(PORTLAND, OR) -- Mary Jensen, who has worked in the
Bonneville Power Administration General Counsel’s office since 2002, has been
named its general counsel. She takes over after managing the office for a year
as acting general counsel.
“Mary stepped in and helped BPA work through a number of
complex legal matters while acting as general counsel for the past year,” said
BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer. “She is first the BPA general counsel who
reports directly to the administrator. I look forward to continuing to work
with her to further enhance BPA’s legal risk management and compliance.”
While serving as acting general counsel, Jensen guided BPA’s
Office of General Counsel through a major reorganization, instituted a new
office policy on legal advice, and collaborated with the Department of Energy
general counsel in creating national guidelines for power marketing
administrations in states where marijuana sales are lawful under state
statutes. She also instituted new processes that enable faster response times
to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.
“The Bonneville Power Administration serves an incredibly
important purpose in the Northwest,” Jensen said. “I am honored to serve as its
general counsel and lead the legal staff that supports our efforts to keep our
assets delivering value to the region.”
Jensen has specialized in legal issues involving the
provision of transmission service at Bonneville and was promoted to manage that
legal section in 2008. Before joining BPA in 2002, she worked at the U.S.
Office of the Solicitor in Phoenix, Ariz., advising the Bureau of Indian
Affairs regarding operations of its federally-owned electric utilities that
provide service in Arizona.
Preceding her federal service, she worked as a prosecutor in
Tucson, Ariz., handling felony cases including vehicular offenses, elder abuse
and homicide. Jensen is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law.
Her son is a third-generation journeyman lineman, who lives in Missouri with
his wife and their five children.
The Office of General Counsel provides legal expertise that
supports BPA programs through legal advice and representation, including but
not limited to the general areas of transmission, natural resources, power,
lands, federal resources and treaties, generation and finance, personnel, and
ratemaking.
