Jeff Dennis is the Deputy Director for Transmission at the Grid Deployment Office (GDO). Jeff leads GDO’s Transmission Division, which facilitates transmission deployment, supports robust transmission planning, and addresses transmission siting and permitting challenges to ensure grid reliability and resilience.
Prior to joining GDO, Jeff was General Counsel and Managing Director at Advanced Energy Economy (now Advanced Energy United), where he co-founded and later led its programs aimed at increasing wholesale electricity market access for advanced energy technologies and transforming wholesale electricity market designs and transmission policies to support the energy transition. Under his leadership, the reach of the organization’s wholesale markets, and transmission program expanded rapidly, with staff and funding more than tripling. Jeff also provided legal advice and counsel to the organization’s federal and state programs and served as Corporate Secretary.
Earlier in his career, Jeff spent over a decade at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), holding senior legal and policy positions including Director of Policy Development and Legal Advisor to Commissioner John R. Norris. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of landmark FERC rules and orders on transmission planning, transmission cost allocation, and wholesale electricity market design. He also defended FERC’s decisions in the United States Courts of Appeals, arguing numerous cases before the D.C. Circuit.
Jeff also has been a lawyer in private practice representing a wide range of private and public energy sector clients in proceedings before FERC, state public utility commissions, and in the courts.
In addition to his work in GDO, Jeff is Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Energy Law Journal, and on the faculty of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. He is a frequent author and speaker on topics in energy policy and law.