Chip Cannon and David Applebaum Speak with Corporate Counsel Business Journal About FERC in 2018

Akin Gump partners Chip Cannon and David Applebaum, co-heads of the firm’s energy regulation, markets and enforcement practice, have been featured in the Corporate Counsel Business Journal (formerly known as Metropolitan Corporate Counsel) article “Key Issues as FERC Moves into 2018.” The pair discusses the new FERC commission and its priorities for the upcoming year.

Amid changes in FERC leadership, Cannon observed that much of the industry “is waiting to see how the new chairman (Trump appointee Kevin McIntyre) will make his mark.” Applebaum pointed out that FERC “has the ability to focus the industry on core issues important to the chairman and commissioners, but is also reacting to many externalities.”

Cannon then talked about some of the issues he thinks will be of concern in 2018, including the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act and the Department of Energy’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Resiliency Resources. Applebaum said there’s more reason to be optimistic this year than last year at this time that “big price-formation-related initiatives will be closer to being finalized.”

Finally, Cannon and Applebaum talked about price reporting, renewable portfolio standards and the prospects for enforcement in 2018 year, with Applebaum predicting there will likely be “a change in certain procedures about how electric market cases proceed through the commission and are filed in federal court.”

To read the full interview, please click here.