On May 20, 2011, eighty parties representing a cross-section of American business filed their opening brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (“D.C. Circuit” or the “Court”) challenging EPA’s finding that greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) emitted by new motor vehicles endanger the public health and welfare by contributing to climate change.  A group of states filed separate briefs challenging that finding as well.

On May 6, 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued an order allowing the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (“MISO”) to recover $7,000 in penalties from customers, and in the same order, clarified section 205 filing requirements when an unidentified registered entity (“URE”) is involved. 

On May 11, 2011 Commissioner Phillip Moeller of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) and Gerry Cauley, President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”), offered their thoughts on ensuring the reliability of the bulk power system in a keynote address at a conference presented by the Electric Utility Consultants, Inc. (“EUCI”) and hosted by Troutman Sanders LLP. 

On May 9, 2011, Chairman Jon Wellinghoff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) and Gerry Cauley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) announced that they will work together to look into the causes of electrical outages and disruptions of natural gas delivery in the Southwest during February 2011.

On May 5, 2011, Joseph McClelland, the Director for the Office of Electric Reliability (“OER”) of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (“Energy Committee”) on FERC’s oversight of grid reliability under section 215 of the Federal Power Act (“FPA”) and the Commission’s use of FPA authority with regards to cybersecurity.

On April 26, 2011, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“DC Circuit”) rejected a challenge by George C. Jepsen, Attorney General for the State of Connecticut and the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel (together, the “petitioners”) to ISO New England’s (“ISO- NE”) 2010 Budget.