Mary Beth Gentleman
Mary Beth Gentleman combines a decade of state regulatory experience with 20 years of practice at Foley Hoag to provide regulatory and strategic advice to developers of renewable and conventional energy projects, energy service companies, and energy technology start-ups. She co-chairs the firm’s Energy Technology and Renewables Practice Group composed of attorneys providing general corporate, venture capital, patent, environmental and energy regulatory advice to wind, photovoltaic, biomass and other renewables developers and technology companies.
She also chairs the firm’s Energy & Regulated Industries group which assists with the siting and permitting of new generating facilities and upgrades to such facilities, assists asset owners with energy regulatory and environmental compliance matters for existing facilities, conducts regulatory due diligence with respect to asset acquisitions and counsels clients on zoning matters including petitions for zoning exemptions from the Department of Public Utilities. Ms. Gentleman is currently involved in the siting of a municipal wind project in southeastern Massachusetts, a commercial wind facility on the North Shore, a micro-wind turbine project just north of Boston. She has also advised developers of photovoltaic projects in several states regarding regulatory, siting and interconnection matters.
Ms. Gentleman also handles energy-related transactions such as power purchase and power sales agreements, renewable energy credit sales agreements, water purchase agreements, host community agreements for renewable and conventional generating facilities. She also advises renewable and conventional generation owners regarding property valuation matters including Payments-In-Lieu of Taxes Agreements.
Before joining Foley Hoag in 1989, Mary Beth had 11 years of experience with state energy regulation in Massachusetts. She served for six years as Assistant Secretary at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy Resources, where she directed the development of state policy with respect to the electric, gas and oil industries. Mary Beth was also a technical staff member of the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board, where she reviewed siting applications for transmission lines, an LNG storage facility, gas-fired generation unit and twin nuclear units, and co-authored LNG siting regulations.
Bars and Court Admissions
professional / civic involvement
- Conservation Services Group, Member, Board of Directors
- Northeast Energy and Commerce Association, Member, Board of Directors
- New England Energy Alliance, General Counsel
- Energy Bar Association, Renewable Energy and Demand-Side Management Committee
- Lex Mundi, Energy and Natural Resources Practice Group
- American Bar Association
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Boston Bar Association
SPEECHES AND CONFERENCES
- Speaker, "Sunlight on New England Solar Development," Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Committee, Northeast Energy and Commerce Association (2011)
- Panelist, "Net Metering Regulatory Developments in Rhode Island and Massachusetts," Law Seminars International Conference (2011)
- Co-chair, “Energy in the Northeast,” Law Seminars International Conference, Boston, MA (2005 - 2011)
- Panelist, "Wind Energy and Municipal Budgets: New Financial Opportunities in Tough Fiscal Times," Environmental Business Council Wind Energy Program (2011)
- Panelist, "Reflections from the Marketplace," Environmental Business Council Annual Industry Summit: The Business of the Environment, Energy and Climate Change (2010)
- Panelist, "Implementing the Green Communities Act: A Status Update," Northeast Energy and Commerce Association Renewable Energy Conference (2009)
- Panelist, "Devising New Business Strategies Under the Green Communities Act," Environmental Law Section and Energy & Telecommunications Law Committee, Boston Bar Association (2008)
- Panelist, "Renewable Portfolio Standards and Renewable Energy Credits," New England Clean Energy Council Fellowship Program (2008)
- Panelist, “Ancillary Considerations in Power Procurement Contracting,” Latest Rules and Trends in Effective Procurement and Contracting, Insight Information Conference (2005)
- Panelist, “Renewable Energy: Where Are We? Where Are We Headed?” The Environmental Law Section of the Boston Bar Association (2003)
- Moderator, “Power Markets: Where Are We Heading? (The Promise of Dereg, ISO/RTO Issues, Lessons from ENRON, Demand-Side Initiatives),” Power Markets in ’02: Moving On, Northeast Energy and Commerce Association and the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (2002)
- Panelist, “Retail Power Purchasing 101,” New England Legal Foundation and Boston Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Committee (2001)
- Moderator, “New Solutions for Customers’ New Problems,” Capturing the New Customer Markets Created by Energy Deregulation, Northeast Energy and Commerce Association (2001)
- Panelist, “Too Much Clutch, Not Enough Gas,” When Can Competition Work?, Joint Conference of the Massachusetts Electricity Restructuring Roundtable and XENERGY’s Executive Forum (2001)
- Moderator, “Generation Fuel Diversity,” Deregulation 2001: Crisis or Correction? Northeast Energy and Commerce Association and the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (2001)
- Co-Moderator, “Permitting Competition: Wires, Water and Gas,” The Future is Now, Northeast Energy and Commerce Association and the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (2000)
- Speaker, “Generation in the Deregulated Marketplace: Factors Affecting Price,” Northeast Power Markets: The New Realities, 10th Annual Northeast Power Conference, Northeast Power Report and Electric Utility Week (2000)
- Co-Moderator, “Regulating Generators: Old Dogs, New Tricks?” Competition and Consolidation in the Northeast Energy Markets, Northeast Energy and Commerce Association and the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (1999)
- Speaker, “Legal Considerations in Designing a Retail Marketing Plan in a Reregulated Market,” The Power of Marketing & Sales: How Utilities Boost Their Market Share, Public Utilities Reports, Inc. and Bishoff Solomon Communications (1998)
- Panelist, “Purchasing Electricity in a Deregulated Market: Contracting Considerations,” Electrical Industry Restructuring in Massachusetts, MCLE (1998)
- Speaker, “Negotiating the Contract,” The Nuts and Bolts of Buying Energy in a Deregulated Market, Chain Store Age Conference, Chicago, IL (1997)
- Panelist, “Measuring and Mitigating Stranded Costs,” Buying and Selling Electricity in the Northeast, Law Seminars International (1997)
- Speaker, “Legal Considerations in Purchasing Electricity,” Program on Utility Deregulation, Smaller Business Association of New England (1996)
- Speaker, “Choosing Among Electricity Suppliers: Legal Issues for Consumers,” Electric Utility Deregulation, Build Boston (1996)
- Speaker, “Renewables: Utility Restructuring and Regional Implications,” Building Energy Conference, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (1996)
- Panelist, “Restructuring in the Northeast,” NARUC/DOE Conference on Competition and the Public Interest: Addressing Strandable Benefits and Strandable Costs in a Restructured Electric Industry, Gatlinburg, Tennessee (1995)
- Speaker, “Negotiation to Consensus: The Electric Restructuring Roundtable Experience in Massachusetts,” Boston Bar Association, Energy Law Committee (1995)
- Panelist, “Electric Industry Restructuring: Leaner and Greener?” Electric Power Industry in New England--Evolution or Revolution? New England Cogeneration Association (1995)
- Panelist, “Indoor Air Pollution,” Boston Bar Foundation Continuing Legal Education (1994)
- Speaker, “DSM on the Defensive,” Power Planning in an Adversarial Age, Northeast Power Report and Independent Power Report (1993)
- Chairperson, “The Emerging Market for Nitrogen Oxide Offsets,” Utility Environment Report and Electric Utility Week, Washington, D.C. (1993)
- Panelist, “Integration of Externalities in Resource Procurement Processes in Massachusetts and New York,” NARUC Least-Cost Utility Planning Conference, Charleston, SC (1989)
publications
- Reform Alternative Energy Siting, BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL (September 2008)
- Electric Industry Restructuring: Getting It Right with New Technologies, MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM REPORTER (April 2002)
- Legal Considerations for Retail Marketers in a Reregulated Market, ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY RESTRUCTURING IN MASSACHUSETTS - MCLE 01.06 (1998)
- Electric Industry Restructuring: Customer Choice Nears, SBANE ENTERPRISE (February/March 1997)
- Energy Supply of Future Is a Hard One to Predict, BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL (December 1993)
- Demand-side Management Benefits All, BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL (April/May 1993)
- Utility Regulators Must Fine-Tune Incentives, BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL (November 1991)