Melinda focuses her practice on electricity and natural gas pipeline transmission and energy market regulation, before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), other federal agencies, and federal courts on matters ranging from litigation to tariff reforms, and rulemaking. Melinda represents regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and transmission owners in proceedings related to organized wholesale energy market regulation and transmission planning. She also assists natural gas clients in obtaining certificates of public convenience and necessity to construct new or expansion facilities, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, as well as prosecuting both Natural Gas Act (NGA) section 4 and section 5 rate and tariff matters.
Prior to joining Wright & Talisman, Melinda served as a trial attorney in FERC’s Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL) with a focus on contested rate filings and complaint proceedings arising under the Federal Power Act and NGA. During her time at OAL, Melinda gained valuable experience serving as counsel in trial-type hearings before Administrative Law Judges, negotiating settlements, and managing various stages of litigation from discovery to briefing. Before shifting her focus to the energy sector, Melinda’s extensive career included litigating in the legal services space and teaching as an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.
Experience
Representing RTOs in proceedings before FERC and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit), regarding wholesale energy, reserve and capacity markets, as well as other tariff matters, reliability agreements, and transmission planning and cost allocation matters.
Representing an RTO in both settlement and hearing procedures concerning a proposal to place transmission facilities and the associated annual transmission revenue requirement into certain pricing zones for rate recovery.
Defending an RTO in a complaint proceeding alleging tariff violations related to its effective load carrying capability methodology and accreditation process for intermittent/variable resources.
Representing an RTO regarding tariff matters before FERC and the D.C. Circuit, related to its implementation of the reliability-must-run cost-of-service agreement with an energy company and its affiliated generating stations.
Representing transmission owners in a rulemaking proceeding establishing incentive-based rate treatment for voluntary cybersecurity investments by public utilities.
Counseling an RTO on existing carbon market pricing schemes throughout the country in order to assist developing policies to integrate carbon markets within its footprint.
Counseling RTOs on ways to increase interregional generation and transmission capacity in order to meet reliability needs.
Drafting and negotiating agreements, and related filing transmittals, that provide for transmission interconnection of generation resources and wholesale market participation
Drafting pleadings and compliance filings associated with revisions to RTO-governing documents.
Representing and advising an RTO in the filing of tariff revisions constituting a comprehensive reform of its interconnection process by transitioning to a “first-ready, first-served” cycle approach.
Counseling natural gas pipelines regarding FERC’s Natural Gas Policy Act section 311 regulation for intrastate pipelines to offer interstate service.
Representing natural gas pipeline companies in NGA section 4 general rate cases, NGA section 5 investigations, and in matters of compliance, standards of conduct, tariff implementation, and related appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit).
Representing a natural gas pipeline in an NGA section 7 certificate proceeding in support of requests to lift the stay of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity of the pipeline’s expansion project.
Representing a shipper on a section 311 pipeline in technical and informal settlement conferences before FERC to mediate and resolve a dispute over the Standards of Conduct proposed by the pipeline in its tariff filing.
Admissions
District of Columbia
New York
U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, L.L.M. (2015)
City University of New York School of Law, J.D. (2012)
The George Washington University, B.A. in Political Communication, cum laude (2005)
Professional Activities
Energy Bar Association
Women’s Energy Network
Community Involvement
District of Columbia Bar (2022) (Member, Committee on Admissions)
Gifts for the Homeless (2016-2022) (Member, Board of Directors)
