2010 Law & Lawyers Report
Michael T. Burr is Fortnightly’s editor-in-chief. Email him at burr@pur.com.
The U.S. utility industry has never faced a more uncertain legal and regulatory landscape. From FERC demand-response pricing to state ratemaking disputes, legal trends and decisions are reshaping the power and gas market. The industry’s top legal minds provide strategic counsel.
By definition, a battlefield is an ugly place. Conflict creates chaos, uncertainty and danger.
So it is on the battlefield of public policy, where utility companies, lawmakers and consumers are wrangling over some major challenges and differences. Conflicts are happening at all levels of the law, from the U.S. Congress all the way down to city councils. And while these conflicts involve a huge variety of complex legal issues—from local siting to global warming—they all can be distilled into a fundamental disagreement over America’s energy strategy.