Gray PLLC

Jeff maintains a law and consulting practice serving cleantech firms, renewable energy developers, commodities firms, electric and natural gas utility companies, independent power producers (IPP), independent transmission companies (ITC), and others on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues, complex commercial transactions, facility certification and permitting activities, and dealings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), independent system operators (ISO)/regional transmission organizations (RTO), reliability organizations, state commissions, and various courts and agencies.

Representative matters and tasks include (1) representing clients in FERC proceedings including rulemakings, ISO/RTO tariff dockets, and Federal Power Act (FPA) and Natural Gas Act (NGA) applications and litigation; (2) negotiating, settling, and papering contested FERC rate cases and related tariffs and contracts; (3) securing FERC approvals for the transfer of jurisdictional facilities; (4) securing FERC market-based rate authority; (5) litigating qualifying-facility (QF) proceedings before state commissions; (6) representing clients before state commissions in contested proceedings for the construction of new facilities; (7) securing approvals and permits for wind farms in multiple states; (8) advising clients on incentives/subsidies, renewable energy standards (RES), renewable energy credits (REC), reliability standards, and regulatory compliance; (9) developing custom regulatory compliance programs; (10) negotiating and drafting power purchase agreements (PPA), other commodities agreements (e.g., EEI, ISDA, NAESB, WSPP, storage, tolling), transmission agreements, asset purchase and sale agreements, financing agreements, turbine supply agreements (TSA), engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreements, and operations and maintenance (O&M) agreements; (11) preparing and presenting expert witness testimony; and (12) litigating and arguing cases before state and federal administrative and civil courts at the trial and appellate levels.

Jeff is active in the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Energy Bar Association. He is 2011-12 Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Market Regulation Committee of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources.

Jeff has held prominent commercial, finance, and public affairs positions at a global energy and energy-trading company, directed business development for a supplier to the global energy industry, researched and published on the topics of regulatory reform and industrial restructuring, presented at academic and industry conferences, and taught graduate and undergraduate university courses in international business and economics. He holds a Ph.D. (Economic Geography and International Trade), J.D. (Law and Economics, Regulatory Law, and Intellectual Property Law), and M.B.A. (Corporate Financial Management, Financial Institutions and Markets, and International Management) from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, and a B.S. (Industrial Engineering) from Texas A&M University. His doctoral dissertation examines the role of ISOs and RTOs in the development of efficient electricity markets.