Select Matters
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission counsel: Serves as primary FERC counsel for the transmission function of a large public utility holding company system. This representation involves a wide gamut of matters, including the development of policy involving legislature and regulatory matters, regulatory compliance, transmission rate design, and regulatory and appellate litigation. He also serves as FERC co-counsel for the jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional transmission owners in New York.
- Contract Negotiations: Served as counsel for the negotiation of numerous transmission delivery and generator interconnection arrangements, as well as serving as lead counsel for the negotiation of several significant long term service agreements for certain combined cycle generating units.
- SERTP Transmission Planning: Serves as counsel for a sponsor of the Southeastern Regional Transmission Planning Process (SERTP). The SERTP is the largest transmission planning region (in terms of miles of transmission – approximately 80,000 circuit miles) in the Eastern Interconnection and is one of the largest in terms of load (having a combined peak load of more than 124,000 MWs). The SERTP is located within 12 states, roughly spanning over 600 miles north to south and 1,100 miles east to west. The SERTP sponsors consist of three FERC-jurisdictional utilities and six non-jurisdictional utilities, including TVA. He has had a lead responsibility in preparing the SERTP sponsors’ joint comments to the following recent regulatory matters:
- Notice of Intent and Request for Information: Designation of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, DOE-HQ-2023-0039, SERTP Sponsors’ Comments (July 31, 2023).
- Establishing Interregional Transfer Capability Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation Requirements, Post Workshop, FERC Docket No. AD23-3, SERTP Sponsors’ Comments (May 15, 2023)
- Transmission Needs Study, Public Draft, Department of Energy, SERTP Sponsors’ Comments (April 20, 2023)
- Transmission Planning and Cost Management, Post-Technical Conference, FERC Docket No. AD22-8 et al., SERTP Sponsors’ Comments (March 23, 2023)
- Transmission Needs Study, Consultation Draft, Department of Energy, SERTP Sponsors’ Comments (November 23, 2022)
- Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FERC Docket No. RM21-17, SERTP Sponsors’ Reply Comments (September 19, 2022)
- Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FERC Docket No. RM21-17, SERTP Sponsors’ Initial Comments (August 17, 2022)
- Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection, Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FERC Docket No. RM21-17, SERTP Sponsors’ Reply Comments (November 30, 2021)
- Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection, Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FERC Docket No. RM21-17, SERTP Sponsors’ Initial Comments (October 12, 2021)
Publications
News
Credentials
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 1994
- Furman University, B.A., 1991, magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 1998
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2023
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2004
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1998
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2001
Bar Admissions
- Alabama, 1994
Professional Affiliations
- Alabama State Bar
- American Bar Association
- Energy Bar Association
Awards & Accolades
- Chambers USA, Energy: Electricity – Nationwide
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Energy Law, 2009 - present
- The Best Lawyers in America®, “Lawyer of the Year”, Energy Law-Birmingham, 2013
Community Involvement
- Vestavia Hills Sunrise Rotary Club, president, 2016 – 2017, Fundraising Chair (’18-’23),
- MS Society, Alabama–Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter: Chairman of the Board of Trustees (’23-’25), Honorary Chair for the Birmingham MS Leaders Challenge of 2018, and Leadership Advisory Council and Leadership Classes
- Lutheran Church of Vestavia Hills