Lara is the Office Managing Partner for Troutman Sanders' Portland, Oregon office. She works in the firm's Federal Regulation of Electricity and Gas practice group, where she specializes in matters involving transmission access, integration of renewable energy resources, transmission contract and rate issues, and regulatory compliance.
Lara represents utilities and independent power producers before federal agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and before U.S. Courts of Appeal. She has represented clients in significant enforcement actions before FERC, and has extensive experience in the development of effective utility compliance programs. Lara also represents clients in negotiations and administrative proceedings before the Bonneville Power Administration, including formal proceedings to establish power and transmission rates.
Before joining Troutman Sanders in 2007, Lara was the Associate General Counsel for Pacific Power, overseeing transmission compliance, property and customer service issues. She also worked at the Bonneville Power Administration for over 12 years, representing the transmission business unit and the power trading floor.
Lara's significant experience as in-house counsel enables her to provide effective and efficient advice for her utility clients.
Representative Experience
Provides counsel on transmission issues, including open access transmission tariff compliance, variable energy resource integration, contract negotiation and drafting, transmission project and policy development, transmission and ancillary services rate design and compliance with reliability standards.
Represents clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), including enforcement investigations, requests for transmission service orders under Section 211A, Section 206 complaints, tariff, rate and comment filings.
Represents utilities and wind developers in Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) rate cases, including power, transmission and terms and conditions cases.
Represents clients in rate cases and contract negotiations related to the interconnection and transmission of wind generation.
Represented major wind developer before FERC and BPA on issues related to the development and integration of wind and other variable energy resources, including generation imbalance, wind integration charges and self-supply of wind balancing services.
Represented investor-owned utility in rate cases and subsequent Ninth Circuit litigation related to the BPA Residential Exchange Program.
Represented investor-owned utility before FERC in self-report of reliability standard violations and subsequent Office of Enforcement investigation.
Represented investor-owned utility before FERC in self-report of open access transmission tariff violations and subsequent Office of Enforcement investigation and settlement.
Represents utilities and wind developers in negotiating and drafting open access transmission tariff service agreements and large generator interconnection agreements.
Advised clients on compliance matters, including compliance with OATT requirements, FERC Code and Standards of Conduct, and NERC and WECC reliability standards.
Recent Speaking Engagements
Presenter, "Transmission in the Pacific Northwest," Buying & Selling Electric Power in the West, January 18, 2013.
Presenter, "Discussion of FERC's Order No. 1000: Reforming Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation Requirements", 3rd Annual MISO IPP/PM Annual Meeting, Portland OR, August 2011.
Moderator, "Wind and Solar Balancing Services," Infocast Wind & Solar Integration Summit, Scottsdale, AZ, January 2011.
Moderator, "Utility Efficiency: the Smarter Grid," Future Energy Conference, Portland, OR, April 2010.
Other Distinctions
Recognized as a BTI Client Service All-Star (2013).
Work Experience
Partner, Troutman Sanders LLP, 2010-present
Attorney, Troutman Sanders LLP, 2007-2010
Associate General Counsel, Pacific Power, 2003-2007
Attorney, Bonneville Power Administration, 1994-2003
Memberships
· Energy Bar Association