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Ira G. Megdal

Member

: Cherry Hill
LibertyView
457 Haddonfield Road, P.O. Box 5459
Suite 300
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002-2220
P: (856) 910-5007
TF: (800) 989-0499
F: (877) 259-7984

Ira G. Megdal

Ira concentrates his practice on diverse energy and public utility matters. Ira has vast experience assisting clients in the design, build, construction, and financing of energy projects. In addition he has prosecuted many public utility regulatory proceedings, including complex rate cases, mergers, and acquisitions. He also regularly tries cases related to energy and public utility matters.

Ira is past chairman of the public utility law section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and is a member of the Energy Bar Association and the Transportation Lawyers Association. Ira has been elected to The Best Lawyers in America and New Jersey Super Lawyers. He was selected by Best Lawyers as its Philadelphia Energy Lawyer of the Year for 2014.

Ira received his Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University in 1968, and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1971. He also received a Master of Laws in taxation from George Washington University in 1977.

Ira lives in Cherry Hill with his wife, Myrna.

Experience

Represented diverse public utilities in base rate case proceedings for more than 40 years.

Representation of South Jersey Gas Company before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities seeking approval of the acquisition of the assets of Elizabethtown Gas for approximately $1.7 billion.

Representation of New Jersey-American Water Company, Inc. in base rate case proceeding before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities seeking an increase in rates of more than $130 million.

Represented South Jersey Gas Company in base rate case proceeding before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities resulting in a rate increase of approximately $40 million.

Represented multiple electric generation facilities in a regulated New Jersey Board of Public Utilities proceeding involving a large New Jersey gas company and achieved a discontinuation of alleged discriminatory rates.

Represented ACR Energy Partners in the construction and financing of a heating, air conditioning, and electric supply facility to service the Revel casino/hotel complex in Atlantic City, NJ, along with others. The transaction included an energy sales agreement, a bond financing secured by leaseholder mortgages and a pledge of the revenues from energy sales, and a net lease of the parcels from two landlords.

Represented the energy provider in connection with the decommissioning and removal of the existing Montclair University campus energy plant and the construction of a new state of the art cogeneration plant providing heating, air conditioning and electricity to much of the large campus of the university spanning three counties in New Jersey. Handled the basic energy sales agreement, the ground lease for the new on campus plant site, the easements throughout the campus for the distribution systems (including over portions of the campus owned by New Jersey Educations Finance Agency and by Public Service Electricity and Gas) and the financing of the project through a public bond issue.

Represented a regulated New Jersey public utility before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in a precedent-establishing decision prohibiting a municipality from competing directly against a regulated public utility that holds a valid franchise to provide service within the municipality. Argued successfully that a municipality is estopped from first granting a franchise, permitting the utility to make the necessary investment to provide safe, adequate and proper service in reliance of the franchise, and thereafter attempt to compete directly with the utility to the utility’s financial detriment.

Litigated leading U.S. case to establish the definition of "Public Utility."

Secured a hard-fought victory before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a client challenging increased natural gas storage rates imposed upon it by the Transcontinental Pipe Line Company. The matter originally was tried before a federal administrative law judge assigned to the FERC, who ruled in our favor. When that ruling was reversed on appeal to the full FERC, we escalated the matter to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which reversed and remanded the matter back to the FERC. After holding proceedings on remand, the FERC reversed its prior decision, found the increased rates unlawful, and ordered that our client be paid very substantial refunds covering a nine-year period.

News

100 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers Named to the Best Lawyers in America

August 23, 2017

Lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2018 edition based on a rigorous peer-review that has been developed and defined for more than 30 years.

Sixty-Two Cozen O’Connor Lawyers Named to the Best Lawyers in America

August 15, 2016

Sixty-two Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 13 of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Fifty-Two Cozen O’Connor Lawyers Named to the Best Lawyers in America

August 17, 2015

The current edition is based on more than five million detailed evaluations by the top lawyers of the country. This list will be included in dozens of city and regional publications in the United States including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

46 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers Named to The Best Lawyers in America

August 28, 2013

Forty-six Cozen O’Connor lawyers from eight of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. Attorneys were selected based on a rigorous peer-review of more than 4.3 million detailed evaluations. The list will be included in publications such as The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and New York magazine.

Ira Megdal quoted in NJBiz article

August 09, 2011

Ira Megdal quoted in NJBiz article

43 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers Named to The Best Lawyers in America

February 09, 2011

Forty-three Cozen O’Connor lawyers from six of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition based on a rigorous peer–review of more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations.

Forty-Two Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Honored as Best Lawyers in America

September 29, 2009

Forty-two Cozen O’Connor attorneys from seven of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Twenty-Five Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Honored As Best Lawyers In America

October 29, 2008

Twenty-five Cozen O’Connor attorneys from six of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Federal Tax Reform: Major Changes Impacting Public Utilities [Utility, Environmental & Energy Alert]

January 10, 2018

David Zambito, Ira Megdal, Rich Silpe, and Rory Moore discuss the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the changes to the taxation of business enterprises that have significant implications for public utilities.

FERC Approval of Columbia Gas Transmission Settlement Puts Focus on Recovery of and Return on Pipeline Safety Expenditures [Utility, Environmental & Energy Alert]

March 04, 2013

On January 24, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a significant settlement addressing the base rate treatment for planned actions to overhaul the aging Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) pipeline system. While by its own terms the settlement is not considered precedential, FERC’s approval of the settlement is noteworthy for operators of older natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines and hazardous liquids pipelines systems. These pipeline systems may contain bare steel or cast iron, may have inadequate cathodic protection, may be subject to settling or other environmental conditions that have placed significant stress on pipe, may not be “piggable,” or otherwise may be at risk of reduced operating pressure in the face of potentially heightened requirements for establishing maximum allowable operating pressure. As increased focus on pipeline integrity management drives capital expenditures and operating and maintenance priorities, these transmission and distribution pipeline operators (representing a majority of pipeline mileage in the United States) must engage in thoughtful planning for pipeline facility repairs, upgrades and replacements and identify cost recovery mechanisms that work best for their specific circumstances.

EPA Issues Final Emissions Standards for Oil & Natural Gas Sector [Energy, Environmental and Utilities Alert]

May 04, 2012

EPA Issues Final Emissions Standards for Oil & Natural Gas Sector - Energy, Environmental and Utilities Alert - On April 17, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized performance and emissions standards for emissions from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells and
other source categories in the oil and natural gas sector. Specifically, the rule revises New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) under 40 C.F.R. part 60, subparts KKK, LLL and new OOOO as well as National Emissions Standards for hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) under 40 C.F.R. part
63, subparts HH and HHH.

American Gas Association 2014 Legal Forum	Park City, UT	07/13/2014
Preventing Hazardous Material Catastrophes In A Changing World	Philadelphia, PA	06/17/2014
American Gas Association 2013 Legal Forum	Newport, RI	07/14/2013
Utility Infrastructure Summit: Response, Resiliency & Preparedness	Voorhees, NJ	06/07/2013

Practice Areas

Offshore Wind Energy

Utility, Environmental & Energy

Industry Sectors

Higher Education

Education

Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1971
George Washington University Law School, LL.M., 1977
Rutgers University, Newark, B.S., 1968

Awards & Honors

Best Lawyers in America 2006-2018

Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year for Energy Law" in Philadelphia 2014

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

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