William S. Huang

Overview

Mr. Huang represents municipalities, municipal joint action agencies, local communities, hydropower developers and associations of transmission dependent systems in electricity and hydroelectric matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the courts. He has extensive experience in hydropower regulation, including licensing and relicensing, license compliance, environmental and water supply issues, shoreline management, license transfer and annual and headwater benefit charges to licensees.

In addition to his hydropower practice, Mr. Huang represents clients in FERC electric policy initiatives, as well as in transactions and litigation involving specific electric rates, transmission service and interconnection, primarily in restructured electricity markets in the Midwest and California. His clients include the Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS), on whose behalf he has actively advocated the interests of transmission-dependent systems in FERC rulemakings.

Practice Focus

Electric, environment and energy, hydro and water, contracts and rate negotiations, litigation and appeals and public policy and lobbying.

Representative Matters

When, in a relicensing proceeding, FERC refused to examine evidence presented by his client that a far superior hydropower project was possible for the same part of the river, Mr. Huang helped win an appeal vacating FERC’s decision to issue a new license to the incumbent licensee. Green Island Power Authority v. FERC, 577 F.3d 148 (2d Cir. 2009).
On behalf of TAPS, Mr. Huang helped persuade FERC to include crucial provisions in its Rule on Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets, to make such long-term rights available to transmission dependent utilities on reasonable terms. FERC Order No. 681.
Mr. Huang successfully persuaded a federal appeals court to reverse FERC’s ruling that the Federal Power Act allowed a state law to assess fees for headwater benefits associated with a federally-licensed hydroelectric project, ultimately resulting in large savings for his client and other licensed projects on the affected waterway. Albany Engineering Corp. v. FERC, 548 F.3d 1071 (D.C. Cir. 2008).

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Overview

Practice Focus

Representative Matters

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