Brenda Colella

Practice Areas

• Regulatory

• Project Development

• Energy

• Renewable Energy

• Oil & Gas

• Energy Markets

Career

Brenda began practicing law in a private law firm in Washington DC and has been practicing for 24 years. She currently serves as practice group leader for the firm’s Regulatory Practice Group (encompassing eight practice areas) and serves as co-chair of the firm’s Regulatory Practice Area and co-leader of the Renewable Energy and Energy Markets Teams.

She concentrates her practice on regulatory matters and the development of energy and infrastructure projects, including transmission line, pipeline, and traditional and renewable electric generation projects.

Brenda has recently been serving as a lead attorney in many major and high-profile linear infrastructure and generation state siting proceedings, including for NYPA’s Smart Path transmission line project for NYPA, NYPA’s Smart Path Connect transmission line project, LS Power and NYPA’s Central East Energy Connector transmission line project, Rise Light & Power’s Queensboro Renewable Express project, and Invenergy’s Clean Path NY transmission line project, all before the NYS Public Service Commission, as well as the Danskammer repowering project, before the NYS Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. She also serves as lead outside counsel for Invenergy and other renewable energy developers on their portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities that are in pre-application phase before the NYS Office of Renewable Energy Siting.

Brenda generally represents developers, utilities, and energy companies before New York State and federal governmental agencies and in the governance process of the NY Independent System Operator. She also advises energy clients in various transactions, including M&As, power purchase agreements, and EPC contracts and in compliance matters, including retail market issues.

Professional Memberships

• Central New York Women's Bar Association, Member

• Energy Bar Association, Member

• New York State Bar Association, Environmental and Energy Law Section and Public Utility Law Section, Member

• Onondaga County Bar Association, Member

• Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Member

• American Wind Energy Association, Member

• Solar Energy Industries Association, Member

• Women in Communications and Energy NY, Member

• Barclay Damon’s Women Forum, Member

Publications

• Barclay Damon LLP, “End of An Era: SCOTUS Overturns Chevron After 40 Years of Deference to Administrative Agencies”

• Barclay Damon LLP, “PSC Updates Its Energy Storage Goals, Establishes Roadmap to Deploy 6 GW of Storage Capacity by 2030”

• Barclay Damon LLP, “NYS PSC Launches ‘Grid of the Future’ Proceeding”

• Barclay Damon LLP, “ORES Executive Director Issues First Denial of Section 94-C Permit Application Following Applicant's Partial Loss of Site Control”

• Barclay Damon LLP, “Proposed NYS Budget Includes Major Changes to ORES and Transmission Siting”

Personal

• Greater Strathmore Neighborhood Association, Member

• Strathmore Huntley Group, Member and Historic Building Investor