Energy Policy

Van Ness Feldman has substantial expertise representing clients in the many policy debates that impact all sectors of the energy industry, including:  Clean Air Act reauthorization; global climate change; extension of FERC regulation; regional management of transmission assets; siting policies; federal public land law; Endangered Species Act; renewable and energy efficiency; clean coal initiatives and natural gas policy and regulation. 

Representative Projects

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – Beginning in 1999, the firm represented  the Large Public Power Council (LPPC) in its successful efforts to turn back attempts by investor-owned utilities and merchant generators to subject public power entities to full FERC jurisdiction. 
• Energy Saving Performance Contracting – Working on behalf of the Alliance to Save Energy and a coalition of dozens of prominent energy service providers, the firm assisted in working with Congress and with the Bush Administration at the White House, Department of Energy and the Office of Management and Budget to devise a successful strategy to restore energy saving performance contracting.  This 10-year reauthorization should put the federal government back on track to meet the President’s energy performance goals, save energy, and save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars annually. 

  

• Clean Coal Technology – The firm manages the Coal Utilization Research Council (CURC), a coalition of industry and educational institutions with an interest in promoting clean coal technology.  CURC was a principal player in designing and advocating passage of the nearly $7.0 billion in federal government incentives and authorizations for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and other clean coal technology programs now included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
• Renewable Electricity Incentives – Representing the geothermal energy industry, the firm led a multi-renewable industry effort to extend and expand the scope of the renewable energy production tax credit as part of the National Energy Policy Act of 2005.