he was the first state regulator to systematically challenge the utility industry’s approach to gas infrastructure spending. He led major reforms to address rising gas bills, including a revamp of pipeline replacement criteria and the adoption of a new framework for gas system planning. Before leaving the DPU, he also proposed measures to save Massachusetts customers more than $160 million annually by eliminating subsidies for gas system expansion.

"Jamie is one of the few regulators in the country who has confronted the growing crisis facing gas utility customers: bills are rising even as fuel prices remain low and usage declines," said Mike Bloomberg, Executive Director of FoHI. "His work proves that regulators can protect consumers without compromising safety, and confront the challenge of a gas system that's becoming unaffordable for those who depend on it."

"When you force a shrinking customer base to pay for infrastructure that is getting more expensive, the math doesn't work," said Van Nostrand. “I've spent my career as a pragmatist focused on one question: how do we keep energy affordable for the Americans who need it most? FoHI is doing the rigorous analysis that regulators need to push back against a broken business model that rewards utilities for infrastructure spending rather than serving customers efficiently."

About Future of Heat Initiative

The Future of Heat Initiative is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit that provides technical, legal, and economic analysis to support utility regulators and policymakers. Through rigorous research, tailored workshops, and direct consultation, FoHI helps states and agencies uphold the affordability, safety, and reliability of energy services while managing the transition to cleaner energy. Learn more at thefutureofheat.com.

###

Media assets:

• Headshot 

• Full biography:

• Jamie Van Nostrand served as Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities from May 2023 to October 2025. Prior to his appointment to the DPU, Van Nostrand was a Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the West Virginia University College of Law. He is the author of The Coal Trap: How West Virginia Was Left Behind in the Clean Energy Revolution (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Before moving to WVU in July 2011, Van Nostrand spent three years as Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center in White Plains, NY. 

• Prior to his transition to law school teaching, Van Nostrand had a successful career in private law practice in the Pacific Northwest, representing energy clients in state regulatory proceedings in eight western states, as well as proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mr. Van Nostrand was recognized by the Energy Bar Association as its 2007 State Regulatory Practitioner of the Year.

• Mr. Van Nostrand received his LL.M. in Environmental Law from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, his master’s degree in economics from SUNY at Albany, and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Northern Iowa.

Media Contact:
Douglas Farrar
douglas@maywoodstrategies.com