Victoria Lauterbach

Practice Areas

Electric Energy Regulation

Natural Gas Pipelines

Energy Project Development & Transactions

Career

Tory represents investor-owned utilities, independent transmission companies, independent power projects, energy investors, and natural gas companies in a variety of regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters.

Tory advises her clients regarding the Federal Power Act (FPA), the Natural Gas Act (NGA), the Interstate Commerce Act and related federal and state statutes. She regularly represents clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and also has represented clients before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and state public utility commissions. More specifically, her areas of knowledge and expertise include:

* Federal energy regulatory matters, including ratemaking, market-based rate and rulemaking proceedings, and the development of tariff rules for regional markets for electric energy, capacity, and ancillary services

* Administrative litigation before FERC, including conducting evidentiary hearings, negotiating client positions in settlement proceedings, and facilitating participation in technical conferences

* Department of Energy import-export authorization and compliance

* Energy company mergers and acquisitions

* Project finance for traditional, alternative, and renewable energy projects

* Developing and presenting energy regulatory compliance training and programs

* FERC and CFTC enforcement defense

* Energy-related contract drafting

Prior to joining Wright & Talisman, Tory was an associate at an international law firm in its energy and commodities advisory practice group, with a focus on energy regulatory, transactional and enforcement matters.

Professional Memberships

Energy Bar Association

Experience

Representing infrastructure fund in regulatory compliance matters related to integrating large portfolio of wind farms into the fund’s larger energy portfolio.

Representing utility-affiliated wholesale generation company in securing regulatory approval for acquisition of additional generation interests.

Representing a regional transmission organization (RTO) in securing regulatory approval for revisions to its financial transmission rights Tariff rules.

Representing transmission owner clients in defense of their transmission rates in a complaint proceeding under section 206 of the FPA.

Representing transmission owner clients in securing incentive return on equity adder for regional transmission organization (RTO) participation.

Representing Ameren Corporation and its affiliates before FERC in rate proceedings (including formula rate proceedings), regarding wholesale market issues, and in connection with service agreements, interconnection agreements, and compliance matters.

Representing Trans Bay Cable LLC in a transmission rate proceeding at FERC.

Representing New Mexico Gas Company in the litigation of a major, multi-party gas pipeline rate case, as well as advising on compliance and commercial and regulatory issues.

Representing natural gas pipeline companies in NGA section 4 and 5 ratemaking proceedings, and in matters of compliance and standards of conduct.

Representing an RTO in proceedings to establish a day-ahead market.

Representing an investor-owned utility in dispute with an RTO regarding tariff rates and the integration of a new investor-owned utility into the RTO.

Advising a new oil and gas venture of a large commercial firm regarding the integration of newly acquired oil and gas assets into larger corporate structure.

Conducting and managing due diligence review and analysis related to the financing and sale of a public utility.

Advising a client regarding Department of Energy regulations for the export and import of energy products.

Advising a client regarding the financing and licensing of solar and wind power generation.

Advising a start-up retail energy marketer on transactional and regulatory matters related to establishing nationwide retail energy marketing business.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Texas

District of Columbia

U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Personal

Volunteer, Food & Friends, Washington, D.C.

Education