Debra D. Roby

Ms. Roby has extensive experience in Energy Law and chairs the Jennings Strouss Energy Practice Group. Her work focuses on the generation and transmission of electric power, interconnection matters, transmission infrastructure and pricing policies, energy markets, transactional matters, and energy-related litigation and appeals. She helps her clients interface with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state utility commissions on regulatory procedures, tariff matters, rulemaking and policy matters, and regulatory investigations. Ms. Roby also helps her clients interface with regional transmission organizations and neighboring utilities. Her clients are or have included municipal power agencies, individual municipal electric systems, electric generation and transmission cooperatives, large end-users of electric power, independent transmission entities, and the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

Ms. Roby is listed as a Washington D.C. Super Lawyer in the area of Energy and Natural Resources.

Admitted to Practice

• District of Columbia

Court Admission

• U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

• Represents wholesale customers before FERC and related appellate proceedings involving Regional Transmission Organization rates and market design issues
• Represents the Public Utility Commission of Texas before FERC on matters relating to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Southwest Power Pool energy market tariffs, transmission development, seams issues, and transmission pricing policies
• Counsels generators and municipal electric systems on RTO interconnection procedures and agreements
• Represents hydro-electric licensees before FERC in licensing and compliance matters, including interfacing with state and federal environmental agencies
• Negotiated and enforced power supply agreements, renewable energy certificate agreements, joint project development agreements, and asset sale agreements
• Counsels municipal utilities regarding compliance with mandatory electric reliability standards, including representation in compliance audits, challenges, and settlement of potential violations
• Represents a city before a state utility commission challenging aspects of a transmission route proposal
• Represented a large generation and transmission electric cooperative in its successful integration into a Regional Transmission Organization
• Represented several transmission-owning municipal electric utilities seeking to place their transmission assets under the control of a Regional Transmission Organization, including the establishment of an annual transmission revenue requirement and execution of a joint zone revenue distribution agreement
• Represented entities seeking to establish and recover an annual revenue requirement for the provision of reactive support service within a Regional Transmission Organization
• Represented a municipal utility in a complaint action before FERC alleging abuse of market power
• Represented an Affected Unit of Local Government before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the High Level Nuclear Waste proceedings

Articles

• Co-author, “In the wake of Hughes v. Talen Energy, might states turn to CHP to help meet future energy demand?,” District Energy Magazine (2016)
• Co-author, “Cybersecurity and District Energy Resilience,” District Energy Magazine (2014)

Blogs

• Co-author, “The United States Supreme Court Limited the Ability of States to Promote Generation Development,” Energy Law Times (2016)
• Co-author, “FERC Issues Final Rule Concerning Integration of Variable Energy Resources,” Energy Law Times (2012)
• Co-author, “Changes in NERC Reliability Standards FAC-008/FAC-009 will take Effect on January 1, 2013,” Energy Law Times (March 15, 2012)
• Co-author, “FERC Issues Final Rule Concerning Integration of Variable Energy Resources,” Energy Law Times (2012)

Presentations

• “Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) & Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Update,” MMEA Fall Conference (2019)
• “NERC Reliability Standards, What They Mean for Municipal Utilities,” Kansas Municipal Utilities (2007)
• “An Introduction to EPA’s Coal Ash Rule,” APPA Legal Seminar (2015)

Energy Bar Association

American Public Power Association

National Hydropower Association

American Bar Association

• Environment, Energy, and Resources Section
• Renewable Energy Committee

District of Columbia Bar Association

• Listed, Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers in the category of Energy and Natural Resources (2012 – 2016, 2018-2020)