Appellate Briefs

5th Cir. No. 60113 Response of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Opposition to Renewed Petition For Writ of Mandamus

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1081 and 23-1152 Order denying complaint and petition, alleging that SPP and AECI have adopted certain operating guides that result in improper curtailment of Tenaska’s Clear Creek Wind generating facility.  Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, LLC v. Southwest Power Pool, Inc., et al., 181 FERC ¶ 61,1225 (2022), order on reh’g, 183 FERC ¶ 61,043 (2023).

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1089, et al. Order conditionally accepting filing to reform PJM interconnection process, by transitioning from a serial first-come, first-served queue process to a first-ready, first-served clustered cycle approach.  PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 181 FERC ¶ 61,162 (2022), order on reh’g, 184 FERC ¶ 61,006 (2023).    

D.C. Cir. No. 21-1256, et al. Orders rejecting rate filing and denying complaint, challenging funding methodology for System Upgrade Facilities and System Deliverability Upgrades.  New York Independent System Operator, Inc., et al., 176 FERC ¶ 61,143 (2021), and Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., et al. v. New York Independent System Operator, Inc., 176 FERC ¶ 61,149 (2021), order on reh’g, 178 FERC ¶ 61,194 (2022).  

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1046 Order granting, subject to conditions, Texas Gas application to construct and operate natural gas facilities in Kentucky and Indiana (Henderson County Expansion Project), to serve new natural gas-fired electric generation turbines at CenterPoint’s existing A.B. Brown plant in Posey County, Indiana.  Texas Gas Transmission, LLC, 181 FERC ¶ 61,049 (2022); Notice of Denial of Rehearing by Operation of Law and Providing for Further Consideration, 181 FERC ¶ 62,197 (Dec. 22, 2022); Notice of Denial of Rehearing by Operation of Law (June 8, 2023).  

4th Cir. No. 23-1192 Order on petition for declaratory order, asking the Commission to declare that Blue Ridge members are permitted to utilize battery storage technology on their systems to manage their demands under the terms of full requirements power contracts with Appalachian Power.  Blue Ridge Power Agency, 181 FERC ¶ 61,048 (2022); Notices of Denial of Rehearing by Operation of Law, 181 FERC ¶ 62,199 (2022) and 184 FERC ¶ 62,048 (2023).  

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1174, et al. Respondent’s opposition to motion for stay. Rio Grande LNG, LLC & Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC, 183 FERC ¶ 61,046 (2023), order on reh’g, 185 FERC ¶ 61,080 (2023).   

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1041, et al. Order on remand, concluding that San Francisco’s loads within the customer classes served on October 24, 1992, are entitled to grandfathered service under PG&E’s Wholesale Distribution Tariff.  City & Cty. of San Francisco v. Pac. Gas & Elec. Co., 181 FERC ¶ 61,036 (2022), order on reh’g, 182 FERC ¶ 61,167 (2023).  

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1192, et al. Order on rehearing, reversing order on remand, shortening length of amortization period (from 20 to 17 years) when calculating the net annual cost of the hypothetical peaking plant used to define the demand curves in the New York ISO Installed Capacity Market.  New York Independent System Operator, Inc., 183 FERC ¶ 61,130 (May 19, 2023), order on reh’g, 185 FERC ¶ 61,010 (Oct. 4, 2023).

D.C. Cir. No. 22-1059, et al. Order granting in part, and denying in part, complaint, alleging that SPP erroneously assigned Tenaska approximately $66 million in network upgrade costs during a restudy of Tenaska’s Clear Creek Wind Project as part of SPP’s affected system study process. Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, LLC v.

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1075 Notice that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s denial of Brookfield’s request for water quality certification under section 401 of the Clean Water Act for the Shawmut Hydroelectric Project satisfies the requirements of section 121.7(e)(1) of the EPA’s regulations implementing the CWA.  Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC (Notice issued Nov. 22, 2022), order on reh’g, 182 FERC ¶ 61,169 (2023).  

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1133 Order affirming ALJ initial decision, that SPP proposal to place Nixa transmission facilities in Zone 10 is consistent with cost causation principles and is otherwise just and reasonable. Southwest Power Pool, Inc., 182 FERC ¶ 61,141 (2023), order on reh’g, 184 FERC ¶ 61,004 (2023).

D.C. Cir. Nos. 22-1335 and 23-1111 Order accepting proposed tariff revisions, to establish a seasonal resource adequacy construct, subject to condition.  Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., 180 FERC ¶ 61,141 (2022), order on reh’g, 182 FERC ¶ 61,096 (2023).  

6th Cir. No. 21-4072, et al. Order on paper hearing, finding that Dayton does not qualify for 50 basis point ROE adder for continued membership in PJM.  Dayton Power and Light Co., 176 FERC ¶ 61,025 (2021), order on reh’g, 178 FERC ¶ 61,102 (2022).  Order on complaint, regarding whether Ohio utilities are eligible for a 50 basis point adder to the authorized return on equity for RTO participation.  Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel v. American Electric Power Service Corporation, et al., 181 FERC ¶ 61,214 (2022), order on reh’g, 183 FERC ¶ 61,034 (2023).  

3rd Cir. No. 23-1778, et al. Order accepting PJM proposal to exclude planned generation capacity resources from the calculation of the Locational Deliverability Area Reliability Requirement if the addition of such resources materially increases the reliability requirement and such resources do not participate in the capacity auction.  PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 182 FERC ¶ 61,109 (2023), order on reh’g, 184 FERC 61,055 (2023).   

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1040 Order affirming ALJ’s initial decision, that accepted MISO filings to: (1) include Henderson Municipal Power and Light as a transmission owner in MISO’s Rate Zone 27 (the Big Rivers pricing zone); and (2) allow Henderson to recover its portion of its revenue requirement related to certain transmission facilities located in that pricing zone.  Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., Opinion No. 580, 181 FERC ¶ 61,056 (2022), order on reh’g, 182 FERC ¶ 61,095 (2023).  

D.C. Cir. No. 23-1042, et al. Order, following ALJ hearing and initial decision, granting application for market-based rates.  MPLX Ozark Pipe Line LLC, Opinion No. 578, 180 FERC ¶ 61,053 (2022), order on reh’g, Opinion No. 578-A, 181 FERC ¶ 61,242 (2023).

D.C. Cir. Nos. 23-1064, et al. Order authorizing construction and operation of the Regional Energy Access Expansion pipeline project in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC, 182 FERC ¶ 61,006 (2023), order on reh’g, 182 FERC ¶ 61,148 (2023). 

D.C. Cir. No. 20-5203 New supplemental brief, following 8/7/23 supplemental brief, addressing the implications of Section 324 of the recent Fiscal Responsibility Act, as applied to challenge to Mountain Valley Pipeline certificate, filed in district court after D.C. Circuit had affirmed the FERC certificate.   

D.C. Cir. Nos. 23-1094 & 23-1215 Order on complaints, directing NextEra Seabrook to replace the breaker at Seabrook Nuclear Generating Station pursuant to its obligations under the Seabrook Interconnection Agreement and Good Utility Practice.  NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC, 182 FERC ¶ 61,044 (2023), order on reh’g, 183 FERC ¶ 61,196 (2023).