Giordano Law Firm Creates Energy, Climate Change and Public Utilities Practice
February 2019
Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla has launched an Energy, Climate Change and Public Utilities Practice Area, expanding its attorneys’ decades-long role in the development and refinement of the state’s energy policies.The practice group is chaired by shareholder Steven S. Goldenberg, a noted energy law practitioner. Goldenberg has guided a succession of governors in the development of Statewide Energy Master Plans, assisted in the development of the state’s first-in-the nation Energy Resilience Bank, and authored several energy bills that have been enacted into law.
Goldenberg has also played a primary role in the litigation of a long succession of utility rate case and merger proceedings, multibillion-dollar infrastructure proceedings and utility regulatory matters. His active involvement in energy regulatory and transactional matters will now be supported and expanded by attorneys in the firm’s renowned environmental, land use/redevelopment, construction and corporate law departments.
The practice group represents a diverse cross-section of energy clients before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Legislature and Governor’s Office. Clients include
the New Jersey Large Energy Users Coalition, comprised of the state’s largest commercial and industrial businesses; the New Jersey Distributed Generation Coalition; independent transmission companies; independent power producers; energy service companies; renewable energy developers; electricity and natural gas marketers, and real estate development companies.
“This practice advances and consolidates Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla’s longstanding practice strengths and allows us to provide a fuller range of services to our commercial and industrial clients, including assisting them in the development of cost-effective energy projects and in their interactions with local utilities,” said Michael J. Gross, co-managing shareholder at the firm and a member of the practice group.
“The creation of the practice comes at a crucial time as regulators and policy makers continue to address the challenges associated with utility regulation, the energy markets and global warming,” Goldenberg said. “The practice group will be actively involved in all energy initiatives of consequence, from offshore wind, the development of renewable and resilient energy projects and energy efficiency initiatives to regulatory proceedings that address utility issues, infrastructure development and the state’s evolving energy markets.”
The practice group is also actively pioneering the development and implementation of a broad-based energy infrastructure public-private partnership initiative, including the introduction of microgrids capable of operating independently of the power grid, as part of the state’s post-Superstorm Sandy goal to enhance resilience and reliability of its energy infrastructure at all levels of government.
Besides Goldenberg and Gross, other members of the practice group include shareholders Michael A. Bruno, Timothy J. DeHaut, Steven P. Gouin and Marc D. Policastro, and of counsel Steven J. Corodemus. Goldenberg and Corodemus are registered lobbyists.
Posted in: Energy, Climate Change and Public Utilities