Scott Anderson Attorney and Partner at Verrill
For energy infrastructure, mill operations, telecommunications facilities, large-scale retail, and environmental restoration, Mr. Anderson has worked to obtain development permits, resolved conflicts with interested parties and opponents, and helped fashion creative solutions to environmental and regulatory challenges. With a results-driven track record of getting projects up and running, he offers strategies on permitting and compliance that meet the clients’ needs. Mr. Anderson also works with clients regarding disputes with state and federal regulatory authorities and other governmental entities. He has defended issued permits, successfully challenged governmental contract awards, and reversed election decisions by the Maine Secretary of State, and he has represented clients seeking to hold governmental agencies accountable for their actions.

Jared des Rosiers Attorney and Partner at Pierce Atwood
Mr. des Rosiers’ practice focuses on complex energy regulation, infrastructure development and siting, and litigation matters before the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and state and federal courts around the country. In each case, he strives to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for success in collaboration with his clients and then to efficiently implement that plan through advocacy, negotiation and creativity. When litigation is necessary, Mr. des Rosiers uses discovery, witness preparation, motion practice, and trial, as necessary. He has broad experience on energy regulatory, siting, and investigation matters including representation of clients with respect to issues of transmission development and siting, rate recovery and design, ISO/RTO participation and market design, enforcement investigations, power purchase agreement disputes, and smart grid implementation. In recent years, Mr. des Rosiers has been the lead attorney for two of the largest transmission projects in New England. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee and is the Energy Practice Group Leader.

Verrill Dana, LLP
Mr. Harwood is Co-Chair of Verrill Dana’s Energy Practice Group and has devoted most of his 38-year career to representing public utilities before state and federal regulatory agencies.  He has represented electric, gas, water and telecommunications companies in more than 60 major cases before the Maine Public Utilities Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, including rate cases, prudence investigations, management audits, merger approvals, requests for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity, and rule making proceedings.  Mr. Harwood counsels utilities on proactive strategies to both anticipate regulatory developments and efficiently manage the regulatory process.  Mr. Harwood has Seminar Information been extensively involved in traditional rate setting issues, including CWIP in rate base, attrition, accounting orders and cost of capital.  He has negotiated long-term alternative rate plans which include automatic inflation adjustments, service quality penalties, and recovery of mandated or exogenous costs.  Mr. Harwood has also represented developers of new transmission lines in securing Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and wind developers in negotiating Interconnection Agreements and securing adequate transmission capacity for delivery of the output.  Mr. Harwood has served as Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Maine School of Law, teaching utility regulation and administrative law.

Heather Kenyon Student at University of Maine School of Law
Ms. Kenyon is a second-year student at University of Maine School of Law who will be pursuing career in environmental practice and policy work upon graduation. Her endangered species work includes collecting data, as a scientific scuba diver, on the health of the Florida Keys coral reef in general, and specifically the endangered Staghorn Coral. Ms. Kenyon spent the summer of 2020 interning with Ivy Frignoca at Friends of Casco Bay, where she continued to combine science and law. She hopes to continue diving into the intersection of environmental advocacy and legal policy in Maine communities.

Jeff Thaler Attorney and Professor at University of Maine School of Law
Mr. Thaler is a long-time Maine environmental and energy attorney who currently is a Professor of Practice at the University Of Maine School Of Law, as well as Project Counsel for the University of Maine System’s deepwater offshore wind energy projects. Before joining the University in 2011, he developed over several decades a wide-ranging legal practice focused on environmental and energy permitting, compliance, enforcement, and litigation. He also works on litigation for clients with commercial and professional negligence disputes, and on insurance coverage, personal injury and toxic tort problems. Mr. Thaler is a co-founder and former President of the Environmental and Energy Council of Maine, and co-founder and former President of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, which consists of the leading environmental and energy attorneys in the U.S.