Practice Areas & Industries: Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

Husch Blackwell Sanders’ energy regulation practice has the proven experience and resources to handle regulatory, litigation and business issues affecting the production, transmission and supply of electricity, natural gas, crude oil, petroleum products and renewable fuels.

Our regulatory experience forms the foundation for the distinctive services and innovative solutions we bring to our energy industry clients.  Among its accomplished members, our energy regulation team includes multiple former FERC lawyers, including a former FERC chairman, as well as the principal legislative draftsman of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 and attorneys with senior-level in-house counsel backgrounds.

Services Available

Federal and State Energy Regulation

Our energy regulation attorneys provide a full range of legal services and guidance to clients subject to government regulation of energy. We advise on issues pending before federal (including the FERC and CFTC) and state regulatory agencies, legislative bodies and courts. In addition, we advise unregulated energy industry clients whose operations are directly affected by federal and state regulation.

Some of the areas in which our energy regulation lawyers have provided advice include natural gas and electric restructuring proceedings, merger and asset acquisition and disposition proceedings, bypass proceedings, and financing proceedings.  We also routinely advise on the regulatory aspects of new natural gas and oil pipeline projects, project financings, natural gas, oil pipeline and electric rate cases, tariff and certificate proceedings, complaint proceedings and transmission access proceedings.

Natural Gas Tariff/Certificate Cases

Our representation of parties to cases involving certificating and abandonment of natural gas facilities and service under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act is a significant part of our energy regulatory practice. We have been active on behalf of marketers, end-users, interstate and intrastate pipelines and distribution systems in numerous cases involving new pipeline and storage service and facilities. Further, we have represented parties in state service tariff proceedings and investigations.

Natural Gas Rate Cases

Our extensive experience in proceedings involving rates, charges and terms of service of interstate natural gas pipelines under Sections 4 and 5 of the Natural Gas Act, and of intrastate pipelines under the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, includes representation of pipelines, local distribution companies, and marketers. We have also represented local distribution companies in state regulatory rate proceedings under the respective state regulatory process in obtaining fair and equitable rates and services for both the local distribution company and its ratepayers.

Oil Pipeline Rates & Transportation

Our oil and products pipeline and shipper clients have included ExxonMobil, BP America, and ConocoPhillips in proceedings involving rates and terms and conditions of service under the Interstate Commerce Act before the FERC, the US Court of Appeals and in state regulatory commission proceedings.

Electric Rates, Transmission Access

We represent clients in proceedings before the FERC involving rates for wholesale sales of electricity as well as rates and terms and conditions of service for transmission service. Electric utilities and cooperatives seek our advice regarding transmission access proceedings under the Federal Power Act.