Megan J. Somogyi
Partner / Writing Development Program Director
Megan Somogyi specializes in the California Public Utilities Commission and California regulated utilities. She assists clients in a broad array of utility-related matters, including wildfires and power shutoff proceedings, utility certification and ratemaking, nuclear power plant decommissioning, tariff filings, energy industry rulemakings, administrative litigation, and regulatory compliance.
The CPUC is unique among California regulatory agencies due to its expansive authority over the energy, water, telecommunications, and transportation industries. CPUC regulations and policies impact virtually every sector of the economy and can have significant effects on financial markets. Having an advocate who understands the CPUC’s authority, operations, rules, and the institutional history that guides its current decision-making is invaluable.
Megan represents utility and market-participant clients in utility ratemaking proceedings; entities seeking certification to provide utility services; regulated utilities seeking to expand existing service offerings, build new infrastructure, or decommission facilities; and cities and counties in matters relating to utility operations, rates, infrastructure, land use, and permitting. Megan also advises clients on California regulatory issues as part of due diligence inquiries and counsels clients in the financial services industry on issues relating to California’s energy markets.
Megan is well-known for her work on behalf of local governments to improve the manner in which electric utilities conduct wildfire mitigation activities and de-energize their power lines to reduce wildfire risk. The CPUC and the large investor-owned utilities have adopted a number of the local governments’ recommended policy and operational initiatives. As a result of this work, Megan is one of the foremost experts in California on the CPUC’s regulation of utility wildfire prevention and proactive de-energization of power lines as it relates to local government emergency management and response.
In addition to her law practice, Megan serves as the director of the firm’s writing development program, an integral component of the firm’s comprehensive mentoring and professional success program for associates and young partners.
Professional, Community And Pro Bono Involvement
- Ballet22, Board of Directors, President, 2023; Board Member since 2022
- Power Association of Northern California, Member
- Women in Public Utilities, Co-Founder, 2017-present
- Conference of California Public Utility Counsel, Board of Directors, 2019-2022; Secretary, 2021-2022
- Conference of California Public Utility Counsel, Young Utility Lawyers Section, Co-Chair, 2016-2017
- Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Editorial Board Member, 2023
Honors & Rankings
- Individual recognition for Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation – California, Chambers USA, “Up and Coming” 2023
- Best Lawyers® 2023 Administrative/Regulatory Law “Lawyer of the Year” in San Francisco
- Best Lawyers in America©, Administrative/Regulatory Law, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, 2021-2025
- Super Lawyers, Northern California Rising Star, 2015-2021
Utility Safety
- Represents a coalition of local governments working to improve the manner in which Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Southern California Edison Company de-energize their electric lines to reduce wildfire risk.
- Represents local governments in matters relating to electric utility wildfire mitigation activities, including tree removal and vegetation management.
Utility Ratemaking
- Represents investor-owned utilities, oil pipelines, and independent natural gas and electric service providers in utility general rate cases and other CPUC proceedings addressing utility rates and costs borne by market participants.
Utility Certification
- Represents entities seeking certification to provide vehicle and vessel transportation services, and regulated utilities seeking to expand existing services offerings or build new infrastructure.
- Represents entities seeking California RPS Certification of renewable generation facilities located outside the U.S.
Utility Property and Due Diligence Review
- Represents utilities and non-regulated entities in CPUC proceedings to sell, lease, encumber, transfer, or purchase utility property; and finance, refinance, or issue debt secured by utility property.
- Performs due diligence and transmission interconnection review in connection with the purchase and development of utility-scale renewable energy projects.
CPUC Compliance and Enforcement Proceedings
- Represents independent electric service providers in appeals of CPUC citations
- Counsels clients on statutory and regulatory compliance obligations for utilities and non-utility energy market participants. Clients include utilities, market participants, financial institutions, local governments, and other stakeholders.
- Represents clients in CPUC enforcement proceedings for regulated utilities.
Commercial and Industrial Power Supply; Utility Service Extensions
- Represents commercial and industrial landlords and tenants in power supply agreement negotiations.
- Advises landlords, developers, and agricultural property owners on power supply issues.
- Represents landowners and developers in electric, gas, and water utility service extension matters.
Local Governments
- Represents cities, counties, and other government entities in regulatory matters relating to utility operations, rates, and infrastructure. These matters include the closure of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, regulatory enforcement proceedings that address the recent California wildfires, the siting and construction of electric transmission lines, and permitting and construction of railroad crossings.
Appellate Matters
- Represents clients in appeals from CPUC decisions. Megan was part of the team that successfully obtained from the California Supreme Court the first grant of review of a CPUC decision in almost 20 years.
Announcements
7 related items-
August 15, 2024Best Lawyers® 2025 Recognizes 44 Downey Brand Lawyers with Four Receiving Prestigious “Lawyer of the Year” Honors
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August 17, 2023Best Lawyers® 2024 Recognizes 46 Downey Brand Lawyers with Four Receiving Prestigious “Lawyer of the Year” Honors
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June 8, 2023Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes Downey Brand Attorneys and its Energy and Environmental Practice Groups
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May 18, 2023Megan Somogyi Elected President of Ballet22’s Board of Directors
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August 18, 202240 Downey Brand Attorneys Honored as The Best Lawyers in America® and Ones to Watch 2023
Three selected as 2023 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” -
June 22, 2022Partner Megan Somogyi Joins the Inaugural Board of Directors for Ballet22
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October 1, 2021Goodin MacBride’s Public Utility Regulation Practice Joins Downey Brand
Firm Furthers its Bay Area Presence with Strategic Expansion of Natural Resources Practice
In the News
1 related items-
October 1, 2021Downey Brand acquires San Francisco law firm Goodin MacBride’s public utilities practice
Sacramento Business Journal and S.F. Business Times
Speaking Engagements / Events
12 related items-
April 2023Whack-and-Stack: The Unintended and Unregulated Side Effects of Utility Wildfire Mitigation Activities in CaliforniaPresenter, Practising Law Institute- On Demand Studio Briefings
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April 27, 2023Emergency Preparedness, Community Outreach, and Public Safety Power ShutoffsPanelist, 2023-2025 Wildfire Mitigation Plan Workshop
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August 5, 2022Navigating California’s Unique Legal, Permitting, and Environmental Risks for Offshore WindJoint Webinar Presentation
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May 2, 2022Energy, Interrupted: A Discussion of the Impact of Climate Change on the California Energy Market and Practical SolutionsPanelist, CCPUC Annual Meeting
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May 2, 2022Energy, Water, and DroughtModerator, Conference of California Public Utility Counsel Annual Meeting
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April 29, 2022Administrative Litigation before the California Public Utilities CommissionSpeaker, County Counsels’ Association Spring Civil Law & Litigation Conference
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April 25, 2022California Water Rights, Supply and Quality WebinarSpeaker, HalfMoon Education Live Webinars
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May 2021Public Safety Power Shutoffs: The New Dark Age for California?Panelist, 2021 Civil Law & Litigation Conference
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September 2018New CPUC Regulation of Community Choice AggregatorsSpeaker, League of California Cities 2018 Annual Conference
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September 2018Californians Know How to Conserve Water During a Crisis, But Can We Be Efficient Without OneModerator, Women in Public Utilities (MCLE)
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January 2018“Can you bring me some coffee, hon?” Breaking the Silence on Gender Bias in the Utility IndustryModerator, Co-Presented by Women In Public Utilities and the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel (MCLE)
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2015Petitions for Review in the California Supreme CourtPanelist, 88th Annual State Bar of California
Legal Alerts
16 related items-
August 20, 2024California Public Utilities Commission Proposes Target Timelines for Utilities to Connect or Upgrade Electric Customers
Energy Law -
January 31, 2024CPUC Issues Rulemaking to Address Electric Utility Failures to Connect or Upgrade Service for Electric Consumers
Energy Law -
January 29, 2024Department of Transportation Announces $426.7 Million Grant to Develop Deepwater Port and Marine Terminal in Humboldt Bay
Energy Law -
January 25, 2024California Energy Commission Releases Draft AB 525 Offshore Wind Strategic Plan
Energy Law -
October 19, 2023Newly Signed SB 286 Streamlines and Clarifies Permitting Process for Offshore Wind
Energy Law -
October 12, 2023New Law Creates Central Procurement Mechanism to Enable Offshore Wind Development
Energy Law -
May 4, 2023CEC Releases Offshore Wind Permitting Roadmap that Proposes Several Permitting Pathways
Energy Law -
April 14, 2023CAISO Draft Plan Signals Shift to Proactive Transmission Planning
Energy Law -
January 4, 2023California Energy Commission Releases Draft Permitting Roadmap for Offshore Wind Development and Report on Economic Benefits of Offshore Wind
Energy Law -
December 7, 2022BOEM Announces Results of First West Coast Offshore Wind Lease Sale
Energy Law -
October 25, 2022BOEM Publishes Final Sale Notice for California Offshore Lease Areas
Energy Law -
July 8, 2022California 2022–2023 Energy Budget
Energy Law -
February 18, 2022PG&E Proposes Significant Rates Increases for Agricultural, Commercial, and Industrial Customers
Public Utility Regulation -
February 18, 2022Significant Transmission Additions and Upgrades Identified in the California Grid Operator’s 20-Year Transmission Outlook
Energy Law -
January 31, 2022California Natural Gas Utilities Propose New GHG Emissions Reduction Calculation Methodology for Biomethane Projects
Energy Law -
November 19, 2021California Public Utilities Commission Proposes Eliminating Financial Incentives to Developers for Natural Gas Appliances and Service Line Extensions
Public Utility Regulation
Publications
22 related items-
August/September 2024California Public Utilities Commission Tags the Department of Water Resources to Procure up to 10.6 Gigawatts of Clean Energy
California Water Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 34, Number 11 -
August/September 2024San Francisco Bay-Delta Population of Longfin Smelt Listed as Endangered Under the Federal Endangered Species Act
California Water Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 34, Number 11 -
July 2024Ninth Circuit Holds Forest Service Cannot Combine NEPA Categorical Exclusions
California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 33, Number 19 -
June 2024Department of Energy Issues Final Rule Coordinating Permitting for Energy Transmission Projects
California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 33, Number 9 -
May 2024California Public Utilities Commission Proposes to Implement Fixed Income-Based Electricity Charges to Pay for Infrastructure and Operational Costs
California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 33, Number 8 -
April 2024California Public Utilities Commission Establishes its Senate Bill 884 Expedited Undergrounding Program for Power Lines
California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 33, Number 7 -
March 2024California Energy Commission Releases Draft Offshore Wind Plan That Details Port Infrastructure Needs
California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 33, Number 6 -
February 2024Tenth Circuit Reverses $500,000 Clean Water Act Penalty After Incomplete Application of Maui Factors by the District Court
Environmental, Energy, & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Volume 4, Number 5 -
January 2024California Public Utilities Commission Extends Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Operations Until 2030
California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter, Volume 33, Number 4 -
November 2023EPA Issues New Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Rules to Expand Authority of States and Tribes and Clarify Certification Procedures
Environmental, Energy, & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Vol. 4, Number 2 -
October 2023D.C. Circuit Finds U.S. Surface Transportation Board Failed to Take a ‘Hard Look’ at Utah Oil Rail Project’s Environmental Impacts Under NEPA
Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Volume 4, Number 1 -
October 2023‘Waters of the United States’ Redefined – EPA and the Corps Issue Conforming WOTUS Rule in Wake of the Sackett Decision Narrowing the ‘Reach’ of the Clean Water Act
Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Volume 4, Number 1 -
August/September 2023California Utilities Commission Proposes Increased Storage Capacity at Aliso Canyon
Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Volume 3, Number 11 -
July 2023CAISO 2022-2023 Transmission Plan Shifts to Progressive Transmission Planning
Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Volume 3, Number 10 -
June 2023D.C. Circuit Requires EPA to Regulate Perchlorate Levels Under the Safe Drinking Water Act
Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Volume 3, Number 9 -
May 26, 2022Recent Developments for California Offshore Wind
Downey Brand Energy Publication -
April 15, 2022California Offshore Wind Gains Momentum with Two Key Milestones in April
Downey Brand Energy Publication -
February 18, 2022Developing Offshore Wind in California – Environmental Permitting and Interconnection Considerations
Downey Brand Energy Publication -
July 23, 2020Local Governments and Communities Should See Improved Coordination, Service Under PG&E Regionalization Proposal
Goodin Macbride Administrative Law Blog -
January 30, 2016Opinion Analysis: Monterey Peninsula Water Management District v. California Public Utilities Commission
Guest Blogger, SCOCA Blog -
February 12, 2014Objection! Hearsay: The Prohibition Against Basing CPUC Findings on Uncorroborated, Contested Hearsay Evidence
Goodin Macbride Administrative Law Blog -
June 10, 2013Deference Means Never Having to Say “You’re Wrong:” the Potential Effect of City of Arlington v. FCC on California Law and the CPUC
Goodin Macbride Administrative Law Blog
Megan spends most of her free time fixing up the long-neglected 140-year-old Victorian house that she and her husband own. Megan collects art (mostly paintings), supports the ballet, bakes a loaf of bread once a week for morning toast, and spends a lot of time scolding the cats for trying to destroy everything in the house.
Professional, Community And Pro Bono Involvement
- Ballet22, Board of Directors, President, 2023; Board Member since 2022
- Power Association of Northern California, Member
- Women in Public Utilities, Co-Founder, 2017-present
- Conference of California Public Utility Counsel, Board of Directors, 2019-2022; Secretary, 2021-2022
- Conference of California Public Utility Counsel, Young Utility Lawyers Section, Co-Chair, 2016-2017
- Environmental, Energy & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter, Editorial Board Member, 2023
Honors & Rankings
- Individual recognition for Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation – California, Chambers USA, “Up and Coming” 2023
- Best Lawyers® 2023 Administrative/Regulatory Law “Lawyer of the Year” in San Francisco
- Best Lawyers in America©, Administrative/Regulatory Law, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, 2021-2025
- Super Lawyers, Northern California Rising Star, 2015-2021