Increasing Pipeline Safety Through Shared Planning
A conference for all stakeholders
New Orleans, Louisiana, November 15th & 16th, 2007
Jack Alexander has been the Acting Kansas State Fire Marshal since his appointment to that position in August 2004 by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Mr. Alexander is no stranger to public service on the local, state, and national levels. Born in Iola, Kansas, Jack graduated from Topeka High School, attended Washburn University and was employed by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Mr. Alexander served in the U.S. Navy from 1952 – 1956 and is a Korean War Veteran. In 1973, Jack was elected Commissioner of Water, City of Topeka, and served as President of the Topeka City Commission for ten years. He then served five years as Chief of Permits, Compliance and Enforcement in the Water Protection Bureau at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and as a quasi-judicial hearing officer for KDHE. Mr. Alexander was appointed the Governor’s Legislative Liaison by Governor Joan Finney, and was later appointed in 1991 to the Kansas Corporation Commission. Jack retired from the Commission in 1996.
Don Andrews is an attorney from Granville, Ohio. He has a degree in accounting from the University of Toledo and his J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from Capital University Law School. Don is currently an attorney with Maguire & Schneider in Columbus. He is presently involved in a legal dispute concerning right-of-way maintenance on his own property involving 2 high-pressure natural gas transmission lines located within 40 feet of his house. Recently, Don and his firm have been retained to represent a church with respect to 3 gas lines being cleared on its 56-acre retreat property, which is subject to a conservation easement. Over the past 4 years Don has obtained a vast working knowledge of legal and safety issues faced by property owners. Having grown up on a farm, Don is motivated to protect landowner rights against unnecessary restrictions and takings in the name of safety. Don is also backing efforts involving recently introduced legislation at the state level, which will assist landowners in right-of-way clearing controversies.
Glenn R. Archambault is a property owner along an interstate gas pipeline. Currently, he and his wife Terri Magruder DVM. and son Malcolm (Mac), own and operate a sheep farm with 300-500 ewes and lambs in Phoenix, Oregon. Mr. Archambault has 30 years experience as a heavy equipment mechanic, welder/fitter, automotive electronics technician and has been employed in the mining, forest products, and agriculture industries. His Academic background includes diesel power management, metallurgy, welding technology, and automotive electronics. He has 13 years of experience with pipeline safety as a citizen volunteer and landowner dealing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the federal Office of Pipeline Safety, and local and state government.
Charles Batten has more than 40 years of engineering and management experience in pipeline transportation and hazardous materials safety working in private industry and government (state and federal). For the National Transportation Safety Board, Charles performed investigations of pipeline and hazardous materials transportation (aviation, rail, highway, marine) accidents, conducted special investigations of technical safety issues and participated in and reported on studies of national transportation safety issues. Over the course of his NTSB career, he has addressed regulatory compliance, accident causes, and prevention strategies for more than 300 accidents. Charles has worked with congressional committees on developing legislation affecting transportation systems. He is a member of the Gas Pipeline Technology Committee (ANSI Z-380) and the ASCE Subsurface Engineering Committee and has served on numerous national committees (e.g., ANSI B31.8 and National Academy of Sciences). He holds a M.S. in safety from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Terry Boss is Vice President of Environment, Safety and Operations for the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA). INGAA is the trade association that represents interstate natural gas pipelines in the United States, Canada and Mexico. INGAA’s members deliver over 90 percent of the natural gas consumed in the US, via over 180,000 miles of transmission pipeline systems.
Karen Butler is currently a Community Assistance and Technical Services Regional Project Manager for the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) in the Central Region Office located in Kansas City, MO. Karen has been with PHMSA a little more than 4 years. Karen brought to this position in excess of 20 years experience in the natural gas utility business. This experience included operations associated with gas transmission, gathering and distribution systems. As previous Director of Compression Operations for Kansas Pipeline Company, her previous responsibilities included due diligence on mergers and acquisitions, rate case assistance, daily operations oversight for the compression facilities, SCADA projects and training, project and personnel management. She has worked in transmission operations, construction and design departments. Karen received an Electrical Engineering degree from Kansas State University and has worked for Panhandle Eastern, MGE and Kansas Pipeline Company (MidCoast Energy, Enbridge). Her home is in Spring Hill, Kansas.
David Core is the president of the Canadian Association of Pipeline Landowners Association (CAPLA). Before going to work for CAPLA fulltime Mr. Core was a turkey and cash crop farmer with 5 pipelines on his farm. His involvement with pipelines began in 1993 when he became a member of the Ontario Pipeline landowners Association, which was the first energy pipeline landowner association formed in Canada. That group intervened in a National Energy Board (NEB) hearing and developed evidence to show the NEB that a pipeline application to turn one of pipelines on his famr from oil to gas was dangerous, and the Board turned down the application. In 2000 CAPLA was formed and David became the founding president. CAPLA initiated a Class Action lawsuit for compensation concerning regulations that put restrictions on property that affect farming practices. That lawsuit is still before the courts. CAPLA has expanded across Canada and now has member associations in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. that continue to show landowners the advantages of working together in associations. CAPLA’s associations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan just negotiated a settlement with Enbridge, on the Southern Lights and Alberta Clipper projects, that saw issues addressed not only on the proposed pipelines but also the existing pipelines already in the corridor.
Jim Doherty has been an attorney for 28 years, working almost exclusively with local government issues as an assistant attorney general, assistant city attorney, and, for the past thirteen years, as a legal consultant for Municipal Research & Services Center in Seattle Like most municipal lawyers in the State of Washington, I knew almost nothing about transmission pipelines prior to the 1999 Bellingham tragedy. After the Bellingham tragedy, I volunteered to take the lead on pipeline safety issues at Municipal Research, partly because I had been dealing with many franchising issues related to telecommunications. For the following two years, municipalities in Washington responded toward pipeline companies in a very adversarial way. It took time for municipal officials to understand the roles of the various stakeholders and to accept the limited role that local governments play in regard to what happens within a pipeline easement. In Washington State over the past three years I have worked with a group of municipal officials, industry representatives, state regulators, and occasionally federal regulators, who have met to look at options for cooperating to enhance pipeline safety.
Rusty Burroughs is Region Manager of Entergy’s Gas Operations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge and has over 25 years of service with Entergy. His current job responsibilities as Regional Manager – Gas Operations are very diverse across Entergy’s Gas Business. Geographically, responsibilities for his position include leading and managing 134 employees in Entergy’s Gas Distribution and Transmission Business in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He has responsibility for construction, maintenance, cathodic protection, leak survey, valve maintenance, and paving restoration in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge; and additional responsibilities for metering, measurement, and gas customer service in the Baton Rouge operation. For the 8 months following Hurricane Katrina, he was assigned overall responsibility for storm restoration in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a position affectionately referred to as “Gas Storm Boss.” In addition to getting the gas system restored, he has been the face of Entergy’s Gas Business in the television and print media, and in front of regulators like the City Council of New Orleans and the Louisiana State Legislature to provide restoration status reports. He earned a B.S. in Finance from LSU, and an MBA from Tulane University. Rusty and his bride of 26 years, Melissa, have 3 wonderful children.
Karen Butler is currently a Community Assistance and Technical Services Regional Project Manager for the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) in the Central Region Office located in Kansas City, MO. Karen has been with PHMSA a little more than 3 years. Karen brought to this position in excess of 20 years experience in the natural gas utility business. This experience included operations associated with gas transmission, gathering and distribution systems. As previous Director of Compression Operations for Kansas Pipeline Company, her previous responsibilities included due diligence on mergers and acquisitions, rate case assistance, daily operations oversight for the compression facilities, SCADA projects and training, project and personnel management. She has worked in transmission operations, construction and design departments. Karen received an Electrical Engineering degree from Kansas State University and has worked for Panhandle Eastern, MGE and Kansas Pipeline Company (MidCoast Energy, Enbridge). Her home is in Spring Hill, Kansas.
Gini Cooper is the chairman of the Floyd Unified Landowners Association (FULA) in Floyd County, VA. The group was formed in 2001 to address landowner concerns with a proposed 30 inch gas transmission line in the county. The focus for the group has been to gather and disseminate information about the project and pipeline safety as well as to provide advocacy for landowners during negotiation. In November 2004, Ms. Cooper was appointed to the Department of Transportation’s Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee as a public representative. Ms. Cooper has worked with public groups as well as industry groups to promote the use of collaborative process in environmental projects and improve communication between stakeholders. She presented the landowner perspective at FERC’s Outreach Workshop in 2002 and participated in panels at FERC’s Southeast Energy Infrastructure Conference and API’s Annual Pipeline Conference. In 2005, Ms. Cooper gave a presentation on improving landowner-company communication at SGA’s Leadership Conference and in 2006 presented at Environment Virginia on improving public engagement. Ms. Cooper is a licensed therapist in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a court-certified mediator.
Kimbra Davis joined the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in February 2003. She is a Community Assistance and Technical Services (CATs) Program Manager for the Western Region which is located in Lakewood, CO. Her role in the OPS focuses on enhancing communications and education to all stakeholders in pipeline safety. Ms. Davis graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1989 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She has 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, primarily pipeline systems and refining operations. Ms. Davis also holds a M.S. in Business Administration from the University of Denver.
Royce Don Deaver, P.E. has been President of DEATECH Consulting Company in Houston, Texas since 1997. His work involves expert witness activities involving design, construction, operations, maintenance, corrosion control, testing, and work place safety of pipelines and other industry facilities. From 1964 to 1997 Don worked for Exxon Pipeline Company involved in most all aspects of pipeline operations. He has been a member of over 25 technical committees including many for ASME, API, and TAPS.
Jim Doherty has been an attorney for 28 years, working almost exclusively with local government issues as an assistant attorney general, assistant city attorney, and, for the past thirteen years, as a legal consultant for Municipal Research & Services Center in Seattle Like most municipal lawyers in the State of Washington, I knew almost nothing about transmission pipelines prior to the 1999 Bellingham tragedy. After the Bellingham tragedy, I volunteered to take the lead on pipeline safety issues at Municipal Research, partly because I had been dealing with many franchising issues related to telecommunications. For the following two years, municipalities in Washington responded toward pipeline companies in a very adversarial way. It took time for municipal officials to understand the roles of the various stakeholders and to accept the limited role that local governments play in regard to what happens within a pipeline easement. In Washington State over the past three years I have worked with a group of municipal officials, industry representatives, state regulators, and occasionally federal regulators, who have met to look at options for cooperating to enhance pipeline safety.
Betty Dunkerley was first sworn in as a member of the Austin, Texas City Council on June 15, 2002, and she currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem. Her election to the Austin City Council is a continuation of her service to this city. Often called a “financial guru,” Ms. Dunkerley has served the City for more than 12 years as an Assistant City Manager, Financial Services Director and Finance Director Emeritus. During that time, Ms. Dunkerley worked on issues related to health care, public safety, housing, taxes, water and the environment. Prior to working with the City of Austin, Ms. Dunkerley’s 40-year career has included high-ranking financial management positions with the City of Beaumont and the City of Dallas, in addition to significant private-sector positions. Ms. Dunkerley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Belinda Friis is Senior Counsel with TransCanada primarily supporting ANR Pipeline Company, a role she has performed for 14 years. In those 14 years, she has been the primary counsel for land management issues for ANR’s operations as well as its various expansion projects during that time including Empire, Independence, Gulfstream, and various looping and storage projects. She also served as land counsel for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company for six years and supported major projects with part of the El Paso pipeline group. Prior to working in the natural gas industry, Ms. Friis was in private practice in Detroit, MI and served as a law clerk to a federal judge. She graduated with honors (both BA and JD) from the University of Iowa.
Stacey Gerard – U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta designated Stacey Gerard to serve as the Chief Safety Officer and Assistant Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). As chief, Ms. Gerard provides policy direction and leadership for PHMSA in ensuring the safe transportation of approximately 800,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials and the safety of America’s energy infrastructure of 2.3 million miles of liquid and gas pipelines. Ms. Gerard previously served as PHMSA’s Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety. Ms. Gerard was responsible for all aspects of the Pipeline Safety program, including its regulatory and standards setting activities, its compliance and enforcement programs, program development and budget execution. In 2004, Ms. Gerard received the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award for her “sustained accomplishment” in leading the Office of Pipeline Safety to become more efficient and effective in applying new technologies, being results driven and significantly reducing pipeline leaks, incidents and spills .Ms. Gerard has approximately 30 years of government experience in nuclear, chemical and emergency planning and 10 years of experience in private industry management consulting, with emphasis in the energy field.
Denise Hamsher works in Enbridge Energy Company’s U.S. operating and major project development center in Superior, Wisconsin (recently relocating from U.S. headquarters in Houston) and has been with the company for over 22 years. She currently is Director of Public, Federal and State Regulatory Affairs responsible for Enbridge’s major liquid pipeline expansion projects in the U.S. Denise has lead and/or served on a number of industry workgroups and committees and has been on DOT’s Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee since the mid-1990’s. She joined others in leading development of the API 1162, the public awareness outreach standard for those who live and work along pipelines. Denise has led the public consultation and state regulatory facility filing effort on a number of major liquid and natural gas pipeline construction projects, including some that are currently underway in the Midwest.
Katie Hansen is an attorney working for Ascentium Corporation in Bellevue Washington. She has been on the Board of Directors of the Pipeline Safety Trust for nearly three years. Ms. Hansen is a past member of the Washington State Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety, and served that committee as both Chair and Vice-Chair. Ms Hansen also served as the Coordinator for the Washington State City & County Consortium on Pipeline Safety, which formed after the Bellingham pipeline tragedy.
Lee Hartsfield, GISP has over 14 years of government service with an additional 20 years in construction management and surveying. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Geography and a Master Degree of Science in Geography from Florida State University. He is currently serving as the Tallahassee-Leon County GIS Coordinator, where he coordinates the GIS program for the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Leon County Property Appraiser’s Office. He is a trained quality facilitator and has coordinated a variety of collaborative GIS efforts, which have received national recognition (2003 ESIG Award, 2002 ACEC Award). He is currently President of Seven Hills Regional User Group for GIS and the Florida Chapter of URISA.
Richard R. Hoffmann is the Director of the Division of Gas – Environment and Engineering (DG2E) in the Office of Energy Projects, at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). DG2E is responsible for coordinating and managing the environmental review of all interstate natural gas pipelines and LNG facility import/export proposals and alternatives as well as the cryogenic design and safety review of LNG terminals. Mr. Hoffman has worked at FERC since 1973. He is an engineer with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees of Science in Civil Engineering from the Newark College of Engineering in New Jersey.
Bob Howard is Vice President, Gas Transmission and Distribution, for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, responsible for overseeing the utility’s natural gas pipeline systems of more than 6,100 miles of transmission and 40,000 miles of distribution lines. Howard joined PG&E in September 2004 as Vice President, California Gas Transmission. Prior to joining PG&E, he spent 14 years with Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN), a subsidiary of National Energy and Gas Transmission, and formerly a PG&E subsidiary. His last position at GTN was Vice President and General Manager; he also served as Vice President of Pipeline Operations and Vice President of Rates and Regulatory Affairs. He was previously a principal at Barakat, Howard and Chamberlin, a utility consulting firm that he co-founded in 1984. He also had an earlier stint in a variety of supervisory and analytical roles at PG&E and Southern California Edison Company in the 1970s to early 1980s. Howard serves on the boards of the American Gas Association, American Gas Foundation, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and INGAA Foundation. He serves on the Advisory Board of the San Francisco Salvation Army. He is also a member of the Episcopal Diocese of California Commission for the Environment. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1974 and a master’s degree in economics from Claremont Graduate University in 1977.
John Jacobi joined the Office of Pipeline Safety, Southwest Region in 2003 with over 20 years of natural gas and liquids pipeline experience. A professional engineer (TX) and licensed attorney (TX & FL), he began his career with the U.S. Army Materiel Command becoming Chief Engineer, Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. His private sector experience includes 13 years with Tenneco Inc. and Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) including stints as a Planning Manager, Manager of Technical Services, and as an attorney dealing with health, safety and environmental compliance issues for both Tenneco Inc. and TGP. He left Tenneco for a career as an environmental consultant focusing on regulatory compliance, pipelines and energy issues. At the state level, he served as Chief, Bureau of Environmental Health for the Texas Department of Health where he managed regulatory programs. A former Presidential Exchange Executive, Mr. Jacobi received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (with Honors) from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A & M University, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Mr. Jacobi resides in Houston with his wife of 38 years, Jane. In his spare time, he enjoys flying, golf and bridge.
David Johnson is a graduate of Purdue University, where he earned a B.S. in Engineering and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering. He is currently a Technical Consultant in Panhandle Energy’s Technical Services Department in the areas of pipeline safety and integrity. His pipeline experience began after 6 years at a national laboratory when he joined a gas transmission company in 1979. Since then he has continuously been involved with various aspects of pipeline specification, design, construction, operation and regulation since then. He has been the U.S. delegate on gas transmission to the International Gas Union and is active in ASME on the B31.8 (Gas Transmission Pipeline) committee, the Pipeline Research Council International, and currently serves as chairman of the Pipeline Safety Committee of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. He has worked with PHMSA on several initiatives and rulemakings, including the development of the integrity management rule. Dave is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas.
Blaine Keener is the Community Assistance & Technical Services (CATS) Coordinator for PHMSA’s Office of Pipeline Safety. The CATS Program, which began in 2003, seeks to facilitate communications among all pipeline safety stakeholders. Components of the CATS Program include Damage Prevention, Pipeline Repair Permit Facilitation, Public Awareness, and Encroachment. Blaine manages two Cooperative Agreements for OPS, one with the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) and one with the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM). Blaine holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Lehigh University and a Masters in Management from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Jerry Kenerson joined PHMSA, Western Region in 2003, and is a Senior Engineer/Inspector. Prior to joining PHMSA, he was a Corrosion Engineer and Engineering Project Manager with the U.S. Air Force Space Command at Colorado Springs, CO. In addition, he manages the Western Region Safety Related Condition Report program. Jerry holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver. Until joining the U.S. Government Civil Service, he held an active State of Colorado Real Estate Brokers License, and served as an instructor of real estate law and real estate practice.
Dan Kirschner is the Executive Director of the Northwest Gas Association (NWGA). In this role Mr. Kirschner works to foster understanding among opinion leaders and informed decision-making by governing officials on issues related to natural gas in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Kirschner has extensive public policy and public affairs experience. Prior to joining the NWGA, Kirschner was the Vice President of Public Affairs at the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce. Before the Chamber, Mr. Kirschner was the Majority Chief of Staff in the Washington State House of Representatives. He also served as Regional Director for U.S. Senator Slade Gorton in eastern and central Washington. Mr. Kirschner has a BA in Government and Economics from Eastern Washington University and an MBA from the University of Washington.
Pete Kmet has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Norwich University and a Master of Science in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a registered professional engineer in Washington State. Pete was formerly employed as an environmental engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Bureau of Waste Management. He is currently employed as a senior environmental engineer with the WA State Department of Ecology–Toxics Cleanup Program. His responsibilities have included providing engineering and management oversight on numerous contaminated sites, and the development of legislation, regulations, policies and technical guidance governing the cleanup of contaminated sites in Washington State. Currently, Pete is serving his fourth term as a Councilmember for the City of Tumwater, WA, a position he was elected to in 1991. He is Mayor Pro Tem and Chairs the Council’s Public Works Committee, which is responsible for guiding the construction and maintenance of Tumwater’s transportation, sewer, water and stormwater infrastructure. In 2004 he was appointed by the Governor as the City’s representative for the Washington Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Pipeline Safety.
Richard Kuprewicz is president of Accufacts Inc., a pipeline-consulting firm based in Washington State providing independent “Clear Knowledge in the Over Information Age.” He brings over 33 years experience in the energy industry offering special focus on appropriate pipeline design and operation in areas of unique population density or of an environmentally sensitive nature. He provides neutral third party analysis to assist decision makers in reaching appropriate and informed conclusions regarding pipelines, including their risk assessment and management. He has represented numerous parties concerning sensitive pipeline matters. The vast majority of these clients are public citizens, or representatives of local city, county, state, or federal governmental agencies, or organizations that need highly specialized expertise regarding critical pipeline system matters.
Chuck Lesniak has lived in Austin, Texas for over 25 years, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Aquatic Biology, and is a Registered Environmental Manager. He has worked for the City of Austin in the environmental field for over 16 years. Until 1999, when Austin joined a lawsuit over conversion of a local pipeline from crude oil to refined products, Chuck didn’t know pipelines from Shinola. However, he is now the City of Austin’s “Pipeline Guy”. In addition to the Longhorn lawsuit, Chuck helped develop Austin’s pipeline setback ordinance and led the risk analysis and technical evaluation of two other pipelines in the Austin area. More important than all of that are his wife, son, age 10, and daughter, age 7.
Terry Mock is native of Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Mercer University where he studied Business Administration. He is President of Mock & Associates in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Mock has 16 years of acquisition experience in a wide variety of disciplines. He is a member of International Right-of-Way Association (IRWA), is the past Chair of the IRWA Pipeline Committee, serves as an instructor for IRWA Course 215 – Right-of-Way Agent’s Development Program. Mr. Mock is also an instructor for the BLM Pipeline Systems Short Course, and has presented at numerous conferences including the IRWA Annual Conference and API Conference. Mr. Mock also testified before the TRB 281 Panel Washington, DC
Daron Moore has been involved in the natural gas pipeline industry since receiving his B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1989. He received an M.B.A. in 1993. He is currently a consultant with the El Paso Pipeline Group. During his professional career Daron has experience in project management, commercial development, and natural gas marketing. Over the past twelve years he has focused on pipeline safety, with a particular emphasis on pipeline safety regulations and legislation, risk management, and integrity management of pipelines. Most recently Daron has led the industry’s HCA definition development team and contributed to steering the industry’s integrity management initiative as well as chairing the new operator qualification national standard, ASME B31Q. Daron is also an active member and leader of ASME B31.8, the most widely used Code for the design, operation, maintenance, and repair of natural gas distribution and transmission pipelines.
Nolan Moser is a lawyer with the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC). Since joining the OEC, Nolan has worked on pipeline easement land use issues, writing and researching state common and statutory law, analyzing the clash between private property rights and pipeline inspection clearings. He has worked with private property rights advocates, sportsmen, and conservation groups on various state legal issues surrounding this controversy. He is a member of the only environmental Law Clinic in the state of Ohio. Nolan has a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio and has been sworn in to practice law in both Michigan and Ohio.
Carol M. Parker is an environmental attorney. She is an Assistant General Counsel for the New Mexico Environment Department where she focuses on drinking water enforcement as well as other environmental laws. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of New Mexico School of Law in May 2004 where she was awarded a Natural Resources Certificate, the Albert E. Utton Natural Resources Law Award and the Law Alumni/ae Association Prize. The latter prize was awarded for an early draft of her thesis, The Pipeline Industry Meets Grief Unimaginable: Congress Reacts with the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002, available at https://pstrust.org/docs/0525_parker_proofs.pdf. After she graduated, she clerked for the Honorable Bruce D. Black, U.S. District Judge in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before she went to law school, she was an Associate Vice President for Morgan Stanley for eighteen years. She received her M.B.A. summa cum laude from the University of New Mexico Robert O. Anderson School of Management. She also has a M.S. and B.A. in Biology from the University of Rochester. She lives in Placitas, New Mexico with her husband.
James M. Pates is currently the Assistant Chief Counsel for the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Administration. Before that Mr. Pates served 18 years as the City Attorney of Fredericksburg, Virginia. During that time, he gained national recognition in his efforts to reform pipeline safety regulation in the United States. The City of Fredericksburg twice lost its entire public water supply due to accidents involving an interstate petroleum pipeline owned by Colonial Pipeline Company. As a result of those accidents, Mr. Pates was a co-founder and served as vice-president of the National Pipeline Reform Coalition. He has testified before Congress on various pipeline legislation, authored the Virginia Liquid Pipeline Safety Act, published two law articles on pipeline safety, and produced a public service video, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind: What Every Local Government Should Know About Pipeline Safety.” He served on a Congressionally mandated Transportation Research Board study panel charged with studying the feasibility of developing standards for local governments to use in adopting land use measures that could minimize the risk of transmission pipeline accidents. Prior to his position as City Attorney, Mr. Pates served as staff counsel on the Government Operations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and as Senate lobbyist for a banking trade association. He is a 1972 magna cum laude graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia Law School.
Jeremy Raben is a resident of Guttenberg, New Jersey. He and his wife Siat Ng have been actively involved in questioning the safety of a proposed nine story, 140-unit condominium project that would be built about ten feet from the 36-inch Transco natural gas pipeline that serves Manhattan.
Richard A. Rabinow is President of the Rabinow Consortium, LLC, which consults with pipeline industry clients. Mr. Rabinow retired in 2006 from the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of Longhorn Partners Pipeline, LP, a position he had held since June 2004. He retired from ExxonMobil Pipeline Company in 2002 after almost 34 years with ExxonMobil and its predecessors. He was President of ExxonMobil Pipeline Company from 1996 to 2002. Mr. Rabinow was formerly a member and chairman of the Owners Committee of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. He also served on the Boards of Plantation Pipe Line Company and Yellowstone Pipeline Company. Mr. Rabinow recently served on the Committee for Pipelines and Public Safety of the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board. Mr. Rabinow earned Master’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Mechanics at Lehigh University.
Bob Rackleff is the President of the Board of Directors of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a founder of the Pipeline Safety Reform Coalition, and has been active advocating for better pipeline safety since the early 1990’s. He is a two-term (about to be three) County Commissioner in Leon County Florida. He was a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter, Senator Edmund Muskie, Secretary of the Treasury Michael Blumenthal, Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall, and continues as a speechwriting and public relations consultant with major corporations and foundations. He enlisted in the navy in 1963 and saw active duty from 1965-1967. He is a retired Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Intelligence Reserve. Bob received a B.A. in History, and M.A. in American Studies from Florida State University.
Joseph Rust is a semi-retired businessman and resident of Greensburg (Decatur County), Indiana. Initially he, and his wife Susan, were directly affected by the proposed route of the Rockies Express, LLC (REX) East natural gas pipeline. He has taken the lead in keeping a group of more than seventy-five affected landowners in Indiana and Ohio informed of the unfolding FERC/REX process. He is currently on the board of directors of ReRouteRex, Inc., a group of landowners with property south of Indianapolis, that is dedicated to moving the current proposed REX pipeline path to parallel or replace the existing Panhandle Eastern pipeline that runs north of Indianapolis. Through his involvement with this group, he was part of the effort to pass Senate Enrolled Act 529 in the Indiana State legislature, a bill that was signed by the governor in May 2007. This legislation mandated the creation of guidelines to be followed by interstate pipeline companies proposing projects running through the state. The current focus of the Rust group is to prepare landowners to be able to negotiate effectively with REX land agents active in the Indiana and Ohio area. He graduated in 1969 from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, with a bachelor’s degree in English. Susan Rust graduated that same year from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with an Economics degree.
Bob Sarvey is the owner of a shoe store in Tracy California. He also is a well known community activist who has successfully challenged various air quality permits. He recently joined with Californians for Renewable Energy to challenge a waiver given to PG&E to operate a natural gas transmission pipeline at a higher pressure. This effort succeeded when PG&E agreed to replace the 36 inch pipeline. Mr Sarvey is still advocating for greater pipeline safety measures in relation to a proposed children’s sports complex that will be built over existing pipelines.
Tim Sweeney is the policy and public outreach coordinator for the Washington state pipeline safety program where he has prepared studies on pipeline public awareness, land use guidelines near transmission pipelines and small gas pipeline systems. He handles all communications for his program, including its website and listserv. Previously, Tim has been a telecommunications policy analyst and the legislative liaison for the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. He also was a policy analyst for the Washington State House of Representatives for 10 years. He started his career as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor. He holds a masters degree in public administration and a bachelors degree in journalism. Born in New Orleans, Tim now lives in Olympia, Washington where he spends his spare time as an amateur television producer with his community’s public access station (TCTV).
Julie Ufner is a lobbyist with the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C. As Associate Legislative Director for Environment, Energy and Land Use issues, she is responsible for a wide portfolio of issues within the realm of air, water, solid and hazardous waste, land use, and energy. Ms. Ufner advocates for county governments on federal legislation and regulations including responsible and balanced environmental protection and development, eminent domain authorities, unfunded mandates and preemptions, and intergovernmental consultation and cooperation. Prior to joining NACo in 2002, Ms. Ufner worked for four years for Representative Phil English (PA) in his Capitol Hill office. She held a variety of positions in his office, lastly as Acting Legislative Director, for the active Congressman. She managed and advised his legislative staff while handling a number of issues including the Human Resources Subcommittee within the Ways & Means Committee, commerce, environment, energy, international affairs, and disability issues. Prior to her Capitol Hill experience, Ms. Ufner worked with and advocated for the mentally ill in her home state of Pennsylvania. Ms. Ufner is a graduate of Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. She graduated with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in both Theater Arts and Japanese. She currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Carl Weimer is the Executive Director of the national Pipeline Safety Trust. He also serves as Chairman of the Governor appointed Washington State Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety, a member of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, and the steering committee for the Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance. Mr. Weimer was elected in 2005 to a four-year term to the Whatcom County Council, and currently serves as chairman of that Council. He has a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Education from the University of Michigan, as well a degree in Industrial Electronics Technology from Peninsula College.
Jeff Wiese serves as the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in the U.S. Department of Transportation. In this capacity, Mr. Wiese leads PHMSA’s overall efforts to improve the design, construction, operation and maintenance, and spill response planning for the Nation’s pipeline transportation system. Previously Mr. Wiese served as PHMSA’s Director of Program Development for pipeline safety where he led several programs to enhance PHMSA’s pipeline safety damage prevention and community involvement initiatives, public awareness, field implementation of the Integrity Management Program rules, research and development, and the National Pipeline Mapping System. Mr. Wiese also directed budget development, user fee assessment, and oil spill planning and preparedness for PHMSA’s pipeline safety program. Prior to arriving at PHMSA, Mr. Wiese worked for fifteen years in matters related to offshore oil and gas safety for the Minerals Management Service including stints as Director of Safety and Environmental Management and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Performance Measures Programs as well as its Chief of Staff for Offshore Operations and Safety Management.
Harold Winnie is currently a Community Assistance and Technical Services Regional Project Manager for the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) in the Central Region Office located in Kansas City, MO. Harold has been with PHMSA a little more than 4 years. Harold brought to this position in excess of 20 years experience in the utility business. He has been involved in steel and plastic pipe failure investigations; weld failure investigations; plastic pipe fusion procedures; qualification of the procedures to DOT and ASTM specifications; and in resolution of DOT compliance issues. Most recently, he was Vice President of Operations for Trafford Corporations, a natural gas distribution construction company. His previous employers include SEMCO Energy in Michigan and Missouri Gas Energy in Kansas City. Harold has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla and a MBA in Business from Webster University.