Welcome to the Energy Facilities & Siting Committee!

This Committee focuses upon legal issues associated with the development and siting of physical facilities both in the U.S. and abroad for the production, transportation and distribution of electricity, natural gas, coal, oil and petroleum products, and other energy sources, and the environmental implications of these additions to infrastructure. Our primary goal is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences among practitioners, including identification of "best practices" for energy facility siting. We hope to provide the members with practical resources relating to the challenges of balancing various competing interests in the siting process.

There are many opportunities for you to get involved! We encourage our members to suggest innovative ideas for improving communication to suit your needs as well as topics that are most complementary to your practices and interests. You can contribute to our publications or participate in our programs, and teleconferences. Or, you may be interested in sharing any newsworthy items or events with other members by submitting them for posting on our webpage.

Communication is the key to our success! It is important for our members to take interest and engage in the Committee's activities. We strongly encourage your active participation.

Are you interested in becoming a liaison Vice-Chair to any specific organizations?
We are always looking for lawyers with entrepreneurial skills to help liaise with other professional energy and environmental associations and organizations. We want to explore ways to collaborate by co-sponsorship, teleconferences, speaking engagement, presentation of papers, etc. The idea is to raise SEER/committee's profile and to facilitate networking opportunities by match-making interested committee members and the organizations. If you would like to serve, please give me a call.

Teleconference and Brownbag events

• "LNG Siting" (a series of teleconferences starting spring 2005). If you are interested in getting involved in this program, please contact Mark Kalpin, our Vice-Chair for Program
• "A Primer on Doing Energy and Natural Resource Transactions in Mexico and Canada" (June 2005 co-sponsoring with the International Energy and Resources Committee) two consecutive quick telephone conferences
• "Black Out! Can it Happen Again?" and "Energy Update" (2005 Fall Section Meeting co-sponsoring with Hydro Power Committee, Natural Resources Litigation Committee, and Special Committee on Restructuring Electricity)
• 2005 Fall Section Meeting - The Planning Committee for the Fall Section Meeting accepted our two program proposals for the 2005 Section's Annual Fall Meeting: "Can We Talk? NEPA, Conflict Resolution, and Energy Facility Siting in the 21st Century" and "Out of My Back Yard: Involving Communities in Siting and Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities." Our committee is in the process of combining the two proposals and identifying the speakers. This program will be co-sponsored by the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee

Energy Newsletter
Our second Energy Newsletter was issued in December. We hope to produce many more interesting articles this year. Each newsletter will contain 2 to 4 1,500 word articles, maybe an opinion or analysis piece, and short features (recent cases, laws, and other news). If you are interested in contributing, please get in touch with Peter Mostow, our Vice-Chair for newsletter.

Ideas in circulation for future teleconferences or articles!

• Siting Energy Projects on Indian Land
• Sustainable Energy Future - Climate Change and Energy

• "Siting Renewable Energy Projects" (January 19, 2005 - Teleconference and brownbag Jointly w/ Renewables Committee)
• Co-sponsored "Mandatory and Voluntary Climate Change Initiatives: Strategic Options for Companies" (Fall Section Meeting 2004)
• Co-sponsored "Electricity Update: Implications of the "Energy Bill" on Energy Policy" (Fall Section Meeting 2004)
• Co-sponsored "Energy Infrastructure Security" Quick Teleconference (September 14, 2004)
• Co-sponsored "Sustainable growth for Atlanta: the role of environmental and energy law" ABA Annual Meeting in Atlanta (August 5-10, 2004)

We invite you to join the newly created Energy Facilities and Siting Committee. Membership in the Committee will ensure that you timely receive the Joint Energy Newsletter via e-mail, along with periodic announcements of relevant publications, teleconferences, and other events.

The Committee will provide various forums for the exchange of ideas and experiences related to siting energy facilities. We plan to provide these forums through publications, panel presentations at the ABA Annual Meeting and the Section's Annual Fall Meeting, and teleconferences on hot topics. If you are involved with any aspect of siting energy facilities, you will benefit by becoming a member of this exciting new Committee.

To become a member of the Energy Facilities and Siting Committee, please complete the on-line [Committee Preference Form].

For more information on become a member of the Energy Facilities and Siting Committee, please contact our Membership Vice Chair:

Angela R. Morrison
Hopping Green & Sams, P.A.
P.O. Box 6526
Tallahassee, FL 32314
850-425-2258
amorrison@hgslaw.com

Chair:
Mark C. Kalpin