Heath Knakmuhs

Heath Knakmuhs

• Vice President and Policy Counsel, Global Energy Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Heath Knakmuhs is Vice President and Policy Counsel at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Energy Institute (Energy Institute). Knakmuhs studies, develops, and communicates strategic energy policies and initiatives with a focus on the electric power sector. He also examines the impact of regulatory action, market-based factors, and emerging threats on the American electric grid. In addition, Knakmuhs leveraged his policy expertise to help develop content and policy recommendations for the institute’s platform, Energy Works for US.

He serves as the institute’s lead on electric generation, transmission, and distribution, and power market issues before Congress, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholder groups. Knakmuhs speaks regularly at energy forums, covering topics ranging from electric generation diversity, transmission and distribution infrastructure development, and emerging grid technologies, along with cyber and physical threats to the electric grid. He writes on energy issues, producing blog posts for the Energy Institute, as well as policy and impact content for other Chamber materials. He has been published in Real Clear Energy and served as a featured guest on numerous radio shows across the country.

Prior to the Chamber, Knakmuhs headed the Washington, D.C., office and served on the executive team of the American Transmission Company. He was the company’s primary liaison with members of Congress and staff on Capitol Hill, and with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). He was also the company’s primary representative before other stakeholder and industry groups with a federal presence. Concurrent with this position, Knakmuhs served as vice president for WIRES, a trade association advocating for progressive electric transmission policy.

Earlier, Knakmuhs spent eight years in the practice of regulatory and appellate law for the global law firm Morgan Lewis in its Washington, D.C., office. He also spent one year clerking for two administrative law judges at FERC.

Knakmuhs holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law.