Franca L DeRosa

Practice Areas

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL

ENERGY TRANSITION

REAL ESTATE

Career

Franca DeRosa’s practice encompasses all aspects of energy and environmental law, including counseling and assistance relating to investigation, remediation, enforcement and compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. She has counseled corporations, manufacturers, developers, and utility companies on a wide variety of environmental and regulatory matters.

Franca is recognized as a leading environment lawyer by Chambers USA, where clients have commented that she is “incredibly organized, incredibly diligent and able to take anything we throw her way – an all around fantastic lawyer,” and “incredibly knowledgeable on a wide range of environmental law-related issues and consistently provides reliable advice on complex environmental matters.”

Franca has advised on the acquisition, restructure, and development of various electric generating facilities. She has counseled clients on the environmental implications of financing, corporate, and real estate transactions. She has represented numerous clients who have remediated and redeveloped industrial and commercial sites into productive and marketable properties. She has also represented contractors and construction companies in evaluating and effectively addressing environmental issues for residential, commercial, and industrial developments. She regularly handles matters in renewable energy including solar projects, off-shore wind projects, energy, storage and fuel cells.

Franca serves on the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Working Group that is developing release-based regulations for the State as required by Public Act 20-9.

Franca served on Brown Rudnick’s Management Committee from 2008 to 2022.

Professional Memberships

Fellow, The American College of Environmental Lawyers (2021)

Member, Connecticut Bar Association; Executive Committee of CBA Environmental Law Section

Member, American Bar Association

Member, The Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals

Work Highlights

Cruise Terminals International (CTI), in a ground lease with the Virgin Islands Port Authority for the long-term lease and redevelopment of the Port of Crown Bay in St. Thomas.

ProFrac Holding, a Nasdaq-listed energy services company, in a $105 million deal to sell the mobile power generation assets and related intellectual property of its subsidiary, ProFrac GDM, to Flotek Industries.

Whistle Express, a leading brand in the car wash industry, in its acquisition of Driven Brands’ U.S. car wash business for $385 million. The combined company is the largest express car wash company in the United States.

PSEG, one of the ten largest U.S. electric utilities, in regulatory, permitting, and compliance matters for its New Haven Harbor and Bridgeport Harbor electric generating stations. Previously represented Wisvest, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Electric, on its acquisition of these assets from United Illuminating, and then represented Wisvest on the sale of these assets to PSEG.

Competitive Power Ventures, a leading electric power development and asset management company, in development, operational, financing and compliance matters various electric generation facilities in Connecticut. Instrumental in obtaining regulatory approvals and permit transfers to facilitate the purchase and sale of the facilities.

International Paper, the largest pulp and paper company in the world, on environmental, remediation, and contractual matters related to several of its facilities.

Cruise Terminals International (CTI) in developing environmental strategies to understand full extent of environmental conditions on Crown Bay port redevelopment project in St. Thomas. Also, drafting environmental provisions in various contractual documents to properly allocate environmental obligations between parties and reduce potential environmental liabilities.

The Davis Companies and Marcus Partners on environmental matters related to the redevelopments of numerous commercial properties in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Park City Wind, an off-shore wind project owned by Avangrid Renewables, as state and federal regulatory, environment and real estate counsel.

698 South Main Street, the brownfield redevelopment group for Waterbury City, Connecticut, in its environmental investigation program and in the sale auction process for a former Anamet site.

Wide World of Indoor Sports, a premier destination for state-of-the-art training facilities in New England, on environmental matters.

DLC Management, a national leader in commercial retail real estate, on complex environmental issues.

Scale MicroGrid, a vertically integrated distributed energy company, on its renewable energy projects in Connecticut, including three AC battery storage facilities and a fuel cell and thermal loop facility.

Generation Bridge, owner of electric power generation facilities in New York and Connecticut, on environmental matters for the power plants.

Borough of Naugatuck on environment issues relating to the subdivision and sale of an 86-acre industrial property.

ProFrac, a Texas-based fracking company, as corporate environmental and compliance counsel for various acquisitions across the U.S.

Education