Water and Energy Law

The firm works extensively in the emerging area of green energy projects, having delivered several large solar systems in recent years. The firm currently serves as general counsel to a California Joint Powers Authority in the process of financing, acquiring and constructing an estimated $200 million solar project in California’s High Desert.

DPMC has provided legal services to public entities for several large scale green energy projects, including:

• a CPV power plant
• Desalinization
• Landfill gas
• Geothermal, which included a solar energy Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) awarded recognition by the San Diego Chapter of the American Public Works Association

DPMC’s services related to desalination included DPMC attorneys working on the ground floor of a large desalination plant in Mexico with production capabilities for the U.S., including working with State Department officials and providing a presentation to a Mexican congressional committee on the project. Such services are just part of the firm’s broad experience in the water industry, including experience advising water districts in both a special and general counsel capacity and in both litigation and transactional advice. Attorneys in the firm’s water practice have advised on the full spectrum of issues which arise in the water practice area including:

• Acquisition of new water supplies (groundwater, desalination, reclaimed water, etc.)
• Facility and infrastructure construction and maintenance
• Liability for spills and misconnections
• Rate issues (including both retail and wholesale and, accordingly, Props 218 and Prop 26)
• Customer service issues including billing disputes and concerns arising from emerging technologies such as automated meter readers
• Issues common to all public agencies such as employment issues (discipline and termination, labor relations, benefits and compensation, etc.), Brown Act compliance, Public Records Act requests, and elections issues