With 20 years experience in federal and state energy regulation, Deborah has worked on a variety of major issues of importance to the industry, from litigation over market rate contracts before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to participation in RTOs to state commission rate and regulatory compliance proceedings. She is currently lead outside counsel for a Maine natural gas distribution company, handling all tariff and regulatory matters.
Deborah has represented a number of market-based sellers and QFs on approval, compliance, and enforcement proceedings at FERC. She serves as regulatory advisor to Maine's largest electric utility on state regulatory issues such as participation in ISO-NE, merger proceedings, sale of property, alternative rates, open access transmission, franchise territories, and separation of utility functions.
As part of Pierce Atwood's USAID-sponsored reform projects in Southeast Europe, she has assisted regulators in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Albania and Kosovo on competitive energy markets, tariff proceedings, and market opening legislation and rules in compliance with regional Treaties and Directives.
Recent Experience
- Maine Natural Gas Corp. Lead counsel representing natural gas distribution company on 2005 and 2009 alternative rate proceedings, annual cost of gas proceedings, and ongoing transactional and regulatory compliance matters
- Central Maine Power Company Negotiation and drafting terms of smart grid installation contracts; advice with respect to municipal challenges; pending eminent domain proceedings for transmission line construction Advice to seller of large manufacturing facility on necessary FERC approvals for sale of cogeneration; obtained FERC approvals
- USAID Legal Reform Project Advice and training to regulatory bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina on market opening rules, default service, competition, market contracts
Professional Activities
President, Maine Bar Foundation
Member, Energy Bar Association
Member, Maine State Bar Association
Publications
Transmission Preemption: Federal policy trumps state siting authority, Pub. Utils. Fortnightly (Nov. 2010) (co-author).
Transmission Lines, Reliability Standards, and Preemption, Energy Law 360 (June 2010) (co-author).
Mobile-Sierra and Market-Based Regulation: How Will The Supreme Court Strike the Balance? ABA Energy Litigation Journal (Spring 2008) (co-author).
Civic Activities
Former Board member, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England