14th Appalachia Energy Law Conference

Overview

Presented by the Institute for Energy Law and the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (EMLF).

The Appalachia Energy Law Conference is held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The conference focuses on legal issues related to onshore energy production, primarily oil and gas production in Appalachia. The conference brings together clients, attorneys, professional landmen, and other professionals to learn and discuss important cases, concepts, and trends. In addition, the conference features networking opportunities with other attendees.

Conference Co-Chairs

Brian Anderson
Xcoal Energy & Resources
Latrobe, Pennsylvania 

Stefanie Burt
EQT Corporation
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Registration Options

• $525 - Regular Registration Fee
• $425 - IEL Advisory Board Member
• $425 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee
• $425 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member
• $425 - EMLF Member
• $425 - Government Employee
• $425 - In-House Employee
• $125 - Full-time Law Professor
• $75 - Law Student

Schedule and Faculty

Wednesday, September 6

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. - Welcome Reception

Il Tetto at Sienna Mercato
942 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thursday, September 7

7:45 a.m. - Registration

8:20 – 8:30 a.m. - Welcome, Overview and Introductions

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. - Weather Events and Providing Power: A Look at the Effects of Winter Storms Uri and Elliott and Proposed Responses to Protect Electrical Grids

Across part of the U.S., extreme winter weather and the energy transition have combined to increase electric reliability risk and related litigation from summer periods to the coldest months of the year. As the energy transition intensifies, this risk will continue. Hear how the industry is addressing the facilitation of a reliable energy transition, the evolving role of dispatchable generation, and how courts and litigants have wrestled with various issues stemming from extreme weather events.

• Justin S. Rowinsky, Yetter Coleman LLP, Houston, Texas
• Alexandra Scheirer, Sr. Policy Advisor, PJM Interconnection, Audubon, Pennsylvania

9:15 – 10:00 a.m. - Federal and State Oil and Gas Air Regulatory Update

This presentation will discuss the ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape related to air emissions from the oil and gas industry. Panelists will unpack and discuss a recently finalized suite of regulations that Pennsylvania has adopted for sources of air emissions at natural gas well sites, certain compressor stations, and natural gas processing plants. This presentation will also cover new federal requirements that the U.S. EPA has proposed to regulate both volatile organic compound and methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry.

• Gary Steinbauer, Babst Calland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Jesse Walker, Assistant Counsel, Pennsylvania Deptarment of Environmental Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, Bureau of Regulatory Counsel, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

10:00 – 10:20 a.m. - BREAK

10:20 – 11:20 a.m. Joint Operating Agreements: Current Uses, Trends, and Considerations for Drafting and Negotiating

This presentation will discuss joint operating agreements relevant in the energy industry, including current trends and things to look out for in negotiations. This presentation will also cover issues that may arise when drafting and negotiating JOAs.

• Leslie Miller-Stover, Senior Counsel, EQT Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  
• Ryan T. Purpura, Reed Smith LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Barry Osborne, Vice President Land and Corporate Development, Range Resources Corporation, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
• Marc S. Tabolsky, Schiffer Hicks Johnson PLLC, Houston, Texas

11:20 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. - An Update on Employer Legal Risks in Appalachian Energy Production

As employers move into the back half of 2023, and begin to look ahead to 2024, it’s clear there will be no shortage of change to the employment law landscape. Everything from the transition to post-pandemic life to tech advances brings new and increasingly complex legal dimensions to human resource and in-house legal teams. In this segment, we will discuss the risks and opportunities we see facing Appalachian Basin employers in the coming months. Our goal is to both educate you on the important trends and issues facing employers in this region, as well as to offer practical guidance on how other employers are tackling these challenges and seizing opportunities.

• Christian Antkowiak, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Erin W. McDowell, Senior Vice President – General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Range Resources Corporation, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

12:05 – 12:40 p.m. - Lunch

12:40 – 1:15 p.m. - Luncheon Presentation

Interviewee: Mike Turzai, General Counsel, Peoples Natural Gas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Interviewer: David Spigelmyer, President, Reliable Energy Consulting LLC, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania

1:15 – 1:30 p.m. - BREAK

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. - Inside Looking Out – The Legal Issues Related to Producing Energy in Appalachia

This panel will consider the legal issues being faced by energy practitioners in Appalachia, with a particular focus on the issues and needs of energy in-house counsel. The panel will also address how outside counsel can assist and provide better representation to their clients.

Moderator: Amanda R. Cashman, K&L Gates LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Panelists:

• Kate Gafner, Senior Counsel, Coterra Energy Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Kevin D. Coleman, Associate General Counsel, PennEnergy Resources, LLC, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
• Corinne Simon, Senior Corporate Counsel, Ascent Resources, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Mike Rush, Director, Title, EQT Corporation, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

2:30 – 3:15 p.m. - Pooling and Unitization in Appalachia: The Status and the Legal Issues You Should Know

This panel session will feature a review and discussion of recent decisions, rulings, determinations, and pending legislation related to pooling and unitization for oil and gas development in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

• Kevin Colosimo, Frost Brown Todd, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  
• Bridget D. Furbee, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Bridgeport, West Virginia
• Chelsea R. Heinz, Babst Calland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

3:15 – 3:30 p.m. - BREAK

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. - Sharing the Surface: Legal and Practical Challenges of Co-locating Energy Assets

When it comes to co-locating renewables and natural gas, sometimes together is better and sometimes less is more. The panelists will share practical advice on when – and how – to develop multiple types of energy assets on the same property and the legal issues that may arise.

• Jenae C. Allert, The Title Law Group, PLLC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• James (“Jay”) A. Carr II, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, Columbus, Ohio
• Kara Herrnstein, Bricker Graydon LLP, Columbus, Ohio

4:15 – 5:15 p.m. - AI Ethics – The Use (And Non-Use) Of Artificial Intelligence In The Practice Of Law

Is your company and legal department prepared for the AI revolution? This informative one-hour session will explore the ethics of artificial intelligence in the practice of law with a focus on practical, “nuts and bolts” advice. Topics include: 1) Ways that legal departments are using (and may use) AI for efficiency and cost savings; 2) Ethical duties that apply to the use (and non-use) of AI; 3) The problem of bias in the development and use of AI; 4) The ethics of using generative AI and the problem of “AI hallucination;” 5) What’s wrong with “black box” AI and what’s the solution for lawyers; and 6) Ethical use of cloud computing.

• Steve Delchin, Squire Patton Boggs, Cleveland, Ohio
• Steve Fazio, Squire Patton Boggs, Cleveland, Ohio

5:15 p.m. - Adjourn

MCLE Credit

AAPL Credit

This program has been accredited for 6.75 RL, RPL or CPL recertification credit(s) (CEU), and 0 CPL/ESA, and/or 1 Ethics credit(s) (CEU Ethics), for a total of 6.75 credit(s). (Number of credits accredited or claimed for 100% participation in this educational program.)

Hotel Information

Omni William Penn Hotel
530 William Penn Place
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

• Nights available: September 6
• $165 standard room
• Cutoff 8/16/23

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