Clark Hill's energy attorneys have demonstrated creativity and initiative in creating change and developing future energy supply alternatives for its clients for decades. Consequently, those clients have been among the early beneficiaries, not victims, of the dramatic changes and new alternatives to the monopoly energy industries. Clark Hill has represented large industrial corporations, small businesses, trade groups and individuals with their energy needs and in negotiations with public utilities. In 1981, Clark Hill assisted in the formation of, and still serves as General Counsel to, the Association of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity (ABATE), a nonprofit coalition formed to represent industrial and other large volume energy customers in gas and electric regulatory and legislative matters. Clark Hill assists ABATE and other clients in representing their viewpoint before Michigan and federal regulators and in lobbying the Michigan legislature and Congress on energy related matters.
Approach
Achieving valuable results requires the advice of professionals who are knowledgeable and who understand the complex energy, financial and commercial issues of today's global economy. Clark Hill's multi-disciplinary team approach is designed to develop sophisticated solutions and to deliver services in the most cost-effective manner which meet the needs of its clients. Clark Hill prides itself in being responsive and in keeping the client fully informed as to the progress of each project. The practical experience of the members of the Energy Team allows them to easily interact with clients' technical staff and consultants so that the team concept can be brought to an entire project.
Services
Some of Clark Hill's more significant efforts to reduce its clients' utility bills include bringing gas transportation and retail choice or open access to Michigan, bypassing local gas and electric utilities, negotiating special rate contracts, development and negotiation of interruptible tariffs which permit customers to back up their utility-supplied interruptible electric service, and negotiation of rate case settlements. Clark Hill's efforts in pursuing these strategies have saved its clients literally hundreds of millions of dollars.
Experience
Clark Hill's Energy Team collectively has over 100 years of experience in all areas of energy law, utility regulation and deregulation, project development and in bringing new energy source alternatives to companies who want to break away from the sole supplier local utility monopoly, or who want to create sufficient leverage to enable them to negotiate lower utility rates. Clark Hill's ability to provide its clients with alternatives to traditional utility service is based on the extensive experience of its Energy Team in representing industrial customers in utility regulatory hearings and in assisting its clients to pursue alternatives to standard utility rates.
Members of Clark Hill's Energy Team have represented industrial and commercial energy users before state and federal regulatory bodies for over four decades. During that time Clark Hill has built an admirable record in dealing with a wide variety of ratemaking issues, including nuclear plant and nuclear waste write-offs and phase-ins, utility divestitures, curtailments and gas diversions, rate design, standby rates, avoided costs, and special load retention and economic development rates for industrial customers.
Clark Hill's energy clients include:
- Alchem Aluminum
- Cargill
- City of Holland, BPW
- DaimlerChrysler
- Domtar Paper Co.
- Escanaba Paper Co.
- Etkin Equities
- Ford Motor Compay
- General Motors Corp.
- MAPCo Coal
- Martin Marietta
- Michigan Environmental Council
- Michigan Sugar Company
- Public Interest Research Group in Michigan
- Redico Management
- Steelcase
- U.S. Steel
- William Beaumont Hospital
The Clark Hill Energy Team's predicts that large customers will have more choices and opportunities to manage their costs than they have had in the past. The barriers to access to the nationwide electric transmission grid are falling and, in fact, the Clark Hill's Energy Team is in the forefront of that effort in the State of Michigan. In the future, investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, marketers, brokers, joint ventures, and a host of other new market entrants will be in a position to sell power to retail customers. The Energy Team can help manage the transition to the more competitive world, with a resultant reduction in costs. Those companies which can successfully manage the emerging markets will gain a competitive advantage over those who cannot. New opportunities will be available to all sizes of companies and if companies do not want to manage the day-to-day energy operations, there are other companies that can reasonably provide this service.