Resources
Experience

Energy: Gas Pipeline Expansion

Represented an interstate pipeline company before the Maine PUC in advancing an interstate pipeline expansion project designed to provide a firm, competitively priced source of fuel for natural gas-fired generators providing electricity to consumers in Maine and elsewhere in New England. The Maine PUC is charged with implementation of the Energy Cost Reduction Act, a 2013 law (the firm was actively involved in drafting and securing passage of the Act) that authorizes the state to direct execution of a contract for new natural gas pipeline capacity. A so-called energy cost reduction contract, or ECRC, provides financing for up to $75 million per year upon a finding that the contract's benefits will outweigh its costs and that the contract is commercially reasonable and in the public interest. After more than two years of extensive litigation, the Maine PUC selected our client's project as the best option for an ECRC and directed Maine's electric transmission and distribution utilities to purchase pipeline capacity on the proposed pipeline expansion. The project is conditioned on support from other New England states, as it will enable the development of additional pipeline capacity needed to increase the availability and supply of natural gas throughout New England.

Firm Highlights

Blog

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Proposes National Drinking Water Standard for Six PFAS Compounds

On March 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). PFAS are a category of manufactured chemicals that...

Blog

Verrill Partner Mat Todaro selected to serve on the American Bar Association’s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources 2022 Fall Conference Planning Committee

Earlier this year, Verrill Partner Mat Todaro was selected by American Bar Association leadership to serve on the 2022 Fall Conference Planning Committee for its Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources. In this role...

Blog

Four Verrill Attorneys Recognized by Chambers & Partners for Energy and Environmental Law in Maine

Verrill attorneys Juliet T. Browne, James I. Cohen, Gordon R. Smith, and Mathew J. Todaro were recently recognized for energy and environmental law in Maine in the 2022 Chambers & Partners Guide . Chambers...

Blog

Maine PUC to Kick Off Review of Grid Plan to Assist Clean Energy Transition

Last month, the Maine Public Utilities Commission initiated a proceeding to identify the priorities to be addressed in an electric grid plan that will assist Maine in the “cost-effective transition to a clean, affordable...

Blog

Georgetown Broadband LLC Secures Utility Pole Attachment Authorization for Community Broadband Project

On February 17, 2023, Georgetown Broadband LLC (GBLLC) became the latest community broadband entity to receive pole attachment authorization from the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to deploy a fiber broadband network. GBLLC began...

Blog

Verrill's Jim Cohen To Speak on Past and Future of Maine’s Electric Grid at 2023 Winter Bar Conference

Verrill partner Jim Cohen will be presenting at the Maine State Bar Association’s Winter Bar Conference 2023, on Friday, January 27, in Portland. Cohen’s presentation, The Past and Future of Maine’s Electric Grid...

Blog

Crisis emerges in Maine over safe disposal of biosolids from wastewater treatment plants

Maine wastewater treatment plants are currently facing intense challenges concerning disposal of their sewage sludge , also called “biosolids.” This is a fast-moving issue getting significant coverage in the media and substantial attention from...

News

Verrill Partner Geoffrey Why Named One of Boston’s Most Influential Asian American Pacific Islanders 2023

Publication/Podcast

New Rules for Apprentices on Energy Projects Come with Uncertainty for Contractors and Developers

On January 1, 2021, a new law went into effect setting benchmarks for use of apprentices on energy generation facility construction projects. Enacted in 2019, the law was part of “An Act to Establish...

Blog

Maine PUC Asked to Fix “Leapfrogging” Problem Triggered by 2022 Changes to Maine’s Generator Interconnection Rule

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is currently considering whether to commence a formal emergency rulemaking process to amend Chapter 324 of its rules governing generator interconnections. The purpose of the rulemaking would be to...

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