Regulatory Compliance Services was founded by Patricia Dolese in 2002.  The mission of Regulatory Compliance Services is to help our clients navigate the complex world of retail utility regulation in Texas.  With specific expertise in Texas Customer Protection regulation, strategic planning, data management and reporting, and government/regulatory affairs, the Regulatory Compliance Services team is well positioned to provide expert counsel it clients who want to do business in Texas.

Ms. Dolese formed Regulatory Compliance Services in late 2002 to bring her compliance expertise to her retail electric clients.  Ms. Dolese obtained most of her expertise during her nine-year tenure at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).  Ms. Dolese's expertise was used on a variety of projects ranging from management audits of regulated utilities to customer protection rulemakings and customer protection policy formulation.  She also served in various senior management positions in the Customer Protection Division, most recently serving as the Director of Enforcement Investigations.

Since departing the PUCT, Ms. Dolese has numerous helped retail electric providers (large and small) understand the intricacies of the Texas retail electricity market.

While at the PUCT, Ms. Dolese helped form Office of Customer Protection in 1997 and facilitated the implementation of the state’s first slamming law.  Ms. Dolese went on to manage most of the functional areas within Customer Protection, including the call center, complaint resolution, and enforcement investigation functions.  

Ms. Dolese’s vast knowledge of customer protection issues has also been instrumental in the agency’s implementation of the Texas Electric Choice Customer Education Campaign. 

Ms. Dolese was responsible for the implementation of the both telecommunications and electric customer protection rules stemming from both Senate Bill 86 (Customer Protection) and Senate Bill 7 (Electric Restructuring) both passed by the 77^th session of the Texas Legislature in 1999. 

In fact, her work in leading the rulemaking team for the Electric Restructuring Customer Protection Rules, won praise from all sides, including the Commissioners.  Upon final rule adoption, former Chairman Patrick Wood (now chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) praised Ms. Dolese personally for her efforts in striking a fair balance among the competing interests.  Chairman Wood went on to observe that “this is one of the most solid performances I’ve ever seen from a Staff team at this Commission.’  Both former Commission Judy Walsh and Commissioner Brett Perlman seconded this high praise.

Upon completion of that major effort, Ms. Dolese was asked to lead a small team of staff to facilitate the transition to the retail electric market.  In this capacity, Ms. Dolese served as a commission representative to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ (ERCOT) Retail Market Subcommittee and provided guidance on issues directly impacting the delivery of electric service to retail customers to both this group and the Commissioners.

On the telecommunications front, Ms. Dolese recently settled a landmark enforcement action on behalf of the agency that included the largest administrative penalty ever assessed against a retail service provider in Texas, a first-ever direct refund of monies to affected customers, and groundbreaking requirements for complaint-volume thresholds and customer education.

Ms. Dolese is widely acknowledged as one of the best “armchair lawyers” the PUCT and many of her REP clients have ever employed, and is known for her straightforward and professional approach.  She has a reputation for being able to quickly identify a problem, craft a solution that honors the “spirit of the law,” and succinctly summarize relevant issues to all key decision-makers and other affected parties.

Beyond her work at the PUCT, Ms. Dolese has been active with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Staff Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, facilitating and organizing panel discussions on “Detariffing” and “Electric Customer Protection Best Practices.”  Ms. Dolese was also instrumental in working to facilitate the state opt-in process for slamming enforcement.  In her work with the staff subcommittee, Ms. Dolese has been Chair of the State National Action Plan (SNAP) group, which aims to improve enforcement and education activities between the states and the Federal Communications Commission.  In 2001, her peers elected Ms. Dolese as Vice-Chair of the staff subcommittee.

Ms. Dolese received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas and her MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Contact Trish:

Regulatory Compliance Services:  (512) 275-6442; pdolese@your-rcs.com