Debra Roby is a founding partner of Washington Energy Law LLP. She is a seasoned FERC practitioner, litigator, and negotiator with over 20 years’ experience representing a variety of stakeholders in the electric industry before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, state agencies, and state and federal courts.

Ms. Roby is listed as a Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer® and Best Lawyer® in the field of energy law. Washington Energy Law LLP is also listed as among the Best Law Firms® in the field of energy law.

  • Represents wholesale customers before FERC and related appellate proceedings involving Regional Transmission Organization matters and market design issues.
  • Represents a state commission before FERC on matters relating to the MISO and SPP energy market tariffs, transmission planning and cost allocation, and RTO seams issues.
  • Counsels generators and municipal electric systems on RTO interconnection procedures and agreements.
  • Represents hydro-electric licensees before FERC in licensing and compliance matters, including interfacing with state and federal environmental agencies.
  • Negotiated and enforced power supply agreements, renewable energy certificate agreements, joint project development agreements, and asset sale agreements.
  • Counsels municipal utilities regarding compliance with mandatory electric reliability standards, including representation in compliance audits, challenges, and settlement of potential violations.
  • Represented Minnesota city before the state siting board regarding a proposed transmission route.
  • Represents several transmission-owning municipal electric utilities in their role as RTO transmission owners.
  • Represented several municipal transmission owners before FERC in setting annual transmission revenue requirement.
  • Involved in reactive power compensation proceedings.
    Represented a municipal utility in a complaint action before FERC alleging abuse of market power.
  • Represented an Affected Unit of Local Government before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the High Level Nuclear Waste proceedings.

  • Co-Author, “FERC Terminates Rulemaking Aimed at Increasing RTO/ISO Reliance On Merchant Coal and Nuclear Resources, Initiates New Proceeding to Explore RTO/ISO Resilience Issues,” (January 1, 2018)
  • Co-author, “The United States Supreme Court Limited the Ability of States to Promote Generation Development,” (April 20, 2016)
  • Co-author, “The D.C. Circuit Rejects FERC’s Geographical Limitation of Municipal Preference in Hydro Licensing Proceedings,” (December 1, 2015)
  • Author, “FERC Prepares for Web-Based Filing of Electronic Quarterly Reports,” (February 7, 2014)
  • Author, “FERC Issues Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for NERC Standard on Geomagnetic Disturbances,” (February 7, 2014)
  • Co-author, “FERC Confirms That Non-Jurisdictional Contract Rates Are Not Pass-Through Rates Subject To FERC’s Jurisdiction,” (August 23, 2013)
  • Co-author, “FERC Issues Final Rule Concerning Integration of Variable Energy Resources,” (July 2, 2012)
  • Co-author, “Changes in NERC Reliability Standards FAC-008/FAC-009 will Take Effect on January 1, 2013,” (March 15, 2012)
  • Co-author, “In the wake of Hughes v. Talen Energy, might states turn to CHP to help meet future energy demand?” District Energy Magazine (2016)
  • Co-author, “Cybersecurity and District Energy Resilience,” District Energy Magazine (2014)
  • Nebraska Municipal Power Pool, Resource Adequacy Challenges/FERC Updates (2023)
  • Michigan Municipal Energy Agency, FERC/RTO Activity Update (2023)
  • Utah Municipal Power Agency, What’s Happening at FERC (2020)
  • “Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) & Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Update,” MMEA Fall Conference (2019)
  • “An Introduction to EPA’s Coal Ash Rule,” APPA Legal Seminar (2015)
  • “NERC Reliability Standards, What They Mean for Municipal Utilities,” Kansas Municipal Utilities (2007)

  • Energy Bar Association
  • American Public Power Association
  • District of Columbia Bar Association

  • Listed, Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers® in the category of Energy and Natural Resources (2012-2016, 2018-2020, 2024)
  •  Listed, The Best Lawyers in America® in energy law (2024)
  •  Listed, Washington Energy Law LLP, Best Law Firms® in energy law (2024)

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  • Electric Power and Transmission
  • Organized Wholesale Energy Markets
  • Regional Transmission Organizations
  • Hydroelectric Licensing and Compliance
  • Generator and Wires Interconnection Arrangements