John P. Coyle
John P. Coyle
Partner
JPC@duncanallen.com
Duncan & Allen
1575 Eye Street NW, Ste 300
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202-289-8400
Fax: 202-289-8450
» Partner
Since joining Duncan & Allen in 1987, John has specialized in energy and administrative
law and civil litigation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
and other federal agencies, federal and state courts, and state utility regulatory
agencies.
John’s regulatory practice has involved serving as lead counsel in litigation on behalf of consumer-owned utilities in New England,
the Midwest and the western United States before the FERC in:
- avoiding or mitigating the adverse impacts of formation and implementation of Regional
Transmission Organizations in the Northeastern and Southwestern United States under
Order No. 2000;
- numerous utility mergers; investigations of anticompetitive market structures or
behavior;
- power pool restructuring under Order No. 888; applications for mandatory transmission
service;
- transmission and power supply rate matters; and
- natural gas pipeline certifications.
John’s appellate practice has involved pursuit of extraordinary relief against ultra
vires action by the FERC, as well as more traditional litigation for review of agency
decisions.
John's practice has involved
litigation before courts or utility regulatory commissions in Montana, Maine,
Kansas, California, and Ohio, among other jurisdictions. Engagements have included:
- dual-track state regulatory and bankruptcy court litigation to impose ring-fencing
and other regulatory consumer protections against non-utility risk;
- utility merger cases (including the proposed Western Resources/Kansas City Power
& Light merger before the Kansas Corporation Commission and the Sempra Energy
merger before the California Public Utilities Commission); and
- utility territorial litigation.
John has represented consumer-owned utilities in bankruptcy proceedings of investor-owned
utilities and non-utility generators, in arbitration proceedings involving the termination
of non-utility generation projects and in various other proceedings before state
and federal courts. John has provided extensive litigation and
counseling support in
utility formation and re-establishment and other issues.
Prior to joining Duncan & Allen, John spent seven years as a trial attorney in
the Division of Enforcement Litigation, Office of the General Counsel, National
Labor Relations Board, Washington, D.C.
His practice at the Board involved both extensive appellate briefing and argument
throughout the country and a wide ranging trial practice involving contempt prosecutions
for violation of existing court decrees and bankruptcy, fraud and injunction litigation.
- Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States Courts of Appeals (various circuits)
- Education
- Tufts University (B.A. 1977, magna cum laude)
- Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1980)
- Professional Associations and Memberships
- Energy Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Labor and Employment Section of the District of Columbia Bar