Tricia Caliguire’s practice focuses on long-term power supply and transmission planning and development, representing clients in the energy, utility and environmental sectors before government officials and regulatory agencies. She advises clients in the acquisition, development and government financing of combined cycle and renewable energy power facilities; development and financing of distribution and transmission facilities; and redevelopment of brownfield sites, including on issues related to fuel and electric interconnection, regulatory approvals needed for project development, and alternate methods of renewable energy financing consistent with state regulations. Tricia has drafted and negotiated purchase agreements for solar developers and retail energy suppliers.
Prior to joining the firm, she served as Chief Counsel to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities where she managed a team of attorneys and support staff, advised the Board president and commissioners, and served as the primary staff liaison to the Governor’s Office on policy, regulatory and legislative matters. Tricia coordinated representation of the Board by the Office of the Attorney General; provided legal support to all divisions and offices; led the inter-office Energy Team, dedicated to analysis and implementation of policies related to PJM, FERC, renewables, and long-term generation and transmission planning; and coordinated case management with the Board executive director.
Tricia joined the Administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in March, 2010. As the Policy Advisor for Energy, Environment and Agriculture, she was responsible for developing and managing policy and related initiatives, including the 2011 Energy Master Plan; the State Buildings Energy Savings Initiative; the Long-term Capacity Agreement Pilot Program; offshore wind legislation and regulations; solar legislation; the NJ Green Buildings Manual; the State Healthy Foods Initiative; and long-term transmission planning efforts with PJM.
While in the Governor’s Office, Tricia worked closely with Governor’s Counsel, the Governor’s Authorities Unit and other State agencies and authorities, including the Office of the Lieutenant Governor; the Departments of Environmental Protection, Labor and Workforce Development, and Agriculture; the Board of Public Utilities; the Economic Development Authority; and the Division of the Ratepayer Advocate. She represented the Governor’s Office on the New Jersey Offshore Wind Energy Taskforce; the Mid-Atlantic Energy Advisors’ Coordinating Group; the Organization of PJM States; and the State Energy Sector Partnership; and served on the grant application review panel for the State Employment Task Force Committee.
Tricia began her career with Vinson & Elkins in Houston, where she specialized in administrative law. When she moved to New Jersey, she joined the Newark law firm of McCarter & English as a member of the environmental law practice group, specializing in state regulatory work for industrial clients.
A native of Lewiston, New York, Tricia graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. with honors and distinction in Communication Arts, and from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin with a J.D. Tricia, her husband, Mark, and three children have lived in Montgomery, NJ since 1997.
