Kenneth C. Baldwin

Partner

  • Overview

    Biography

    Kenneth Baldwin focuses his practice on all aspects of energy, telecommunications and utilities law. He chairs the firm’s Environmental, Energy + Telecommunications Group and is a member of the firm's Managing Committee.

    Facility Siting  

    Ken is one of Connecticut’s leading practitioners in the area of energy, renewable energy and telecommunications facility siting. He appears regularly before the Connecticut Siting Council and Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority in addition to other state administrative agencies and local land use boards related to energy and telecommunication facility siting matters, telecommunications and electric supplier certification proceedings; occupational licensing and renewable energy classification proceedings.

    Ken has been involved in more than 3,500 energy and telecommunications facility siting matters over the last 23 years of practice. 

    Energy Regulatory

    Ken appears before state utility regulatory authorities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire on utility, energy and fuel transmission matters. He counsels utility and energy clients on regulatory compliance matters and appears regularly before the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on energy compliance matters.

    He has been involved in state and federal litigation on telecommunications and energy-related legal matters and is a member of Robinson+Cole's Coastal Resources Management Center.

    Ken has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in the area of Energy Law since 2008 and has written and spoken extensively on issues related to telecommunications and energy facility siting, as well as on local land use implications related to the utility industry. 

  • Experience
    • Experience

      Experience

      • Counsel to the nation's leading wireless telecommunications provider before the Connecticut Siting Council and Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) in connection with the installation of wireless facilities throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts. Draft legislation relating to the application and approval process of wireless facilities and provide legal support as it relates to real estate matters. 

      • Represent national wireless infrastructure companies in connection with facility siting, tower development, real estate and environmental matters, and litigation support.

      • Represented developer of a 500 MW natural-gas fired combined-cycle power plant seeking a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the Connecticut Siting Council and related environmental permits and approvals.

      • Represented client in connection with the development of a 96 MW power generating facility in Connecticut, including obtaining facility siting approval at the Connecticut Siting Council and the method and manner of construction permit, securing all necessary real estate rights to allow electrical interconnection of the generation facility to a public utility substation, and negotiating the interconnection agreement.

      • Representation of a telecommunications provider and a pharmaceutical manufacturer in coordinating and monitoring obstruction marking and lighting determinations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for telecommunications towers and power plant exhaust stacks and in reviewing and interpreting FAA regulations regarding obstruction marking and lighting requirements for those facilities determined to be a potential hazard.

      • Represented client in the permitting and development of high pressure natural gas fuel cell generating facilities throughout Connecticut, including obtaining facility siting approvals from the Connecticut Siting Council and representation in PURA regulatory proceedings to obtain long-term power purchase contracts for the projects.

      • Represented client in the development and permitting of a 30 MW on-site co-generation facility used to provide power to its existing paper products manufacturing facility. Assisted with local and State permits and approvals, including Connecticut Siting Council approval and consultation with municipal officials.

      • Represented client in the development of a 5 MW utility-scale solar generating facility in Connecticut, including representation before the Connecticut Siting Council and PURA. 

      • Represented client in the development and permitting of its on-site co-generation facility used to provide power to its existing manufacturing, research and development and office complex. Assisted with local, state and federal permits and approvals, including municipal consultation with town officials, Connecticut Siting Council approval of the power generating units, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliance.

      • Represented major aircraft engine manufacturer in permitting matter for modifications to its existing 30 MW cogeneration facility, including municipal consultation and Connecticut Siting Council approvals.

      • Represent chemical company in the development of a behind-the-meter solar project in Connecticut, including developing requests for proposals and accompanying power purchase agreement, negotiating power purchase agreements and obtaining local land use approvals.

      • Represented client in the development of 20 MW utility-scale solar generating facility in Connecticut, including obtaining facility siting approvals from the Connecticut Siting Council and representation in PURA regulatory proceeding to obtain a long-term power purchase contract.

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    • Professional Associations

      Professional Associations

      Connecticut Bar Association
      Planning & Zoning Section (1997 - Current)
      Energy, Public Utility, and Communications Law Section (1997 - Current)

      American Bar Association
      Public Utility, Communications, and Transportation Law Section (1994 - Current)

      Federal Communications Bar Association (1998 - Current)

      American Planning Association, Connecticut Chapter (1988 - Current)

      American Leadership Forum
      Senior Fellow (2003 - Current)

      SCG Legal
      Board of Directors (2019 - Current)

      American Water Works Association, Connecticut Section
    • Honors + Awards

      Honors + Awards

      Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the area of Energy Law since 2008

      Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, "First 100," 2016

    • Community Involvement

      Community Involvement

      The First Tee of Connecticut
      Board Chair (2023)
      Executive Committee, Board Vice Chair (2017 - 2022)

      Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
      Board of Directors (2016 - Current)
  • NEWS + PRESS
    • Publications

      Publications

      "Personal Wireless Service Facilities — A Sample Ordinance," (2009)
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      "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 — Developing Caselaw of Towering Proportions," published in Urban Lawyer
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    • Presentations

      Presentations

      "Leadership Perspectives - ESG & DEI Initiatives on Both Sides of the Matter," moderated panel discussion as part of SCG Legal's 2023 Mid-Year Meeting in Berlin, Germany (5/11/2023)
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      "T-Mobile South v. City of Roswell and Other Recent Developments in Cell Tower Siting," webinar, moderator (5/7/2015)

      "Energy in Connecticut: Demand, Cost and the Environmental Challenges of Siting New Infrastructure," at Connecticut Environmental Forum, panelist (Spring 2006)

      "Understanding the Legal and Regulatory Dimensions: The laws and regulations that affect ownership, liability, remediation, and land use," at Connecticut Environmental Forum, panelist (Spring 2006)

    • News

      R+C in the News

      • April 6, 2023

        Robinson+Cole Named "Business of the Year" by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT

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      • February 13, 2023

        Ken Baldwin to Serve as Board Chair of First Tee – Connecticut

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      • November 4, 2022

        Ken Baldwin Re-elected to SCG Legal Board of Directors

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      • August 20, 2018

        52 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2019

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      • November 14, 2016

        Ken Baldwin Named to CCADV’s First 100 Plus Class

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      • May 15, 2015

        Environmental and Utility Lawyers Participate in ABA Cell Tower Webinar

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      • August 20, 2013

        Robinson & Cole Lawyer Featured Volunteer in The First Tee of Connecticut

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      • August 12, 2009

        Robinson & Cole Partner Edits Book on Electricity Law and Policy

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      R+C News Releases

      • August 18, 2022

        74 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2023

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      • August 19, 2021

        65 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2022

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      • August 20, 2020

        61 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021

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      • September 25, 2019

        Ken Baldwin Elected to SCG Legal Board of Directors

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      • August 15, 2019

        57 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020

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      • March 30, 2018

        Robinson+Cole Employees Lend a Hand to Foodshare

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      • August 15, 2017

        Fifty-Nine Robinson+Cole Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018

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      • December 7, 2016

        Ken Baldwin Joins The First Tee of Connecticut Board of Directors

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      • August 15, 2016

        Robinson+Cole Receives Top Listing in Connecticut Lawyer Count in The Best Lawyers in America® 2017

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      • May 23, 2016

        Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence Appoints Robinson+Cole Lawyer to Board of Directors

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      • February 1, 2016

        Robinson+Cole Forms Sustainability Cross-Practice Team

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      • November 19, 2015

        Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence Recognizes Robinson+Cole

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      • August 18, 2015

        Robinson+Cole Receives Top Listing in Connecticut Lawyer Count in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016

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      • August 19, 2014

        Robinson+Cole Receives Top Listing in Connecticut Lawyer Count in Best Lawyers National Peer Review Survey

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      • August 16, 2013

        Robinson & Cole Receives Top Listing in Connecticut Attorney Count in Best Lawyers National Peer Review Survey

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      • August 28, 2012

        Robinson & Cole Receives Top Listing in Connecticut Attorney Count in Best Lawyers National Peer Review Survey

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      • September 12, 2011

        Robinson & Cole Receives Top Listing in Connecticut Attorney Count in Best Lawyers National Peer Review Survey

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