On Thursday, September 28, Verrill Dana and Pierce Atwood co-hosted the 5th Annual Natural Gas Conference: Powering Maine’s Future at The Woodlands in Falmouth, Maine. The conference kicked off with Keynote Speaker Governor Paul LePage who discussed the state of the natural gas industry in Maine and its potential future. Later in the day, during the luncheon, Kurt Adams, President and CEO of Summit Utilities, Inc., delivered a keynote address.
Throughout the day, panel discussions featured an array of representatives from the natural gas industry. The first discussion, moderated by Verrill Dana attorney William Harwood, focused on Commercial/Industrial Usage. Panelists Dana Storer of Maine Natural Gas; Rich Silkman of Competitive Energy Services; Stuart Jablon of Backyard Farms; and Sarah Tracy of Pierce Atwood spoke about natural gas expansion and how natural gas is used for the growth of local products.
The second panel, Regional Issues, featured panelists Heather Hunt of NESCOE; Steve Leahy of Northeast Gas Association; Rob Furino of Unitil; Cynthia Armstrong of Portland Natural Gas Transmission System; Sean Mahoney of Conversation Law Foundation; Steven McGrath of Governor’s Energy Office; and moderator John Gulliver of Pierce Atwood.
After lunch, Verrill Dana attorney Katie Gray moderated a panel discussion on Natural Gas as a Transportation Fuel, with panelists Jerry Livengood of Bangor Gas; Ben Lake of Greater Portland Council of Governments; Michael Bostwick of Pan Am Railways; and Matt Smith of XNG. With about 29% of U.S. energy consumption used for transporting people and goods last year, the discussion included advantages and disadvantages of alternative fuels for various types of transportation, such as rail, buses, cars, and trucks.
The final panel discussion, led by Pierce Atwood’s Randall Rich, focused on Natural Gas for Power Generation. Panelists Jim Cohen of Verrill Dana; Carlisle McLean of Avangrid; Dan Peaco of Daymark Energy Advisors; Tony Buxton of Preti Flaherty; and Barry Hobbins of Public Advocate discussed trends and policies related to electric generation in Maine and the nation, including the growing reliance on natural gas as a fuel source for electric generation.
Stay tuned for information on next year’s Natural Gas Conference, tentatively scheduled for Fall 2018. In the meantime, learn more about Verrill Dana’s Energy Group.
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