Jason A. Johns

Experience

Jason Johns is an associate in the Energy Development group where he focuses his practice on energy regulation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and state utility commissions, electric reliability issues, transmission development and policy, and natural gas transportation and distribution agreements. His clients include owners, investors and developers throughout the energy industry, with particular emphasis on the wind, natural gas, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydropower sectors. Jason has worked on wind integration rate cases in the Pacific Northwest, and he also has significant experience in drafting and negotiating power purchase agreements. In addition, Jason is registered as a patent attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and his work with energy clients is informed by his passion for chemistry, physics, and engineering.

Recently, Jason co-authored two white papers for the Energy Foundation, a partnership of major foundations interested in sustainable energy. The white papers discuss potential solutions to the barriers to transmission development in the Western Interconnection, and Jason spoke on this topic to energy industry and political leaders at the 2010 annual meeting of the Western Governors' Association.

Prior to his legal career, Jason worked as a pharmaceutical chemist specializing in the purification and development of synthetic adjuvants—pharmacological agents that modify the immune system's response to a vaccine. As a chemist, Jason also assisted a non-profit effort led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a method for purifying a vaccine used to treat leishmaniasis, a disease particularly prevalent in developing countries.

Representative Work

• Led interconnection, transmission, and regulatory due diligence team in reviewing the acquisition of six wind farms located in Oregon and Idaho.
• Negotiated the sale of a 30 MW slice from a 400 MW wind farm located near Corpus Christi, Texas.
• Assisted a client in negotiating a build-transfer agreement for the development, construction, and sale of a 50 MW wind farm located in Washington state.
• Negotiated natural gas transportation capacity asset management arrangements (AMA) for clients in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West.
• Led a regulatory due diligence team in reviewing the proposed acquisition of nearly two dozen renewable energy projects (wind, solar, and geothermal) located across the Western U.S.
• Represented a client before FERC in the ongoing 2000-2001 California Energy Crisis proceedings.
• Assisted a client avoid sanctions before the FERC Office of Enforcement.
• Negotiated an interconnection agreement for a 135 MW wind farm located in Southwest Power Pool (SPP).
• Represented a client in connection with the sale of a 60 MW wind farm located in Nebraska.
• Assisted in negotiating joint ownership and facilities use agreements for a 200 MW wind farm located in SPP and then represented the client on issues related to the associated joint operating and facilities use agreements filed with FERC.
• Performed a comprehensive reliability audit of a cogeneration facility, then designed and implemented a reliability program consistent with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) standards.
• Responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a client's Section 1603 grant application, and led discussions with the U.S. Treasury on the same issue.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Member, Oregon State Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Energy Bar Association
• Renewable Northwest Project
• National Wind Coordinating Collaborative

Presentations

• Presenter, FERC Rulemaking Impact on Independent Transmission Projects, HVDC Transmission, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Apr. 19, 2011 
• "Challenges to Antique Laws in Renewable Energy," Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists, Missoula, Montana, October 2010
• "FERC's Initiatives Supporting Renewable Energy," EUCI, Portland, Oregon, August 2010
• "FERC Transmission Initiatives," Geothermal Energy Association, Las Vegas, Nevada, July 2010
• "Anchor Tenant Arrangements for New Transmission," EUCI, Portland, Oregon, March 2010
• Client Masters Seminar on Power Purchase Agreements, Portland, Oregon, August 2009
• "Law of Renewable Energy: Energy Regulation," EUCI, Portland, Oregon, June 2009

Publications

• Co-author, "Section 3 – Transmission and Interconnection" Case Study: A Wind Development Project in the State of California, Stoel Rives LLP, June 2011 (PDF- available in English and Chinese)
• "Regulatory and Transmission-Related Issues," The Law of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, Vol 4, 2011 (formerly The Law of Ocean and Tidal Energy.)
• "The Way Forward: Why Transmission Right Sizing and Federal Bridge Financing Hold the Key to Western Renewable Resource Development," (co-author), The Energy Foundation, September 2010
• "Uncork That Transmission Bottleneck: A Legislative and Technological Roadmap for Tapping the West's Vast Renewable Energy Resources," (co-author), The Energy Foundation, September 2010
• "Open Access and Transmission Planning Update," Biannual Report of the Energy Bar Association
• "Regulatory and Transmission-Related Issues," (co-author), Chapter 14 of The Law of Wind and Chapter 5 of Lex Helius: The Law of Solar Energy, published by Stoel Rives
• "A Forgotten Copyright," American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, 2006

Education

• University of Montana School of Law, J.D., with honors
  Technical Editor, Montana Law Review
• University of California, B.S., chemistry

Admissions

• Oregon
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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