About Rich
Rich Bonnifield focuses his practice on energy law, including electricity, natural gas, and renewable energy matters. He has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by electric and gas utilities that operate in a heavily regulated industry. Rich provides strategic legal and regulatory advice on rates, corporate structure, transactions, tariffs, and reliability matters. He assists utility clients with the development and implementation of regulatory, ethics and reliability compliance programs, procedures, and training.
Before joining Stoel Rives, Rich was a partner at a major Washington, D.C. energy law firm, where he represented large-scale electric and gas utility companies in federal regulatory practice. Previously, Rich served for thirteen years as senior in-house counsel to one of the largest combined electric and gas utility companies in the country, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. At PSE&G, Rich provided ongoing advice and training to PSE&G’s senior management and personnel on the practical application of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rules and regulations to PSE&G’s business interactions and activities.
Rich previously served from 1990–1995 as General Counsel of the Long Island Power Authority where, among other responsibilities, he negotiated a landmark settlement of complex federal litigation challenging the Authority’s application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to decommission the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.
Rich also served as outside counsel to several major LDCs in a Washington, DC-based FERC regulatory practice and, prior to that, as FERC Trial Staff counsel in the Pipeline Rates and Certificates Section of the FERC Office of General Counsel.
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