Thomas Tanton

Tom Tanton is a Senior Fellow with the Pacific Research Institute as well as the Principal of T2 & Associates, a firm providing consulting services to the energy and technology industries. Mr. Tanton has over 35 years experience in the energy, economy, and environmental fields.

T2 & Associates are active in the area of energy and interconnected infrastructures, analyzing and providing advice on their impacts on energy prices, environmental quality, and regional economic development. Principals and associates of T2 & Associates have well over a half-century of experience in technology and legislative interface, having been central to many of the critical legislative changes that enabled technology choice and economic development at the state and federal level.
 
Mr. Tanton’s previous employment includes serving as Vice President and Senior Fellow with the Institute for Energy Research, from 2002 to 2006, and General Manager for EPRI, the Electric Power Research Institute, from 2000 to 2003.
 
Mr. Tanton has a wealth of experience in energy-related issues in the state of California and nationally. Prior to 2000, Mr. Tanton was the principal policy advisor with the California Energy Commission (CEC) where he was responsible for designing and implementing legislation including electric restructuring, gasoline and natural gas supply and pricing, energy facility siting, environmental issues, technology development, and transportation.
 
In 1998, Mr. Tanton also served as a team member of the California Governor's Office task force on critical infrastructure security. He was also the lead advisor on energy and infrastructure to California's task force on 21st Century development in 1999.

He has made presentations to a number of commissions and boards in California and nationally, including the California Energy and Public Utilities Commissions. He has also testified before several state legislatures and Congress and provided expert testimony in power plant sitting cases.