Ryan Baron

Of Counsel

Irvine
18101 Von Karman Ave
Suite 1000
(949) 263-6568

Ryan Baron is of counsel in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Environmental Law & Natural Resources practice group. He offers strategic counsel on all aspects of utility and environmental regulation and complex infrastructure and development. He has extensive experience in public utility regulation and energy and water development projects, and environmental matters involving water and air quality, climate change and solid waste. Ryan’s practice focuses on administrative agency regulation of business and governmental planning efforts and the deployment of critical infrastructure and new technologies. As a former senior in-house counsel, Ryan understands the need to navigate clients through complex matters with revenue-focused and creative approaches.

Regulatory Affairs
Ryan represents clients on regulatory matters before a number of federal and state agencies. He advises on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, total maximum daily loads, alternative compliance planning, air permits and variances, governmental enforcement, trading and offset programs, landfill compliance, alternative energy and gas regulation, cap and trade and federal and state grant programs. He also advises on agency rules and tariffs that apply to regulated utilities. Ryan is experienced in administrative law procedures involving agency rulemakings, permit and licensing proceedings and enforcement actions.

Project Development
Ryan counsels clients on the development of utility and large-scale infrastructure projects with significant experience in contracts and negotiation. He advises on issues involving land use and entitlements, federal and state permitting and licensing, project funding and finance, public-private partnerships and other agreements. Ryan’s project and planning advice includes the development of alternative energy, such as combined heat and power, waste to energy, solar, natural gas, biomass and battery storage. He also has experience with the regional development of facilities and projects involving flood control, water treatment, water storage and reuse, transportation, freeway improvements and master planned communities.

Teaching
Ryan is an adjunct professor at Whittier Law School, where he has taught Administrative Law and Energy Law. He has guest lectured at the Chapman University School of Law and in the Advanced Power and Energy Program at the University of California, Irvine.

Government Service
Ryan is a former senior deputy county counsel to the County of Orange, one of the largest counties in the U.S. He oversaw the office’s public works and regulatory group and was a lead counsel to the Public Works, Planning, and Waste and Recycling departments. In his 12 years of government service, Ryan directly advised on billions of dollars in projects and development, and led significant energy and water legal efforts.

Prior to his in-house experience, Ryan practiced with a Washington, D.C. law firm working on behalf of Fortune 100 companies in regulatory litigation and federal enforcement actions. During law school, Ryan was a law clerk and junior lobbyist for the global government relations office of an international telecommunications company, and was a legal intern for an FCC commissioner and in the FCC’s International Bureau. Ryan was the editor-in-chief of Catholic University’s communications law journal and a graduate of the school’s Institute for Communications Law Studies (now the Institute of Law & Technology).

Ryan is licensed to practice law in the State of California.

Education

• The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D.
• San Diego State University, B.A., with Distinction

Ryan Baron

Of Counsel

• Sustain OC, Board member; Chair, Government Affairs Committee
• State Bar of California, Public Law Section Executive Committee, treasurer
• Orange County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section
• California Stormwater Quality Association
• States of California Nevada Chapter, National Telecommunications Officers & Advisors, Board member, 2011-2013

Ryan Baron

Of Counsel

Agency Representation

• Federal – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Federal Communications Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Administration
• State of California – state and regional water boards, Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Public Utilities Commission, Energy Commission, CalRecycle, Fish & Wildlife, State Controller

Energy & Gas

• Former general counsel to nationally recognized municipal solid waste enterprise advising on the maximization of alternative energy opportunities, including anaerobic digestion, solar, geothermal, biogas and biofuel
• Advised on project development planning and regulation of cogeneration, landfill gas to energy, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and battery storage facilities
• Advised on statewide community choice aggregation efforts
• Advised on investor owned utility general rates cases and tariffs
• Drafted, reviewed and negotiated power purchase agreements
• Advised on renewable energy credits, carbon allowances and monetization of offsets
• Advised on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulation of over-the-fence sales and marginal costs limitations under Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act and California Public Utilities Code
• Participated in Air Resources Board rulemakings regarding cap and trade application to cogeneration plants and landfills
• Successfully negotiated $2.4 million CARB notice of violation to no penalty
• Drafted and negotiated utility pipeline relocation settlement agreements
• Advised on natural gas procurement
• Assisted with grant applications to Department of Energy and California Energy Commission

Environmental Law

• Advised countywide stormwater program on Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne Act compliance and watershed management planning; collaborated in multi-county regulatory affairs efforts
• Participated in regional water board proceedings on stormwater permit issuance
• Advised on complex total maximum daily load compliance issues (bacteria, selenium, organichlorines) involving water quality trading, alternative compliance strategies, post-TMDL deadlines and basin plan amendments
• Filed petitions for review with State Water Board and commented on precedential orders
• Participated in EPA rulemaking proceedings on Waters of the U.S. and agency restructuring
• Negotiated successful resolutions to regional water board notice of violations
• Advised on air permits and variance issues associated with landfill operations, natural gas and landfill gas to energy plants
• Advised on solid waste disposal issues, including importation, tipping fees, CEQA, waste hauler franchises, zone expansion, landfill closure and conditional use permits

Project Development

• Advised on the development and construction of cogeneration, solar, LFGE, biomass, fuel cell, and natural gas injection facilities
• Advised on design, construction and regulatory issues and drafted and negotiated cooperative agreements for large-scale water storage and reuse projects
• Advised on infrastructure development agreement obligations for 6,000-acre development including transportation obligations, development impact fees and community facility district finance issues
• Advised on all aspects of $120 million arterial highway extension including CEQA/NEPA, State Fish and Wildlife and Regional Water Board permits, design and construction contracts, developer and municipal cooperative agreements, easements and grant deeds, and public funding issues
• Advised joint powers operation on $200 million public safety communications system between county and 130+ partner agencies
• Advised on the design and construction of several transportation corridor and freeway improvement projects, including developer obligations, state and local agency partner agreements, federal grant monies and approvals and bond financing issues

Ryan Baron

Of Counsel

“Tracking State and Federal Grant Money – Cap and trade & AB 1613,” 2016 Sustain OC Annual Conference & Expo, October 2016

“Energy Reliability: Understanding the Natural Gas and Electricity Connection,” 2016 League of California Cities Annual Conference, October 2016

“Water Quality Projects in Orange County,” 2016 Water Seminar, International Right of Way Association, Orange County Chapter, September 2016

“Developments in California Administrative Proceedings,” 12th Annual California Stormwater Quality Association Conference, September 2016

“Current Issues with Utilities,” Public Works Contracts & Environmental Law Conference, County Counsel’s Association, May 2016

“Current Issues in Stormwater: Attainable or Bust,” Moderator, Public Law Section Webinar, State Bar of California, January 2016

“Water Quality Trading,” 11th Annual California Stormwater Quality Association Conference, October 2015

“County Revenue Basics: Paying for County Services under Propositions 26 and 218,” County of Orange Financial Services Workshop, September 2015

“San Diego Regional MS4 Permit,” Orange County City Manager’s Association Meeting, June 2015

“Utility Undergrounding,” Public Works Contracts & Environmental Law Conference, County Counsel’s Association, October 2014

“How Does EPA’s Proposed Waters of the U.S. Rule Affect Municipalities,” 79th Annual International Municipal Lawyer’s Association Conference, September 2014, Baltimore

“Landfill Gas to Energy,” Advanced Power & Energy Program, University of California, Irvine, November 2013

“California Municipal Stormwater Permits,” Law Seminars Int’l Telebriefing, November 2013

“Agencies, Permitting & the San Diego Water Board,” Water Law Clinic, Whittier Law School, November 2013

“County Power Plant Partnerships on the Rise,” CleanTech OC Annual Conference & Expo, September 2013

“It’s All About Worms! Virginia Dep’t of Transportation v. EPA,” 10th Annual California Stormwater Quality Association Conference, September 2013

“Utility Undergrounding,” Public Works Contracts & Environmental Law Conference, Co-chair, County Counsel’s Association, May 2013

“At Last . . . A Nationwide Public Safety Wireless Broadband Network: Now What?,” moderator, NATOA Annual Conference, September 2012, New Orleans, LA

“Power Purchase Agreements and Landfill Gas Contracts,” Public Works Contracts & Environmental Law Conference, County Counsel’s Association, May 2012

“Energy Law 101,” Environmental Law Society, Whittier Law School, April 2012

“Challenges with Energy, Gas and the Environment,” moderator, Environmental Law Symposium, “Looking Forward: The Next Decade in Southern California Environmental Law,” Whittier Law School, February 2012