Appellate Briefs

No. 20-72788, et al.  Order revising PURPA regulations concerning utility purchase obligations, avoided cost calculations, and QF eligibility.  Qualifying Facility Rates and Requirements; Implementation Issues Under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, Order No. 872, 172 FERC ¶ 61,041 (2020), order on reh’g, Order No. 872-A, 173 FERC ¶ 61,158 (2020), 85 Fed. Reg. 86,656 (2020).

No. 15-1183, et al. Consolidated appeals of 10 Commission orders addressing initial and revised cost responsibility for specific transmission projects approved through PJM’s Regional Transmission Expansion Plan, determined using PJM’s solution-based distribution factor method.  Linden VFT, LLC v. PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 155 FERC ¶ 61,089 (2016), reh’g denied, 170 FERC ¶ 61,122 (2020), and related orders.

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1421 Order denying complaint, alleging that MISO’s current location-based cost allocation method in the MISO tariff for Baseline Reliability Projects (BRPs) is not just and reasonable because it does not identify the beneficiaries of each BRP in a manner that is roughly commensurate with the BRP benefits received.  Coalition of MISO Transmission Customers v. Midcontinent Indep. Sys. Operator, Inc., 172 FERC ¶ 61,099 (2020), reh’g denied by operation of law, 172 FERC ¶ 62,179 (2020).  

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1024 Response to LPSC petition for rehearing (panel and en banc) of D.C. Circuit 8/20/21 affirmance of FERC orders on implementation of Entergy bandwidth formula and applicability of 2009 tariff amendment. Louisiana Pub. Serv. Comm’n, v. Entergy Services, Inc., 167 FERC ¶ 61,186 (2019), reh’g denied, 169 FERC ¶ 61,247 (2019).  

D.C. Cir. No. 20-5203 [Supplemental Brief] Appeal of federal district court (D.D.C. Judge Boasberg) dismissal, for lack of jurisdiction, of challenge by landowners to exercise of eminent domain authority by Mountain Valley Pipeline, alleging improper delegation of eminent domain authority from Congress to FERC under Natural Gas Act and improper sub-delegation from FERC to private entities.

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1499 Order accepting new Facility Service Agreement, governing interconnection funding in MISO. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., 171 FERC ¶ 61,075 (2020), order on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,037 (2020).

D.C. Cir. No. 21-1106 Order affirming ALJ Initial Decision, that Texas Eastern did not violate the Natural Gas Act, its tariff or Commission regulations, and acted reasonably in repairing outages in 2014 and 2016 on Texas Eastern’s offshore pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico. Peregrine Oil & Gas II, LLC v. Texas Eastern Transmission, LP, 173 FERC ¶ 61,246 (Dec. 17, 2020), reh’g denied by operation of law, 174 FERC ¶ 62,114 (Feb. 19, 2021).

No. 20-1256, et al. Order on Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s petition for declaratory order, seeking guidance from the Commission to provide certainty regarding Tri-State’s jurisdictional status and the Commission’s exclusive regulatory jurisdiction over Tri-State, and as to whether state regulatory proceedings are preempted. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Ass’n, Inc., 170 FERC ¶ 61,224 (2020), and 172 FERC ¶ 61,173 (2020), order on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,097 (2020).

No. 20-1465, et al. Order Denying Complaint.  LSP Transmission Holdings II, LLC, et al. v. Midcontinent Indep. Sys. Operating, Inc., 172 FERC ¶ 61,098 (2020), order on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,202 (2020); Order on cost allocation for Market Efficiency Projects and selection process for Immediate Need Reliability Projects.  Midcontinent Indep. Sys. Operating, Inc., 172 FERC ¶ 61,095 (2020), order on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,203 (2020).

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1249, et al. Order accepting planning procedures of PJM Transmission Owners, to apply to a limited subset of Supplemental Projects designed to mitigate the risk associated with critical transmission stations and substations identified pursuant to NERC reliability standard CIP-014-2 — Physical Security. Appalachian Power Co. and PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Order Accepting Tariff Revisions, 170 FERC ¶ 61,196 (2020), order on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,157 (2020).

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1315, et al. Consideration of tax gain portion of the accumulated deferred income tax associated with the sale and leaseback of 9.3% of Entergy Louisiana, LLC’s ownership interest in the Waterford 3 nuclear plant recorded in the fifth (2010 test year), sixth (2011 test year), and seventh (2012 test year) bandwidth calculations. Louisiana Public Service Comm’n v. Entergy Corp., Opinion No. 560, 162 FERC ¶ 61,234 (2018), order on reh’g, 171 FERC ¶ 61,044 (2020), order on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,152 (2020).

D.C. Cir. Nos. 20-1104 and 20-1356 [Supplemental Brief] Order denying complaint and on initial decision, concerning alleged off-system sales that Entergy Arkansas made (1) in 2000, from its share of Grand Gulf, and (2) from 2000 to 2005, as Opportunity Sales that were later converted to Joint Account Sales.  Louisiana Pub. Serv. Comm’n v. Entergy Corp., 169 FERC ¶ 61,113 (2019), order on reh’g, 172 FERC ¶ 61,056 (2020); Louisiana Public Serv. Comm’n v. Entergy Corp., 165 FERC ¶ 61,022 (2018), reh’g denied, 169 FERC ¶ 61,179 (2019).

D.C. Cir. No. 16-1088 Orders granting 50 basis point adder to base return on equity to independent transmission company.  Midcontinent Indep. System Operator, Inc., 150 FERC ¶ 61,252 (2015), order on reh’g & compl., 154 FERC ¶ 61,004 (2016).  

D.C. Cir. Nos. 19-1236, et al.  Order removing a market power mitigation measure imposed to resolve horizontal market power concerns originating from 1998 utility merger and 2006 withdrawal from Midcontinent ISO.  Louisville Gas and Elec. Co. and Kentucky Utils.

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1492 Order on remand, from decision in City of Oberlin v. FERC, 937 F.3d 599 (D.C. Cir. 2019), concerning need for pipeline project. NEXUS Gas Transmission, LLC, et al., 172 FERC ¶ 61,199 (2020), and notice of denial of reh’g by operation of law, 174 FERC ¶ 62,068 (2021). 

No. 20-1079, et al. Consolidated appeals of 6 orders addressing alleged violation of PJM-NYISO Joint Operating Agreement, and unduly discriminatory effects on New Jersey ratepayers, resulting from cost allocation for Bergen-Linden Corridor Project and merchant transmission providers’ related conversion of Firm Transmission Withdrawal Rights to Non-Firm Transmission Withdrawal Rights.  New Jersey Bd. of Pub. Utils. v. PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., et al., 163 FERC ¶ 61,139 (2018), reh’g denied, 170 FERC ¶ 61,180 (2020), and related orders.

5th Cir. No. 16-60604, et al. Order affirming an Initial Decision in which the Administrative Law Judge found that BP violated section 4A of the Natural Gas Act and section 1c.1 of the Commission’s regulations (Anti- Manipulation Rule), by manipulating the price of natural gas in the Houston region; order on civil penalties and disgorgement. BP America Inc., et al., 147 FERC ¶ 61,130 (2014), order on Initial Decision and reh’g, Opinion No.

D.C. Cir. No. 16-1325, et al. Orders on base return on equity of, and refunds by, MISO transmission owners.  Ass’n of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity, et al. v. Midcontinent Indep. Sys. Operator, Inc., et al., 149 FERC ¶ 61,049 (2014), order on reh’g, 156 FERC ¶ 61,060 (2016); and Arkansas Elec. Coop. Corp., et al. v. ALLETE, Inc., et al., 151 FERC ¶ 61,219 (2015), order on reh’g, 156 FERC ¶ 61,061 (2016); Ass’n of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity v. Midcontinent Indep. System Operator, Inc., et al., Op. No.

 D.C. Cir. No. 20-1260, et al. Order granting petition for declaratory order, as to certain transmission and power supply agreements.  Public Service Co.of Colorado, 170 FERC ¶ 61,294 (2020), order on reh’g and clar., 173 FERC ¶ 61,044 (2020).

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1325, et al. Complaint regarding property rights for Grand River Dam Authority’s Pensacola Project.  Grand River Dam Authority, Project No. 1494-445 - Oklahoma Pensacola Project, Letter to Mr. Dean Kruithof, City Manager, from Director, FERC Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance (2020), order on reh’g, Grand River Dam Authority, 172 FERC ¶ 61,255 (2020).