Dane McKaughan
Partner
Overview
Dane McKaughan is an energy attorney in Holland & Knight's Austin office, where he focuses on commercial and regulatory litigation involving energy companies and regulated entities, including electric utilities, gas utilities and pipelines. Mr. McKaughan previously served as the chair of the State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section and has extensive experience representing clients before state regulators, such as the Public Utility Commission and Railroad Commission of Texas, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Georgia Public Service Commission, Missouri Public Service Commission, Colorado Public Utility Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
In addition, Mr. McKaughan is Board Certified in Administrative Law by the State Bar of Texas and acts as appellate counsel in administrative appeals from agency orders. He has served as lead counsel in more than 40 natural gas utility and electric utility ratemaking proceedings, and regularly represents client interests in their interactions with ERCOT. He also acts as counsel for numerous commercial clients in state and federal courts.
Representative Experience
- Acted as counsel for numerous commercial litigation disputes arising from Winter Storm Uri
- Serves as general counsel to a municipal water district overseeing creation of the district and representing the district in federal court in challenge to its statutory authority
- Represented the largest gas utility in Georgia in numerous rate cases and capacity supply plans
- Acted as lead counsel for a large intra-state pipelines on regulatory issues at the Railroad Commission of Texas
- Represented a major electric utility in an acquisition of the largest electric utility in Texas
- Acted as lead counsel in a dispute with a water utility, including representation at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Missouri Public Service Commission, Texas district court and the American Arbitration Association
- Acted as lead counsel in gas utility docket resulting in approval of first formula rate tariff adopted by the Railroad Commission
- Acted as lead and co-counsel in numerous electric and gas utility rate cases in Texas, Colorado and Georgia
- Acted as co-counsel representing initial rate case for a new transmission utility in Texas
- Acted as co-counsel regarding $700 million hurricane cost recovery proceeding for transmission and distribution utility
- Represented a pipeline in bid to the Federal Electricity Commission in Mexico to construct a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline from Texas into Mexico
Credentials
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D.
- The University of Texas at Austin, M.P.A.
- Austin College, B.A., with honors
- Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- American Bar Association, Administrative Law Section; Environment, Energy, and Resources Section
- Austin Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas, Public Utility Law Section, Chair, 2020-2021
- State Bar of Texas, Public Utility Law Section Council, 2015-2022
- State Bar of Texas, Administrative and Public Law Section; Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Section; Public Utilities Section
- Texas Bar College
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Texas Utility Lawyers Association
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Energy Law, 2019-2024
- Outstanding Services Award, American Bar Association Military Pro Bono Project, 2019, 2021
- Top Energy Lawyers in the U.S., Legal Media Group's Expert Guides, 2015-2018