Practice Expertise

  • Energy and Infrastructure
  • Capital Markets and Securities
  • Energy
  • Corporate

Areas of Practice

  • Capital Markets and Securities
  • Corporate
  • Energy
  • Energy and Infrastructure
  • Energy Finance and Securitization
  • Energy Regulation
  • FERC, NERC and State Energy Regulation
  • Power and Energy Capital Markets
  • Power and Utilities Capital Markets
  • Public Finance
  • Regulated Markets and Energy Infrastructure
  • Sustainability and Corporate Clean Power
  • View More

Profile

Pete’s practice focuses on all aspects of domestic and international capital markets transactions with a particular focus on the power and utilities industries.

Pete is co-head of the firm’s Capital Markets practice. Pete acts as issuers’ counsel and designated underwriters’ counsel for several of the largest utility systems in the United States. He also acts as securities counsel to a financial institution in the Farm Credit System.

Relevant Experience

Equity/Hybrid:

  • Underwriters’ counsel for CenterPoint Energy Inc.’s issuance of common stock, mandatory convertible preferred stock and perpetual preferred stock in connection with the financing of its acquisition of Vectron Corporation.
  • Placement agent’s counsel in NiSource Inc.’s PIPE.
  • Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation in its inaugural issuance of depositary preferred stock.
  • Underwriters’ counsel to NiSource Inc. in its inaugural issuance of depositary preferred stock.
  • Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s forward equity issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc.
  • Underwriters’ counsel for Emera Incorporated’s MJDS-registered convertible subordinated notes issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of TECO Energy Inc.
  • Company counsel to Great Plains Energy Incorporated’s dual tranche mandatory convertible preferred and common stock issuances in connection with the financing of its proposed acquisition of Westar Energy Inc.
  • Underwriters’ counsel for Westar Energy Inc.’s forward equity issuance.
  • Underwriters’ counsel for Xcel Energy Inc.’s forward equity issuance.
  • Underwriters’ counsel for NorthWestern Corporation’s bought equity issuance.
  • Company counsel to CoBank ACB’s issuances of perpetual subordinated preferred stock.
  • Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s establishment of at-the-market program (forward).
  • Sales agents’ counsel in establishment of at-the-market programs for NiSource Inc. (forward), Westar Energy Inc.(forward), Southern Company, Xcel Energy Inc., NorthWestern Corporation and Piedmont Natural Gas Company Inc. (forward).
  • Underwriters’ counsel in hybrid issuances by American Electric Power Company Inc. and Wisconsin Energy Corp.
  • Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s issuance of hybrid securities.

Debt:

  • Underwriters’ counsel in Green Bond issuances by Southwestern Public Service Company, Avangrid, Inc., Public Service Company of Colorado and Westar Energy Inc.
  • Company counsel for Duke Energy Progress, LLC and Duke Energy Carolina LLC in inaugural Green Bond issuances.
  • Underwriters’ counsel in CenterPoint Energy Inc.’s debt issuance in connection with its acquisition of Vectron Corporation.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel in AEP Transmission Company, LLC’s inaugural debt offering.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Columbia Pipeline Group Inc.’s inaugural debt issuance relating to spin-off from NiSource Inc.
  • Company counsel to Duke Energy Corp.’s debt issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Emera Incorporated’s inaugural US debt issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of TECO Energy Inc.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel for IFM (US) Colonial Pipeline 2 LLC inaugural issuance of senior secured notes.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Wisconsin Energy Company’s Elm Road Generating Station Supercritical, LLC’s inaugural and follow-on issuances of lease-backed debt.
  • Underwriters’ counsel for Southwest Public Service Company’s establishment of first mortgage bond indenture and inaugural issuance thereunder.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel for NorthWestern Corporation’s senior secured note issuance in connection with its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
  • Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Southern Power Company’s inaugural debt issuance.
  • Company counsel to Kansas City Power & Light Company, Duke Energy Carolinas LLC, Duke Energy Progress LLC, Duke Energy Florida LLC, Duke Energy Ohio Inc. and Duke Energy Indiana LLC in multiple first mortgage bond issuances.
  • Underwriters’ counsel for Kentucky Utilities Company, Louisville Gas & Electric Company, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC, Northern States Power Company, Public Service of Colorado Inc., Southwestern Public Service Company, NorthWestern Corporation, Puget Sound Energy, Inc., Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation, Kansas Gas & Electric Corporation and Westar Energy in multiple first mortgage bond issuances.
  • Underwriters’ counsel Xcel Energy Inc., Southern Company and subsidiaries, American Electric Power Company and subsidiaries, Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc., NiSource Inc., El Paso Electric Company, New York State Electric and Gas Corporation and Colonial Pipeline Corporation in multiple debt securities issuances.

Bar Admissions

  • New York

Education
BA, College of the Holy Cross, 1988

Areas of Practice

  • Capital Markets and Securities
  • Corporate
  • Energy
  • Energy and Infrastructure
  • Energy Finance and Securitization
  • Energy Regulation
  • FERC, NERC and State Energy Regulation
  • Power and Energy Capital Markets
  • Power and Utilities Capital Markets
  • Public Finance
  • Regulated Markets and Energy Infrastructure
  • Sustainability and Corporate Clean Power

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments

Equity/Hybrid:

  • Underwriters counsel for Kansas-based electric utility in forward-equity issuance;
  • Underwriters counsel for Minnesota-based electric utility holding company in forward-equity issuance;
  • Company counsel for Missouri-based electric utility in dual issuance of mandatorily convertible securities and common stock;
  • Company counsel and agents' counsel in establishment of periodic equity programs for multiple utility holding companies;
  • Company counsel to financial institution in offerings of subordinated perpetual preferred stock and subordinated debt
  • Remarketing agent's counsel in several remarketings of debt component of equity units product; and
  • Underwriters' counsel in issuance of hybrid securities by multiple utility holding companies.

Debt:

  • Initial purchaser counsel in inaugural debt issuance for US financing subsidiary of Australian infrastructure fund;
  • Initial purchasers' counsel in two lease-structured debt issuances by Wisconsin-based owner of supercritical coal electric generating facility;
  • Underwriters' counsel for New Mexico-based electric utility in establishment of first mortgage indenture and inaugural issuance of first mortgage bonds;
  • Company counsel for Missouri electric utility in issuance of first mortgage bonds;
  • Initial purchasers' counsel in the capital markets portion of the exit financing for a South Dakota-based electric and gas utility that emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings;
  • Purchasers' counsel in an institutional private placement of debt by an Indiana-based electric and gas utility holding company;
  • Initial purchasers' counsel in inaugural 144A/Reg S debt issuance for a "merchant Genco"; and
  • Initial purchasers' counsel in 144A debt issuance by privately held petroleum distribution company.

Private Activity Bonds:

  • Underwriter's counsel in issuance by New Jersey Economic Development Authority Exempt Facility Revenue Refunding Bonds (Keystone-2012 Project)
  • Underwriters' counsel in issuance by West Virginia Economic Development Authority Energy Revenue Bonds (Morgantown Energy Associates Project) Series 2011;
  • Underwriter's counsel in issuance by The Delaware Economic Development Authority of its Exempt Facility Revenue Bonds (Indian River Power LLC Project) Series 2010;
  • Conduit obligor's counsel in issuance by Mississippi Business Finance Corporation of its Gulf Opportunity Zone Industrial Development Revenue Bonds (SG Resources Mississippi LLC Project) Series 2010;
  • Underwriter's counsel in issuance by West Virginia Economic Development Authority of its Solid Waste Disposal Facilities Revenue Refunding Bonds (Appalachian Power Company - Amos Project) Series 2010A; 
  • Conduit obligor's counsel in issuance by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority of its Pollution Control Revenue Refunding Bonds (New York State Electric and Gas Corporation Project);
  • Underwriter's counsel in issuance by Luzerne County industrial Development Authority (Pennsylvania) of its Water Facility Revenue Refunding Bonds (Pennsylvania American Water Company Water Facilities) Series 2009; and
  • Underwriter's counsel in issuance by Reisel Industrial Development Corporation of its Solid Waste Disposal Revenue Bonds (Sandy Creek Energy Associates, L.P. Project) Series 2008.



Professional Activities and Experience
  • Leader in the Field, Energy: Finance, Chambers USA, 2006–2017
  • Ranked in Chambers Global: USA, Energy: Electricity (Finance), Band 1, 2015-2017 


Articles

  • Electronic Roadshows: Why The Voice-Over Matters, Law360
  • Safeguarding Investment Grade Bonds in the Event of a Leveraged Buyout: Contract or Legislation? Washington and Lee Law Review, 47:613
  • Continuous Equity Financing with Forwards: A Practical Solution to Strategic Capital Raising, Corporate Finance Review
  • Structural Shift In ESG-Linked Debt May Make Issuance Easier, Law360
  • Structural Shift In ESG-Linked Debt May Make Issuance Easier, Law360
  • Will The Wires REIT Become The Next Midstream MLP?, Law360
  • When Bad Things Happen After A Securities Pricing, Law360
  • Utility Share Prices Under Pressure, Pratt’s Energy Law Report
  • Equity Press Release: When Time Is Not on Your Side, Law360
  • Electronic Roadshows: What To Leave In, What To Leave Out, Law360
  • Considerations Before Your Next Equity Offering, Law360
  • 2019 Retail Industry Year in Review

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