Assistant General Counsel - Department of Public Utilities
Who We Are
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) seeks to protect, preserve, and enhance Massachusetts environmental resources and create a clean energy future for all residents. Through the stewardship of open spaces, the protection of environmental resources, and the advancement of clean energy, EEA works tirelessly to make Massachusetts a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family. Our commitment to environmental justice ensures that every resident, regardless of background or location, can live in a safe, clean environment and shares equally in the benefits of the clean energy transition.
Who We Are as an Employer
At EEA, we create meaningful, inclusive opportunities that empower our employees to make a real difference in shaping the environmental future of Massachusetts. We foster a workplace culture where diversity is valued, innovation is encouraged, and collaboration thrives. Our employees play a vital role in advancing sustainability, environmental justice, and clean energy solutions, ensuring a positive and lasting impact on Massachusetts and its residents.
DPU - Department of Public Utilities
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is the state agency responsible for overseeing investor-owned electric power, natural gas, and water companies in Massachusetts. It regulates the safety of bus companies, moving companies, transportation network companies, and oversees the safety of natural gas pipelines and the MBTA.
Job Description
As the Assistant General Counsel, you will be a key member of the Siting Division, a division within the Department of Public Utilities. You will lead legal, policy, and procedural matters affecting the Siting Division and assist the Deputy General Counsel of the Siting Division in supervising the Siting Divisions legal staff. The Siting Division is staffed by the eleven-member Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board, which has the responsibility for siting major energy facilities in the Commonwealth.
These facilities include clean energy infrastructure facilities, such as renewable electric generating facilities, energy storage, and electric transmission lines and substations, and legacy energy facilities, such as intrastate natural gas pipelines, fossil-fuel electric generating facilities, and large LNG storage facilities, that meet the Boards jurisdictional thresholds.
The 2024 Climate Act significantly revised and improved the siting and permitting process for energy facilities in Massachusetts, and the Assistant General Counsel will be central in the Acts implementation. The Assistant General Counsel supervises attorneys within the Siting Division, provides legal policy and procedural support, advice, and guidance to Division staff, as well as the Siting Board members, commissioners, and others at the Department and other stakeholders.
The Assistant General Counsel is responsible for the review of applications to site clean energy infrastructure facilities and legacy energy facilities. In addition, the Assistant General Counsel will review requests for Advisory Rulings, Determinations of Jurisdiction, Certificates of Environmental Impact, and Public Interest, intervene before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, review siting-related legislative and regulatory activities, and works directly on assigned cases or other matters as needed.
Essential Job Duties
Agency Overview
The Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) is an independent state board that reviews proposed clean energy infrastructure facilities, such as renewable electric generating facilities, energy storage, and electric transmission lines and substations, and legacy energy facilities, such as intrastate natural gas pipelines, fossil-fuel electric generating facilities, and large LNG storage facilities.
Division Overview
The Siting Division of the DPU is a diverse team of planners, engineers, economists, lawyers, and environmental specialists that reviews major energy facility proposals requiring EFSB regulatory approvals. Our mission is to ensure that approved projects are consistent with applicable statutes, regulations, and policies and serve the public interest.
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have at least six years of full-time or equivalent part-time professional administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration, or clinical management, of which at least two years must have been in a project management supervisory or managerial capacity or any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.
Substitutions:
Comprehensive Benefits
When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future. Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards.
An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer
The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they dont meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.