Overview
With the advent of state and national efforts to establish a competitive energy market, our Energy Group has emerged as one of the leaders in this fast-changing marketplace. Our lawyers, lobbyists, and analysts in this practice assist clients on all aspects of the competitive gas and electric energy industries. We integrate our extensive regulatory and legislative experience with numerous legal disciplines, a combination vital to a successful energy company.
Our Services
Our experience in representing participants in the wholesale and retail competitive markets is broad in scope. For instance, we assist clients in obtaining market participant status and advise them on rules associated with regional wholesale markets, including the wholesale electric markets administered by ISO New England.
We serve as regional regulatory counsel to one of the country's largest retail supply trade associations. In addition, we represent individual competitive retail suppliers of electricity and natural gas in obtaining necessary licenses to provide competitive services and before state regulatory commissions charged with the oversight, development, and design of competitive retail energy markets. We also counsel suppliers regarding compliance with consumer protection laws and assist suppliers in developing, revising, and implementing compliance programs.
Our Team
Our goal is to assist clients in responding to sophisticated business problems. Our approach has always been to gain a complete understanding of the legal, commercial, and regulatory environments in which competitive energy industry participants operate. Armed with this understanding, our lawyers appear regularly before state regulatory commissions throughout the Northeast to address the specific needs of national, regional, and local energy companies and industry associations and to advocate for changes in law or policy on behalf of those clients.
We maintain our knowledge of the industry by leadership and active participation in leading trade organizations. Our lawyers also regularly publish and present on issues of relevance to the energy industry.
Assist clients in obtaining market participant status and advise them on rules associated with regional wholesale markets, including the wholesale electric markets administered by ISO New England.
Represent retail competitive electricity and natural gas suppliers in obtaining necessary licenses and in various regulatory matters before the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.
Counsel competitive retail suppliers in various matters before the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, the New York Public Service Commission, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Counsel competitive retail suppliers regarding compliance with consumer protection laws and developed a multistate compliance program for the sales and marketing activities of a competitive supplier of electricity and natural gas operating throughout the Northeast.
Represent clients in developing and negotiating electricity, natural gas, and renewable energy credit purchase and sale agreements for multiple locations throughout the United States.
Advised client on whether Massachusetts emergency orders related to COVID-19 prohibit the door-to-door or retail location sale of retail energy supply products, or otherwise affect a Massachusetts retail electric supplier’s operations.
Advised client on the scope of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities’ letters related to the COVID-19 health crisis asking retail electric suppliers to suspend door-to-door marketing.
Advised client on the scope of a COVID-19-related request by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority that electric suppliers cease door-to-door marketing.
Counseled client on whether executive orders related to COVID-19 that were issued by the governors of Connecticut and New York impose restrictions on door-to-door sales by retail electric suppliers.
Advised client on whether New York General Business Law 399-Z and actions taken by the New York governor in relation to the COVID-19 health crisis prohibit a retail electric supplier from engaging in telemarketing.
Advised client on whether the Governor’s declaration of a State of Emergency for the State of Delaware due to a Public Health Threat related to COVID-19 has implications on prices a retail electric supplier charges during the period of emergency.
Advised client on what other “non-regulatory” provisions of Delaware law a Delaware retail electric supplier may wish to consider in the present circumstances.
Counseled a retail business client on whether the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will accept documents signed electronically if a client transitions to remote operations.
