Environmental Law & Natural Resources

Californians spend more than $50 billion annually for services regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission, including electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, water and railroad services. BB&K has significant experience representing clients before the CPUC and assisting clients in transactions with Commission-regulated utilities.

With sharply rising energy and water costs, ratepayers and other stakeholders should know their options when they receive notice of advice letters, rate applications and other CPUC proceedings that affect them. Representing clients before the CPUC is a specialized area of law requiring technical knowledge of utility economics and regulations, and practical knowledge of how the Commission operates. Our legal services include:

• Advice and counseling;
• Representation in CPUC proceedings (ratemaking, complaints, investigations, rulemaking, etc.);
• Coordination with CPUC’s consumer advocate divisions (DRA/CPSD);
• Organizing joint participation in proceedings with other stakeholders to increase political clout while sharing costs;
• Advocacy before the CPUC;
• Transactions with CPUC-regulated utilities;
• California Environmental Quality Act and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity compliance for CPUC-approved projects;
• Monitoring and analyzing new developments.

BB&K’s CPUC attorneys represent ratepayers and other impacted entities, including public and private interests. Some examples of our CPUC-related experience include:

• Intervening on behalf of city clients in rate cases securing millions of dollars in savings to ratepayers by limiting rate increases and unnecessary capital expenditures;
• Advocating on behalf of clients to resolve right of way issues related to transmission and distribution projects;
• Intervening in Certificate of Public Need and Convenience proceedings to ensure adequate environmental compliance;
• Advocacy in public policy and rulemaking proceedings to ensure fair representation of client interests;
• Securing millions of dollars in refunds to ratepayers by forcing audits of a water utility;
• Saving millions of dollars for ratepayers by initiating and creating developer fee programs to provide capital facilities;
• Representing a coalition of water districts and the San Diego County Superintendent of Schools to successfully defeat a controversial SDG&E shut-off plan;
• Intervening on behalf of a JPA to obtain rate changes to protect ratepayers from excessive rates for air conditioning in hot summer months.