Energy and the Environment: Challenges in a Changing World

• Date: 01 May 2019

5-2019 NEWS & ANALYSIS 49 ELR 10407

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Energy and the Environment:

Challenges in a Changing World

Summary

Summary

U.S. energy requirements, policy, and regulations are

changing rapidly. Numerous large-scale energy proj-

ects are underway, and generation, supply, and distri-

bution infrastructure is evolving at an unprecedented

rate. With these shifts, the focus has turned to energy

transmission and pipelines, including regulatory

updates, stormwater and erosion and sedimentation

control requirements, environmental impact analysis

and permitting, and construction monitoring. On

January 29, 2019, ELI and AECOM co-sponsored a

seminar where leading experts explored these changes

and challenges in energy transmission. Below, we

present a transcript of the discussion, which has been

edited for style, clarity, and space considerations.

Richard DeCesar (moderator) is Vice President of

Midstream & Pipelines in the Oil & Gas Ma rket Sector,

Design & Consulting Services Group at AECOM, a

multinational engineering  rm.

Bernie Holcomb is a Vice President with AECOM.

Annie Jones is the Attorney-Advisor in the O ce of

Energy Infrastructure Security at the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission.

Jim McE l sh is a Senior Attorney and Director of the

Sustainable Use of Land Program at t he Environmental

Law Institute.

Chris Miller is President of the Piedmont Environmental

Council.

Richard DeCesar: Welcome to today’s event, co-sponsored

by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and A ECOM.

We will start o by introducing our panelists.

Bernie Holcomb, my co-worker, is a Vice President

with AECOM. He’s a recogniz ed permitting expert w ith

our company, and he has more than 35 years of experi-

ence in managing complex natural gas and utility infra-

structure projects.

Jim McEl sh is a Senior Attorney and Director of the

Sustainable Use of Land Program at EL I. Jim’s research

focuses on development choices and their links to land

use, water resources, biological diversity, and infra struc-

ture policies.

Chris Miller is the President of the Piedmont Environ-

mental Council (PEC). Chris is responsible for the overall

management and strategic planning for PEC, including its

land cons ervation program, habitat restoration, rura l eco-

nomics, energy policy, land use policy, and smart growth

in transportation policy.

Annie Jones is the Attorney-Advisor of Security in the

O ce of Energy Infrastructure Security at the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Annie has 12

years of energy and infrastructure, securit y law, and regu-

lation experience.

Our topic is energy requirements, policy, and regu-

lations that are changing rapidly in the United States.

Nume rous la rge-sc ale ene rgy pro jects a re unde rway a nd, as

such, energy generation and supply distribution infrastruc-

tur e is cha ngin g at an u nprece dented r ate. Wit h such shift s

across the energy sector, the focus now turns especially to

energy transm ission including regulatory update s, emerg-

ing complex stormwater and erosion and sedimentation

control requirements, environmental impact a nalysis and

permitting, and environmenta l construction monitoring.

Today’s panel includes leading experts who will

explore these changes and cha llenges in energy transmis-

sion, environmental protection, compliance, permitting,

and solutions implemented, with a special focus on pipe-

lines. After t he pa neli sts  nish their presentations we will

take questions.

Looking  rst at the market size for pipelines, estimates

range that over the next  ve years there w ill be between $45

billion per year and $80 billion per year spent on develop-

ing pipelines in our country. It equates to about 100,000

miles of pipelines that are expected to be built between

Copyright © 2019 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120.