Appellate Briefs

9th Cir. No. 16-70068 Orders on Western Energy crisis complaints challenging spot market contract rates in the Pacific Northwest.  Puget Sound Energy, Inc. v. All Jurisdictional Sellers, Opinion No. 537, 151 FERC ¶ 61,173 (2015), reh’g denied, 153 FERC ¶ 61,386 (2015). 

9th Cir. No. 16-70680, et al. Orders setting hearing and orders on initial decision, on remand from California v. FERC, 784 F.3d 1267 (9th Cir. 2015), affirming findings of ALJ in the Initial Decision, that sellers’ quarterly reporting violations did not mask manipulation or market power resulting in unjust and unreasonable prices, and that California Parties have not established a basis for ordering refunds.  State of California, ex rel. Bill Lockyer, Attorney General of Cal. v. British Columbia Power Exchange Corp., et al., 153 FERC ¶ 61,137 (2015) (order on remand setting hearing), order on clarification and reh’g, 157 FERC ¶ 61,154 (2016), order on reh’g, 157 FERC ¶ 61,023 (2016); 175 FERC ¶ 61,124 (2021) (order on initial decision), rehearing denied by operation of law, 176 FERC ¶ 62,046 (2021).  

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1343, et al. Various orders concerning a cost-of-service agreement (Mystic Agreement) among Constellation Mystic Power, Exelon Generation Company, and ISO New England. Constellation Mystic Power, LLC, 164 FERC ¶ 61,022 (2018), 165 FERC ¶ 61,267 (2018), 172 FERC ¶¶ 61,043, 61,044, and 61,045 (2020), and 173 FERC ¶ 61,261 (2020).

D.C. Cir. Nos. 21-1120, et al. Order denying Turlock/Modesto petition for declaratory order requesting that FERC declare that the California State Water Resources Control Board waived its authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.  Turlock Irrigation District, et al., 174 FERC ¶ 61,042 (2021), order on reh’g, 175 FERC ¶ 61,144 (2021).  

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1379 Order granting authorization of the Alaska LNG Project under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act.  Alaska Gasline Development Corp., 171 FERC ¶ 61,134 (2020), order on reh’g, 172 FERC ¶ 61,214 (2020).

D.C. Cir. No. 22-1011 Answer of Respondent FERC in Opposition to Petition For Stay.  Petition for extraordinary writ, pursuant to All Writs Act, to stay effectiveness of ISO New England Inc., 178 FERC ¶ 61,001 (Jan. 3, 2022), pet. for agency reh’g and stay pending (filed Jan. 10, 2022)

D.C. Cir. No. 20-1512, et al. Orders granting requests for extension of time to complete pipeline construction, and partially lifting stop work order and allowing certain construction to proceed.  Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, 173 FERC ¶ 61,026 and 61,027 (2020), orders on reh’g, 173 FERC ¶ 61,222 (2020), and 173 FERC ¶ 61,252 (2020). 

D.C. 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.

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).

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).

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. Nos. 21-1214, et al. Answer Of Respondent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission In Opposition To Motion To Expedite Consideration

9th Cir. No. 20-72432, et al. Waiver of state authority under section 401(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act to issue water quality certification regarding the relicensing of various hydroelectric projects.  Nevada Irrigation District, 171 FERC ¶ 61,029 (2020), order on reh’g, 172 FERC ¶ 61,082 (2020); Yuba County Water Agency, 171 FERC ¶ 61,139 (2020), order on reh’g, 172 FERC ¶ 61,080 (2020); Merced Irrigation District, 171 FERC ¶ 61,240 (2020), reh’g denied by operation of law, 172 FERC ¶ 62,098 (2020).  

5th Cir. No. 21–60017, et al.

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).