Katherine advises a diverse range of energy clients in Texas, drawing on her extensive experience with the state’s electric regulators to navigate the legal and regulatory requirements necessary to establish and operate their businesses.
Her firsthand knowledge of the agencies involved allows her to anticipate required approvals and keep projects moving forward seamlessly.
Before joining the firm, Katherine spent her career at ERCOT, Texas Reliability Entity (Texas RE), and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), gaining firsthand experience across the distinct layers of electric industry regulation in Texas. Her background spans state and federal requirements, as well as the market-specific rules governing Texas’ electric industry.
As senior corporate counsel at ERCOT, Katherine focused on the technical protocols governing market participants, working on a variety of issues such as:
- Demand response and energy efficiency programs
- Credit and collateral requirements for entities participating in the ERCOT Market,
- Aggregate Distributed Energy Resources (ADERs)
- Public Information Act (PIA) requests
- Texas Energy Fund
- Defaults and breaches of ERCOT’s participant agreement as a result of protocol violations
- ERCOT alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process
- Analysis of proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules
- ERCOT Membership stakeholder process,
- Contracts for additional capacity within the ERCOT Market.
She also worked extensively with ERCOT stakeholders to revise and create new ERCOT protocols and associated operating documents.
At Texas RE, Katherine oversaw attorneys and technical experts in the analysis and disposition of enforcement matters regarding North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards addressing cybersecurity, planning, and real-time operations of the bulk electric system. Through that work, the team ensured that noncompliance issues, whether they be self-reported or discovered as part of a Compliance Investigation, were mitigated to address the reliability risk and prevent the likelihood of future recurrence.
Finally, at the PUCT, Katherine split her 10-year tenure between advising the commissioners on contested cases and representing the agency in contested electric, telecommunications, and water cases, including litigating before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH).
This broad experience enables Katherine to advise energy clients on applicable procedural and regulatory requirements within Texas, and more specifically, the ERCOT Market. Having worked within the organizations responsible for developing, interpreting, and enforcing these requirements, she understands not only the rules, but also the considerations behind them. This insight helps her provide practical, informed advice.
Clients value Katherine’s attention to detail, thoroughness, and thoughtful approach. She takes the time to research issues and carefully consider her advice and works collaboratively with clients to develop practical solutions.