January 4, 2024

The City of Orangeburg, S.C. Begins Historic Power Purchase Agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas

The City of Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities (DPU), one of the largest municipal utilities in South Carolina, recently announced, as posted by the American Public Power Association, that as of January 1, 2024, it began purchasing power from a new provider, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC.  Since its founding in 1927, Orangeburg DPU has had essentially...
January 1, 2023

Jeff Bayne and Amber Martin Stone Become Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP Partners

Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP is pleased to announce that Jeffrey M. Bayne and Amber L. Martin Stone have become Partners in the firm.  Jeff has been with Spiegel & McDiarmid since 2015. Amber first joined the firm the same year.
Jeffrey M. Bayne Jeff Bayne’s practice focuses on addressing changes in...
November 10, 2022

D.C. Office of People’s Counsel Wins Remand in Pepco Rate Case

On November 10, 2022, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals — the District’s highest court — granted in full the petition for review filed by the D.C. Office of People’s Counsel (“OPC”), reversing and remanding D.C. Public Service Commission (“PSC”) rulings with respect to two aspects of its approval of Potomac Electric Power Company’s (“Pepco”) proposed multi-year rate...
August 23, 2022

D.C. Circuit Sides with State Petitioners Challenging Reliability-Must-Run Agreement Rates for Mystic Units 8 & 9 and Everett LNG Terminal

Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP attorneys achieved a significant victory that should reduce the bills paid by New England wholesale electric ratepayers to retain two gas-fired generators and their affiliated fuel supplier. In 2018, the owner of Mystic Units 8 & 9 moved to retire the generators, but the system operator, ISO New England (“ISO-NE”) found that the units were...
August 18, 2022

U.S. Court of Federal Claims Rules for Northern California Power Agency and California Cities

Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP attorneys achieved another milestone in a lawsuit brought by the Northern California Power Agency (“NCPA”) and the cities of Redding, Roseville and Santa Clara, California, to recover overcharges imposed on them by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (“CVPIA”). NCPA and the cities buy hydroelectric power generated by the Bureau’s...
August 9, 2022

D.C. Circuit Vacates FERC’s Methodology for Calculating Returns on Equity

The D.C. Circuit vacated and remanded Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) Opinions No. 569 and 569-A, which had established a new way to set the allowed profit (return on equity, or “ROE”) for electric transmission investment in the extensive Midcontinent Independent System Operator (“MISO”) area. Spiegel partner David Pomper argued the ROE methodology issues on behalf of our clients (Mississippi...
August 5, 2022

D.C. Circuit Vacates FERC’s Orders that had Increased Transmission Costs to Kentucky Municipals

On August 5, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) orders “re-pancaking” electric transmission rates across the seam between the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) transmission grid and that of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company (together, LG&E/KU). Ky. Mun. Energy Agency v. FERC, Nos. 19-1236 et...
June 2, 2022

Chambers and Super Lawyers Again Recognize Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP

Bayne, Bogorad, Nurani, Pomper, Schwarz, Strauss Highlighted

Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP thanks our clients for their continued support and confidence as reflected in the recognition the firm has recently received from Chambers USA. For the ninth consecutive year, Chambers & Partners has recognized Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP as one of the nation’s leading law firms in the area of “Energy: Electricity...
January 25, 2022

Appeals Court Rules in Cases on Distribution System Access and Fairness of Service

On January 25, 2022, finding that FERC’s decisions “present a troubling pattern of inattentiveness to potential anti-competitive effects of PG&E’s administration of its open-access Tariff,” the D.C. Circuit issued a combined opinion granting San Francisco’s petitions for review of two separate Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) orders. The two cases involved longstanding disputes with Pacific Gas and Electric Company...
January 20, 2022

Cindy Bogorad to Speak on Joint Ownership

On January 27, Cindy Bogorad will join a panel discussion hosted by R Street on "Leveling the Transmission Playing Field." Topics will include, in addition to inclusive joint transmission ownership, "independent transmission planning and oversight, equal rate treatment between suppliers and proper implementation of competitive processes under FERC’s Order 1000." More information and a free registration link are available at https://www.rstreet.org/event/leveling-the-transmission-playing-field/.
November 16, 2021

Cindy Bogorad to Speak at Grid Enhancing Technologies Conference

Spiegel partner Cindy Bogorad will speak on a panel at the "Grid Enhancing  Technologies: Potential, Solutions and Challenges" virtual conference. Cindy's panel will address policy and regulatory measures to encourage the wider adoption of grid-enhancing technologies. The conference, sponsored by Global Transmission Report, will be held on December 1 and 2, 2021. More information about the conference is  Cynthia S. Bogorad
October 14, 2021

Latif Nurani Speaks to APPA on Cybersecurity Regulation

Spiegel partner Latif Nurani spoke October 14 in a continuing education panel as part of the American Public Power Association's 2021 Legal and Regulatory Conference. The course, "Keeping Pace with Cybersecurity Regulation and Privacy Laws," discussed recent cybersecurity compromises and the evolving regulatory response and how the effect on public power utilities.
October 13, 2021

Cindy Bogorad Speaks on Panel About Transmission Reform

Spiegel partner Cindy Bogorad spoke on October 12 at a virtual panel at the Energy Bar Association’s 2021 Mid-Year Energy Forum. The panel, entitled “Beyond Order 1000: New Horizons in Transmission Planning Under FERC’s ANOPR,” addressed FERC’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking, which contemplates revisiting rules governing planning for electric transmission, allocation of costs, and the interconnection of new...
September 17, 2021

Mapes Moderates Webinar on Transmission Reform

Spiegel partner Katie Mapes moderated a webinar about FERC’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking, "Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection." The webinar, entitled "Building the Grid of the Future: A Discussion of Transmission Reform," was sponsored by the New York University State Energy & Environmental Impact Center and touched on "state...
May 20, 2021

Chambers and Super Lawyers Again Recognize Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP

Bogorad, Pomper, Strauss Highlighted

Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP thanks our clients for their continued support and confidence as reflected in the recognition the firm has recently received from Chambers USA. For the eighth consecutive year, Chambers & Partners has recognized Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP as one of the nation’s leading law firms in the area of “Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation)...
February 19, 2021

D.C. Circuit Upholds FERC Reduction of Transco Adder

On February 19, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an opinion affirming Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) orders reducing the return on equity (“ROE”) adders paid to three stand-alone transmission companies (“transcos”) operating in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) footprint. Int’l Transmission Co. v. FERC, No. 19-1190 (D.C. Cir. Feb. 19,...
February 18, 2021

Chambers Global Again Recognizes Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP

Bogorad, Strauss Ranked

Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP wishes to thank our clients for their continued support and confidence as reflected in the recognition the firm has recently received from Chambers Global. Chambers & Partners has again recognized Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP as one of the nation’s leading law firms in the area of “Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation) — Nationwide.” Chambers...
January 27, 2021

Client Alert: The Biden-Harris Administration: What Energy and Telecommunications Policies Will It Likely Pursue?

The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris—coupled with the installation of a Democratic-majority Senate and House—means new directions for U.S. energy and telecommunication policy, and changes that are likely to impact our clients.  As the Biden-Harris Administration begins, we pause to offer a few thoughts on what we may expect over the next four years. ...
October 30, 2020

FERC Rejects ISO New England’s “Energy Security Improvements” Proposal

FERC issued an order on October 30 rejecting ISO New England’s proposed suite of “Energy Security Improvements” or “ESI.” Approval of ESI would have imposed enormous charges on New England consumers in return for dubious — if any — regional reliability/fuel security benefits. ISO New England filed the proposal in response to a FERC directive to adopt a...
August 27, 2020

Strauss, Schwarz and Hopkins Publish Op-Ed on FERC’s Capacity Markets’ Effects on Clean Energy and Consumer Costs

Presidential candidate Biden and Congress are focused on solutions to the climate crisis. Billions of dollars in new investment will be needed. But money will not be enough. In our op-ed, “FERC's Capacity Markets Limit Clean Energy and Cost Billions; It’s Time for Congress to Act,” published August 27, 2020, in Utility Dive, we argue that...

2022 Chambers & Partners USA and 2023 Chambers Global recognize Spiegel & McDiarmid as a leading law firm in the area of “Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation).”

2022 Super Lawyers
and Rising Stars recognizes
Spiegel & McDiarmid attorneys.

2023 Top Ranked
Law Firms by
Martindale-Hubbell®.

American Bar Association
names Spiegel as among
2015 Top 10 Regional Law
Firms in Energy, Environmental
and Resources Law.