Pipeline Legal Issues and Policy Conference
November 29-30, 2006
Washington, D.C.

THOMAS A. BANNIGAN
Thomas A. Bannigan is President of Products Pipelines for Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P., a position he has held since October 1999.  He is responsible for the nation's largest independently owned refined petroleum products pipeline system, which transports more than 2 million barrels of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel and natural gas liquids per day through a network of more than 10,000 miles of pipe.  Prior to joining the company, Mr. Bannigan was a lawyer with Exxon Corporation.  In 1985, he joined Plantation Pipe Line Company as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and went on to become President and CEO of Plantation Pipe Line Company, positions he still holds.  Mr. Bannigan holds a Bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a J.D. from Loyola University.

VICE ADMIRAL THOMAS J. BARRETT
Vice Admiral Thomas J. Barrett is Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation.  He directs the agency's national program for protecting against risks to life and property inherent in the transportation of hazardous materials in commerce and the transportation of liquid, natural gas, petroleum, and other hazardous liquids by pipeline.  The Administrator is responsible for directing the development of the broad legislative, budgetary, fiscal, consumer, public affairs, and civil rights programs for the agency.  Vice Admiral Barrett most recently was the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.  Prior to that, he served thirty-five years in the U.S. Coast Guard and attained the position of Vice Commandant.  In that capacity, he served as second in command, Agency Acquisition Executive, coordinated the Coast Guard Leadership Council, and co-chaired with the Vice Chief of Naval Operations the Navy-Coast Guard Board, an inter-service policy coordination body.  Vice Admiral Barrett was instrumental in improving maritime security post 9/11, expanding Coast Guard support to the National Foreign Intelligence Community, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, smoothly transitioning the Coast Guard into the new Department of Homeland Security, and overseeing Deepwater, the largest system-of-systems procurement in government.  Previously, he directed Coast Guard operations in the North Pacific, including the Gulf of Alaska, Eastern Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean.  Vice Admiral Barrett oversaw operations at the port of Valdez, a transfer point for oil from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.  Other assignments included directing Coast Guard training and leadership development programs; commanding the Coast Guard's largest base at Kodiak, Alaska; serving as Deputy Commander of Coast Guard Maintenance and Logistics Command, Atlantic, as Special Assistant to the Chief Counsel, as a claims and litigation attorney and as a deck officer afloat.  He is a Vietnam veteran.  Vice Admiral Barrett earned a B.S. in Biology from LeMoyne College and a J.D. from the George Washington University.  He is a graduate of the Army War College and the National Defense University Capstone Course in National Security Strategy and Military Capabilities.

BENJAMIN S. COOPER
Benjamin S. Cooper is Executive Director of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines.  He previously served as Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources under Senator J. Bennett Johnston.  Dr. Cooper worked on legislative and policy proposals in nearly every area of the Committee’s jurisdiction, including energy and public lands policy, petroleum, natural gas and electricity regulation, environmental regulation, and basic science policy.  Dr. Cooper joined the Senate Committee staff following a one-year congressional science fellowship supported by the American Physical Society.  Dr. Cooper earned a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Virginia.  He received a B.A. in Physics from Swarthmore College.  Dr. Cooper has taught on the physics faculty of Iowa State University and has served as an adjunct professor of physics at American University.

TYLER DUVALL
Tyler Duvall is the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Transportation.  Mr. Duvall works closely with the Under Secretary for Policy, and the Administrators of DOT’s various modal and safety administrations in the development of transportation policies.  Additionally, he coordinates DOT’s implementation of President Bush’s Executive Order to streamline the environmental reviews of transportation projects.  From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Duvall was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy where his tasks included Economic and Strategic Analysis; Transportation, Energy, and the Environment; and federal civilian uses of the electromagnetic spectrum, including Global Positioning Systems.  From 2002 to 2003, he was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy.  Prior to joining DOT, Mr. Duvall was an associate at Hogan & Hartson LLP, where he represented various public and private companies in a wide range of business dealings, including mergers, acquisitions, and securities filings.  He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, and his B.A. in Economics from Washington and Lee University.
 
JOHN FELMY 
John Felmy is Chief Economist of API.  He is responsible for overseeing economic, statistical and policy analysis of the Institute.  He has over twenty-five years experience in energy, economic and environmental analysis.  He received Bachelors and Masters in Economics degrees from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.  Dr. Felmy is a member of several professional associations including the American Economics Association, the National Association for Business Economics and the International Association for Energy Economics.

STACEY GERARD
Stacey Gerard is the Assistant Administrator and Chief Safety Officer in the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation.  She is charged with establishing and overseeing agency-wide safety and security policies, and objectives and priorities for the transportation of hazardous materials by all modes of transportation, including pipelines.  She formerly served as the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety at the U.S. Office of Pipeline Safety, U.S. Department of Transportation - Research and Special Programs Administration since 1992.  Previously, she was the Director of both the Office of Policy, Regulations and Training and the Office of Program Development.  She has played an active role in pipeline program authorizations.  Ms. Gerard is 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.  Her recent efforts have focused on the Integrity Management Program, Damage Prevention, Risk Management, Mapping, and Environmental Programs.  Prior to joining the pipeline safety program, Ms. Gerard served in the Department’s Office of Policy and Program Support and the Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation.  She has approximately thirty years of government experience in nuclear, chemical and emergency planning and ten years of experience in private industry management consulting, with an emphasis in energy.
 
GRAHAM HILL
Graham Hill is the Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives.  He previously served as Counsel to the Subcommittee.  Before joining the Subcommittee, Mr. Hill served as counsel on the Investigations and Oversight staff of the Committee from 2001 to 2002.  He served as Legislative Director and Counsel to Representative Chip Pickering from 1999 to 2001.  Mr. Hill first began work on Capitol Hill with Senator Phil Gramm in 1991.  He has also worked for Senator Trent Lott, Haley Barbour at the Republican National Committee, and practiced law in New York.  Mr. Hill was named by President Bush to the National Council for Disability in 2002.  He received his J.D. from Tulane University Law School, and his B.A. in Political Economy and Political Science from the University of the South.

ROBERT E. HOGFOSS
Robert E. Hogfoss is a partner on the Resources, Regulatory and Environmental Law team of Hunton & Williams law firm, in its Atlanta office.  Mr. Hogfoss’ practice focuses on regulatory and environmental issues, with particular emphasis on compliance and enforcement defense for oil spills, CWA, OPA, NRDA and RCRA issues.  Mr. Hogfoss has been involved in numerous administrative and judicial proceedings.  He was a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Mr. Hogfoss received his J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.  He received his B.A. in Anthropology from Reed College.  Prior to entering law school, Mr. Hogfoss worked for ten years as a Fire & Aviation Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service.  Mr. Hogfoss is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the American Bar Association.

BRENDA KENNY
Brenda Kenny is Vice President, Regulatory & Financial at the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA).  Her background includes research in the field of welding, extensive experience in safety and environmental regulation and executive leadership.  Dr. Kenny spent a number of years with the National Energy Board where she served in several roles including Manager of Regulation & Materials; Business Leader, Applications; Director of Finance, Administration and Information Technology; and Business Leader overseeing regulatory development, policy, knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement.  Since joining CEPA, Dr. Kenny’s primary responsibilities include regulatory and policy development related to energy, infrastructure and climate change.  She holds a Doctorate in Resources and the Environment from the University of Calgary specializing in Sustainable Development of Oil and Gas, a Masters of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelors of Applied Science in Metallurgy from Queens University.

PETER LIDIAK
Peter Lidiak is the Director of Pipeline Segment for API.  Previously, he was a member of API's Downstream Group where he served as the Fuels and Refining Issues Manager and Senior Fuels Associate.  Prior to that, Mr. Lidiak staffed API's Title I Task Force working on National Ambient Air Quality Standards, New Source Review, Regional Haze and other Clean Air Act-related issues.  He joined API in 2000 after a fifteen-year tenure with the U.S. EPA working primarily on mobile source air quality issues, including national transportation policies, sustainable development, and fuels.  Prior to working for EPA, he taught secondary school science and had a short tenure with the University of Maryland's Department of Natural Resources.  Mr. Lidiak has a B.A. in Physical Science from Colgate University.

ALICE A. LIPPERT
Alice Lippert is currently employed with the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.  She is the resident oil and gas infrastructure systems analyst and serves as a Senior Advisor to the Office Director and Deputy Director on homeland security and energy market reliability issues.  She is the Liaison with State energy agencies during supply disruptions and energy emergencies and works closely with States on energy assurance activities.  She is responsible for the Office’s Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinators’ system, a database of 180 state and local energy experts, and is the office coordinator for DOE’s Continuity of Operations (COOP) system.  Prior to joining her current Office, Ms. Lippert was employed as an Economist with the Energy Information Administration (EIA) where she served as the Project Manager for the State Heating Oil and Propane Project and Survey Manager of  EIA's Annual Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales Report Project, one of EIA’s largest surveys.  She was one of EIA’s resident heating fuels analysts.  From 1980 to 1985, Ms. Lippert was employed as an Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey, a large household consumption survey used to update the basket of goods and services in the Consumer Price Index.  Ms. Lippert holds a M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. from the University of North Dakota.

CATHERINE D. LITTLE
Catherine D. Little is a partner on the Resources, Regulatory and Environmental Law team of Hunton & Williams law firm, in its Atlanta office.  Ms. Little’s practice focuses on energy-related, environmental and administrative law at the federal, state and local levels.  She has a particular emphasis on regulatory compliance, enforcement defense and administrative adjudication under the Pipeline Safety Act, the Clean Water Act, including wetlands, the Oil Pollution Act and CERCLA.  Ms. Little’s experience also includes natural resource damage assessment claims, hazardous waste issues and issues arising under TSCA.  She received her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, and her B.A. from the University of Virginia.  Ms. Little is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, and the Atlanta Bar Association.

BRIGHAM McCOWN
Brigham McCown is the Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.  In this position, he is charged with helping to lead an agency responsible for the safe and secure movement of more than 800,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials and the 64% of the nation’s energy transported by pipelines.  Mr. McCown most recently served as the first-ever chief counsel of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, where he was responsible for oversight of legal and legislative issues involving the commercial motor carrier, motor coach and moving industry.  Prior to that position, he was a member of the Winstead Sechrest & Minick law firm, where he specialized in litigation and government relations.  Mr. McCown is an aviator and a reserve member of the U.S. Navy.  He participated in Operation Desert Storm, Haiti’s Operation Support Democracy, counter-narcotics operations, and most recently in Operation Unified Assistance where he was active in tsunami relief operations in Southeast Asia.  Mr. McCown earned a J.D. from Northern Kentucky University, and a B.A. in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).

MARK W. MENEZES
Mark W. Menezes is a partner on the Regulated Industries & Government Relations team of Hunton & Williams law firm, in its Washington, D.C. office.  Mr. Menezes’ practice focuses on issue advocacy before the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and federal and state regulatory agencies on energy and environmental policies and processes.  He represents and advises corporations, utilities, and trade associations in the areas of the Energy Policy Act, Federal Power Act, Clean Air Act, Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005, and other regulatory and environmental laws, energy policy, and corporate law.  Mr. Menezes served as Majority Chief Counsel, Energy and Environment, for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce from 2003-2006.  During this time, he played a key role in the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and in developing legislation to modernize the Clean Air Act.  Prior to serving as Chief Counsel, he was Vice President, Associate General Counsel of American Electric Power.  Previously, he served as Vice President of Governmental Affairs and Director of Federal Agency Relations for Central and South West Corporation.  He has also practiced law in private law firms and held other positions in the federal legislature and Louisiana legislature.  He received his J.D. and B.A. degrees from Louisiana State University.  Mr. Menezes is a member of the Texas State, Louisiana State and District of Columbia Bars.

DANIEL R. MIHALIK
Daniel R. Mihalik is the General Counsel and Secretary of AOPL.  Mr. Mihalik joined AOPL in July 2006.  He previously served as a consultant to Agip KCO where he managed permitting and regulatory compliance and commercial aspects for transportation and marketing from project concept to project sanction for the Kashagan Oil Field in the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian Sea.  Prior to that, Mr. Mihalik served as the Senior Regional Vice-President of International Transportation for Chevron/Texaco from 1997-2001 where he ran the international business to develop and own transportation, storage and terminalling facilities for crude oil, product, gas, and LNG.  He also worked in various capacities from 1982-2001 with Getty Oil and subsequently with its acquirer ChevronTexaco, and as an engineer with Fluor, Colgate-Palmolive and Abbott Laboratories.  Mr. Mihalik received his J.D. from South Texas College of Law and is a member of the California Bar, an M.B.A. from the University of Houston, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toledo. 

NILS NICHOLS
Nils Nichols is the Legal Advisor to FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher.  His responsibilities include natural gas rate issues, natural gas pipeline certificates, hydroelectric matters, and oil matters.  Prior to this position, Mr. Nichols served as senior counsel in the Office of General Counsel, Projects Section of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 1991-1999 and 2001-2003, specializing in natural gas pipeline certificate issues and environmental matters.  From 1999-2000, he served as Legal Advisor to FERC Chairman James Hoecker.  During this time, Mr. Nichols wrote “The NEPA Caselaw Digest” (American Bar Association, 2000), a book on federal case law involving the National Environmental Policy Act.  Prior to joining FERC, Mr. Nichols was an associate and then a partner with Conner and Wetterhahn, P.C. in Washington, D.C. where he specialized in the licensing and regulation of nuclear power plants, administrative litigation, and environmental law.  Before joining the law firm, he clerked for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

ARTHUR RYPINSKI
Arthur Rypinski is an Energy Economist in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation at the U.S. Department of Transportation.  There, Mr. Rypinski advises on energy policy matters in the Office of the Secretary.  Prior to joining DOT, Mr. Rypinski was an Economist in the Department of Energy's Office of Policy, and earlier, with the Energy Information Administration.  Before joining the Government, he participated in the evaluation, development, and management of oil, gas, and electricity projects in the Middle East and South Asia.  Mr. Rypinski is a graduate of the London School of Economics and the American University.

A. MICHAEL SCHAAL
A. Michael Schaal is the Director of the Energy Information Administration’s Oil and Gas Division.  His primary focus is on producing the oil and natural gas projections to 2030 as part of EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook.  Mr. Schaal’s prior experience includes working as a professional engineer with Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco where he was involved in economic analysis, engineering, construction, and operations, and as a consultant with Energy Ventures Analysis, Inc. advising clients on natural gas and power sector issues.  Mr. Schaal received his B.S. in electrical engineering from California State University, and his Masters degree in Energy Economics from Pennsylvania State University.

LEON ZUPAN
Leon Zupan was appointed Vice President of Operations with Enbridge Pipelines Inc. in July 2004.  In this role, he is responsible for the operations of all liquids pipeline systems.  This includes Canadian operations in the Northwest Territories, the prairie provinces, Ontario and Quebec, and in the U.S. through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.  Mr. Zupan serves on the boards of Hardisty Caverns LP, a three million barrel salt cavern facility; and Olympic Pipe Line Company, the largest refined products pipeline in Washington State.  In addition to his responsibilities at Enbridge, Mr. Zupan is active in the community and currently serves as a member of the United Way of Alberta Capital Region Campaign Cabinet, as well as a member of the Board of the Alberta Chamber of Resources.  Mr. Zupan joined Enbridge in 1987 in Engineering and was later transferred to Sarnia, Ontario as Operations Manager, Eastern Region.  In 1994, he returned to Edmonton and held a number of positions including Manager and later Director of Shipper Services and Director of Information Technology.  In 2000, Mr. Zupan was promoted to Vice President of Development and Services in Calgary and has served in that position until his appointment to his current role.  Prior to joining Enbridge, he spent ten years working for engineering consulting firms with clients such as Dow Chemical, Celanese Canada and Enbridge Pipelines Inc.  Mr. Zupan graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.S. in Physics.