GENERAL OVERVIEW
Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC is recognized as having one of the premier energy practices in northern New England. Our energy practice is ranked in the top tier in Vermont by US News & World Report in its 2010 rankings of Best Law Firms. Attorneys on our team have received numerous recognitions, including John H. Marshall, who is one of 34 lawyers from across the nation to be named “Groundbreaking Lawyers of 2010” in the field of energy law by the widely respected Public Utilities Fortnightly magazine.
Working with our highly skilled public affairs, business, intellectual property, financing and tax lawyers, DRM’s energy team assists clients with the full menu of required services including:
We provide efficient and effective representation to electric utilities, generators and other market participants in major administrative proceedings, transactions and project development involving both renewable (solar, wind, hydro and biomass) and conventional generation resources. We obtained the first siting approval in Vermont by the Public Service Board for a solar project, recently obtained approval of a wind farm and provide regulatory support for biomass projects. We provided transaction and regulatory counsel for the purchase and sale of Vermont’s largest generation station while overseeing a multi-state and federal approval process. We obtained regulatory approvals for the purchase of the hydroelectric generating facilities along the Connecticut River by a foreign-owned energy company.
Working on behalf of significant and national transmission companies, our energy team in recent years has successfully gained state siting and refurbishment approvals for many major regional transmission reliability upgrade projects, covering over 170 miles of new high voltage transmission lines, together with dozens of high-voltage new and refurbished substation facilities. Our lawyers are familiar with and have advised clients with respect to emerging regulatory and power markets issues, including new reliability and CEII standards implemented by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, ISO-New England, Inc. and the NERC Corporation. We were counsel to the New England utilities for the siting of 52 miles of the Quebec-New England HVDC Interconnection. We have obtained regulatory approvals for the acquisition of a national transmission company by a global transmission and energy company.
We represent Vermont's only natural gas company, serving as counsel for the introduction of transportation to its system and the development of an alternative-regulation plan, and assisting with multiple aspects of line development ranging from title work and eminent domain proceedings to siting and refurbishment projects. We obtained Public Service Board approval for the Vermont portion of the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System, which connects a Quebec pipeline with the interstate-pipeline system in Massachusetts.
We have extensive experience in complex land use and environmental energy siting matters and working with state environmental permitting agencies, the Army Corps of Engineers and other state and federal administrative agencies.
As a member firm of Lex Mundi®, the world’s leading association of independent law firms, DRM has immediate entrée to more than 20,000 lawyers in 160 prominent and successful law firms with more than 600 offices in 120 countries. The firm’s association with Lex Mundi® gives DRM’s clients the added benefits of access to local market knowledge and experience, relevant industry focus, sound business and language skills and responsive service.
For more information or to discuss how we may help you with an energy matter, please contact John Marshall, Nancy Malmquist or Kim Hayden.
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