News & Insights

Brian Boyle and Johnny Johnson Publish Article in POWERGRID International on Energy Performance Contracts

September 20, 2020

Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partners Brian C. Boyle and John M. Johnson wrote an article that recently appeared in POWERGRID International. The piece outlines the top five pitfalls of energy performance contracts and what government entities need to consider before making these big infrastructure investments.

“Under these agreements, the capital costs of infrastructure projects are supposed to be financed by ‘guaranteed’ savings from improved energy efficiency and reduced operating expenses,” write Boyle and Johnson. “However, in practice, these contracts may be based on meaningless guarantees, leaving city and county governments paying off expensive capital projects for years into the future with little or no cost savings.”

The attorneys were part of the Lightfoot team that secured a significant settlement from Siemens on behalf of the City of Jackson, Mississippi, over a failed water meter and billing system. Boyle and Johnson outlined the matter in a case study for American City & County earlier this year.

Boyle represents a range of clients — from Fortune 500 companies to small business owners and investors — in complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on the energy industry. He is a partner in Lightfoot’s Houston office, and has handled numerous cross-border cases in the oil and gas sector and beyond.

Johnson was named an “Energy and Environmental Trailblazer” in 2017 by the National Law Journal. He has spent more than 30 years defending leading companies against environmental and mass tort litigation, including class actions and individual toxic tort lawsuits. Johnson also maintains a strong business and product liability litigation practice, handling a variety of cases in those areas.

Both attorneys are members of Lightfoot’s Complex Government Litigation & Investigations practice group.