Overview
Stone Pigman has long been recognized as one of the Gulf South's premier law firms in electric energy and natural gas regulation. For four decades, Stone Pigman lawyers have been involved in all aspects of energy regulation and administrative litigation, including the siting, construction and certification of generating units; utility ratemaking, rate design and cost allocation; utility transactions and financing; and the development of energy policy at the state and federal levels. Our lawyers appear regularly before state and federal regulatory agencies, including the Louisiana Public Service Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and in the judicial arena, including Louisiana state courts, federal district and appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court.
Stone Pigman attorneys have participated in numerous energy regulatory matters of great significance to the energy industry and have amassed a deep understanding of the regulatory issues facing the energy industry as well as energy consumers. The firm served as Special Counsel to the Louisiana Public Service Commission in virtually every major public utility regulatory proceeding from 1975 through 2002 and continues to represent the Commission in many major representations before state and federal agencies and courts. Stone Pigman has a long history of helping the Louisiana Public Service Commission to obtain positive results and successful outcomes in regulatory matters.
Stone Pigman is ranked as one of the best law firms in Louisiana in Energy and Natural Resources, Utilities by Chambers and Partners. Chambers ranked all of the firm's main energy regulatory practitioners among the best utilities lawyers in the state, calling practice head Michael R. Fontham "one of the most talented lawyers in the country on energy regulation matters." Two Stone Pigman practitioners have been named to The Best Lawyers in America in the field of public utilities law. Our energy regulatory lawyers teach at area law schools in the field of energy law and evidence, attend and speak at conferences on energy matters and are leaders in energy and utility-related bar associations.
Stone Pigman has extensive experience in:
- Administrative Proceedings and Litigation Regarding Multi-Jurisdictional Power Contracts, Power Sales and Cost Allocations. Stone Pigman has extensive experience in administrative proceedings and litigation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Stone Pigman has handled many cases involving the administration and interpretation of multi-jurisdictional power contracts and wholesale cost allocations. Stone Pigman obtained judgments awarding hundreds of millions of dollars to its client from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and successfully defended those judgments on appeal.
- Electric and Gas Utility Ratemaking and Cost Recovery. Stone Pigman has significant experience in all aspects of utility ratemaking and cost recovery, having handled hundreds of rate cases, prudence reviews, fuel audits and power sales disputes. Those cases involved regulatory accounting, taxation, depreciation, ratemaking adjustments, rate design, rate of return and cost-allocation principles, among other issues.
- Power Plant Acquisition, Siting, Certification and Cost Recovery. Stone Pigman lawyers have handled proceedings involving every aspect of the siting and certification of power generating units, most recently the St. Charles Power Station, the Ninemile Unit No. 6 and Rodemacher 3 generating units located in Louisiana. Stone Pigman has been heavily involved in monitoring the construction of generating units and reviewing the prudence of generating unit construction and operating costs.
- Bulk Transmission Proceedings and Regional Transmission Organizations. Stone Pigman has long been involved in proceedings to determine the proper structure and governance of regional transmission organizations, and in the design and implementation of transmission tariffs under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Our lawyers have extensive experience in the operation and governance of Regional Transmission Organizations, including transmission planning and energy and capacity markets.
- Utility Financing and Mergers. Stone Pigman lawyers have been involved in numerous large, complex utility mergers and financings. Stone Pigman assisted with the regulatory review of those transactions and with the development of various conditions and rate mechanisms necessary for the regulatory approval of those transactions. Stone Pigman has also been involved with the regulatory review and implementation of large-scale utility financings, including bond issuances for the financing of storm damage costs.
