Brian L. Franklin Partner

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Brian utilizes his prior experience in senior business and legal roles over nearly a decade and a half at a major energy company to help electric utilities and natural gas companies navigate complex legal and policy issues before the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC), the Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC), and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Brian has managed and led administrative litigation and regulatory approvals for myriad matters, including, but not limited to, fuel and fuel-related cost recovery cases, natural gas pipeline precedent agreements, utility acquisitions, electric transmission-line Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCNs), and demand-side management and energy efficiency proceedings. He is also well-versed in energy policy issues impacting the electric and natural gas utility industries, allowing for Brian to provide his clients with advice related to general business and strategic planning, state clean energy standards, and storm damage cost mitigation, among other areas. Prior to his business and legal roles in the energy industry, Brian was a litigation attorney at two large national law firms.

Brian is active in the community, having formerly served on the Board of Directors of Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc., a local affiliate of a national high school dropout prevention non-profit organization for at-risk youth, as well as its Board President. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Arts and Science Council, Inc., which supports and promotes arts, science, history, and heritage as the public art agent for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Additionally, he is an alumnus of Leadership North Carolina (LNC) Class XXVI and has served multiple terms as a member of the LNC Forum planning committee.

Experience

    Below are matters that further demonstrate the breadth of Brian’s practice:

  • Served as first-chair, managed, and led the successful NCUC and PSCSC regulatory approvals of annual multi-billion dollar fuel and fuel-related cost recovery requests over nearly a decade for two North Carolina electric utility operating companies.
  • Managed and led the successful NCUC regulatory approval request for two North Carolina electric utility operating companies to enter into precedent agreements for firm natural gas pipeline capacity from a planned interstate pipeline.
  • Managed and led the successful NCUC regulatory approval of CPCNs for new transmission lines and transmission line rebuilds for two North Carolina electric utility operating companies.
  • Defended various NCUC customer complaint cases for nearly a decade for two North Carolina electric utility operating companies.
  • Managed and led the successful NCUC regulatory approval of demand-side management and energy efficiency cost recovery requests for two North Carolina electric utility operating companies.
  • Managed and led compliance of a North Carolina electric utility operating company with an external affiliate transaction audit following an energy company acquisition.
  • Provided legal support in connection with securing NCUC regulatory approval for a natural gas local distribution company (LDC) acquisition.
  • Advise and counsel LDCs on regulatory matters before FERC.