Ryan Collins

Practice Areas

Electric Energy Regulation

Oil Pipelines

Natural Gas Pipelines

Energy Project Development & Transactions

Career

With a practice focused on natural gas pipeline, oil pipeline, and electricity transmission and energy market regulation, Ryan represents clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), other federal agencies, and federal courts.

Ryan represents natural gas clients in obtaining certificates of public convenience and necessity to construct new or expansion facilities, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, gas import/export authorizations, as well as prosecuting both Natural Gas Act section 4 and section 5 rate and tariff matters. These matters range from litigation to rulemaking and client counseling regarding regulatory compliance and operational responsibilities.

Within the electricity side of his practice, Ryan focuses on capacity markets, organized wholesale energy markets, and transmission planning and cost allocation for clients such as PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM), ISO New England Inc., and Southwest Power Pool, Inc.

Driven by drafting and winning arguments on behalf of his clients, Ryan can best be described as full of energy, yet a sharp and critical thinker. And when not practicing law, you can find Ryan burning up energy playing with his kids or on the soccer field.

Professional Memberships

Energy Bar Association

Publications

Chapter 11: Pipeline Service Obligations and Chapter 46: Judicial Review, Regulation of the Gas Industry, 2018 (co-author)

Chapter 145: Settlements, Energy Law and Transactions, Matthew Bender, 2018 (co-author)

Experience

Assisting natural gas pipeline companies in NGA section 4 general rate cases and NGA section 5 investigations and in matters of compliance, standards of conduct, and tariff implementation.

Assisting natural gas pipelines in project development, including obtaining and defending certificates of public convenience and necessity, negotiating precedent agreements, and drafting open season materials.

Representing a regional transmission organization (RTO) in obtaining FERC approval of the Capacity Performance reforms to PJM’s capacity market, which is known as the Reliability Pricing Model, or RPM.

Representing an RTO in a litigated proceeding before an administrative law judge and FERC concerning allocation of costs between regional transmission organizations for transmission facilities located wholly within one organization.

Representing an RTO in proceedings before FERC regarding wholesale energy and capacity markets, including demand response participation rules, as well as other tariff matters, reliability agreements, and transmission planning and cost allocation matters.

Representing an RTO in matters before FERC and courts related to seams issues resulting from utility integration.

Assisting a natural gas pipeline regarding NGA section 3 authorizations and Presidential Permits issued by FERC to permit construction of natural gas pipeline facilities across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Representing clients regarding Presidential Permits issued by Department of Energy to permit construction of electric facilities across the U.S.-Canada border.

Assisting clients in defending FERC-established returns on equity.

Assisting natural gas pipelines in regarding FERC’s Natural Gas Policy Act section 311 regulation for intrastate pipelines to offer interstate service.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

District of Columbia

Maryland

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

U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

Supreme Court of the United States

Education