Energy, Telecommunications, and Utilities

For decades, Gordon Thomas Honeywell’s attorneys have successfully guided energy and utility clients through their most challenging times – from the Washington Public Power Supply System crisis of the 1980’s to the Enron crisis of the 2000’s. To address the challenges of the 21st Century, we are working with Washington’s utilities to finance and build energy, water, and telecommunications infrastructure, to address the industry's most challenging regulatory and legislative issues, and to resolve the most difficult issues through litigation or alternative dispute resolution.

Combining years of legal experience and an in-depth understanding of the commercial and technical aspects of the energy and utility industries, our attorneys produce extraordinary results for clients. Recent examples include assistance with critical financing, regulatory, and transactional issues related construction of new generation facilities powered by wind, hydropower, and other sources, and a major undersea transmission cable. We have also successfully assisted clients with complex problems involving the Bonneville Power Administration, federal and state regulatory and land agencies, and transactions involving renewable energy credits, electric transmission interconnections, and electric reliability. For example, GTH attorneys recently succeeded in obtaining permits for a wind project located in Lewis and Pacific Counties, which become the only wind generation project to be fully permitted for operation in Western Washington, and we are providing assistance to clients promoting advanced energy technologies such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems, tidal power, and innovative energy storage designs.

We also provide assistance to many clients involved in telecommunications, water, and other types of utilities. For example, we are representing a consortium of Washington Public Utility Districts in their efforts to provide advanced telecommunications facilities to Washington’s under-served and rural communities. Similarly, we have represented utilities in a wide range of non-energy matters, ranging from pole attachment rates to taxation and water resources.

Gordon Thomas Honeywell energy and utility attorneys are widely-recognized as industry leaders. U.S. News and World Report selected our Energy and Natural Resources Group as a top-tier ranking Best Law Firm; The Best Lawyers in America 2012 recognized our attorneys as Best Lawyers in the category of Energy Law and Natural Resources; Fortune magazine lists Gordon Thomas Honeywell as aTop Ranked Law Firm; we were named among the Top 4 Most Respected Law Firms in Washington by the Puget Sound Business Journal; and many of our attorneys are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell.

We advise the full spectrum of legal services to the energy and utility industries, including financing, permitting, and constructing energy and utility facilities, representation in complex state and federal regulatory proceedings, drafting and analyzing legislation, and litigation services.

Our in-depth understanding of the energy industry, combined with our top-ranked transactional and litigation attorneys, enables us to develop strategies and solutions consistent with the business objectives of our clients. Gordon Thomas Honeywell’s energy and utility attorneys deliver experience, skill and knowledge in the following areas: