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On June 22, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") issued an order concluding that FERC and the U.S. bankruptcy courts have concurrent jurisdiction to review and address the disposition of natural gas...more
In FERC v. FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. (In re FirstEnergy Solutions Corp), Case No. 18-3787 (6th Cir. Dec. 12, 2019), the Sixth Circuit affirmed the bankruptcy court’s jurisdiction over the rejection of certain power purchase...more
On December 12, 2019, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a highly anticipated ruling in the FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. bankruptcy case, regarding the efforts of FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. (FirstEnergy or...more
In In re FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., 2019 WL 6767004 (6th Cir. Ct. App.), the United States Court of Appeals affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded to the bankruptcy court for further consideration, the...more
Periods of volatility in energy prices cause spikes in energy companies’ bankruptcies. These bankruptcies lead to debtors’ attempts to reject power purchase agreements (“PPAs”). These attempts ignite the unresolved legal...more
On December 12, 2019, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that the bankruptcy court in the bankruptcy proceedings of FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. (FES) has jurisdiction to decide whether...more
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali recently ruled in the Chapter 11 case of Pacific Gas & Electric (“PG&E”) that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) has no jurisdiction to interfere with the ability of a...more
In a much-awaited and pivotal decision in the PG&E chapter 11 proceeding, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California held that it not only has exclusive jurisdiction over the rejection of wholesale...more
A recent ruling in the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) bankruptcy proceeding highlights the risk to certain renewable energy projects from utility bankruptcy. In a June 7, 2019 ruling, the PG&E bankruptcy court denied...more
On June 7, 2019, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California issued a ruling on a matter that has been closely monitored by the power industry. The court issued a declaratory judgment that Pacific Gas &...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued an order on May 1, 2019 denying rehearing of its orders asserting concurrent jurisdiction with a bankruptcy court over wholesale power contracts....more
On Jan. 25, 2019 – just days before Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) proposes to file its bankruptcy case – the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order asserting its concurrent authority to approve proposed...more
Primarily relying on precedent from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and D.C. Circuits, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine recently dismissed an Endangered Species Act (ESA) lawsuit challenging two...more
Two Federal District Court Opinions Highlight Differences Between Natural Gas Act and Federal Power Act Investigations - Two weeks ago, a federal judge in Texas rejected arguments that targets of FERC investigations...more
Today, the Eighth Circuit determined that the Next Generation Energy Act (“NGEA”), a Minnesota law that established power sector standards for carbon dioxide emissions, was unconstitutional. In so doing, the Court affirmed...more
On May 10, 2016, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed to amend a 2013 order (the “RTO-ISO Order”) to allow for private lawsuits to be brought in connection with conduct in organized wholesale electricity...more
On April 19, 2016, for the second time in three months, the Supreme Court of the United States reaffirmed the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) over the formation of wholesale rates in...more
In recent years, Maryland attempted to subsidize new power plants by guaranteeing prices for generating capacity at wholesale auctions administered by PJM Interconnection L.L.C. (PJM). Tuesday, the Supreme Court unanimously...more
The Supreme Court of the United States issued decisions in two cases on April 19, 2016: Hughes v. Talen Energy Marketing, LLC, No. 14-614: Congress, though the Federal Power Act (“FPA”), 16 U.S.C. §791a et seq., vested...more
A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Administrative Law Judge last week issued an Initial Decision finding that BP America (BP) and certain related BP entities violated FERC’s Anti-Manipulation Rule. Following a...more
On March 15, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals dealt the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) a major setback in its enforcement efforts by ruling that FERC had encroached on the exclusive jurisdiction of the...more
On March 15, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has exclusive jurisdiction over natural gas futures contracts and that the Federal...more
The D.C. Circuit clarifies that FERC may prohibit manipulative trading only in markets outside of the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction over commodity futures contracts. On March 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...more
On Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has exclusive jurisdiction over...more