Regulating and Protecting California’s Underground Gas Storage Infrastructure and Oil and Gas Pipelines
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 4:00 pm
Overview of Oil & Gas Transportation and Underground Gas Storage in California
Exploring transportation infrastructure
Examining storage facilities
Identifying stakeholders
Key Concepts & Jurisdictional Framework in California: Federal and State
Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC)
California Public Utility Commission (CPUC)
Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
Office of Pipeline Safety, California State Fire Marshal (CSFM)
Overview of FERC’s Regulation of Pipelines & Gas Storage Facilities
Overview of CPUC’s Regulation of Pipelines & Gas Storage Facilities
Federal & State Regulatory Update
Meeting Federal and State Safety Regulations
Overview of system types – gathering, transmission, distribution
Operations and maintenance
Integrity management
Public awareness (811)
Operator qualifications
Drug and alcohol
Pipeline Threats and Leading Causes of Leaks
Twelve common threats to pipeline
Leading causes of leaks
Liability for Accidents and Releases
Property damage and personal injury
Environmental effects
Case studies
Credits
California Attorneys
6.0 CLE Hours
Engineers and Geologists
6.0 Continuing Ed. Hours
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public. The State Bar of California has approved HalfMoon Education as an MCLE sponsor, and this program is certified for 6.0 CLE hours for attorneys and paralegals.
This event offers a non-mandatory continuing education opportunity to California engineers and geologists. Continuing education is not required for license maintenance in California.
Professional engineers seeking continuing education credit in other states will be able to apply the hours earned at this seminar, in most cases. Refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Michael Finch
Energy Project Solutions LLCPrincipal at Energy Project Solutions LLC in BakersfieldMr. Finch has more than 25 years of health, safetyand environmental (HSE) experience in the oil andgas industry. He has managed hundreds of milesof onshore and offshore jurisdictional pipelines.Mr. Finch has substantial experience in pipeline written programs, compliance, training, audits, and geographic information systems. He holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Resource Management with a minor in Biology from California State University Bakersfield.
Seth Hilton
Partner at Stoel Rives, LLP in San FranciscoPartner at Stoel Rives, LLP in San FranciscoMr. Hilton focuses his practice on energy regulation before a variety of regulatory agencies in California, including representing oil and gas clients and pipeline utilities before the California Public Utilities Commission. Mr. Hilton represents clients on energy litigation matters in state and federal court, and in arbitration and mediation. He also represents clients in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Eric Martin
Stoel Rives LLPPartner at Stoel Rives LLP in Portland, OregonMr. Martin’s practice focuses on natural resource development with an emphasis on property issues and transactions in the oil and gas (upstream and midstream) and mining industries. He has handled transactional, development and operational issues for a variety of major natural resource development projects, including natural gas pipelines and underground gas storage facilities in Alaska, California, Illinois, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Mr. Martin earned his J.D. degree from Stanford Law School, where he served as associate managing editor of the Stanford Law and Policy Review. He received his B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from Gustavus Adolphus College and his M.S. degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont.
Michael Mills
Partner at Stoel Rives, LLP in SacramentoPartner at Stoel Rives, LLP in SacramentoMr. Mills serves as chair of the firm’s Oil, Gas, Mining, and Pipelines Industries Team. His practice is focused on oil and gas, environmental, land use, property tax, and litigation matters. Mr. Mills has more than 17 years of experience with federal and state environmental laws and regulations, as well as with permitting and title issues associated with oil and gas development. He is a past president of both the Sacramento County Bar Association and the Sacramento Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Mr. Mills graduated from the University of California, Davis, School of Law in 1997, Order of the Coif, and received his Bachelor of Science degree from U.C. Davis in Environmental Toxicology in 1994, summa cum laude.