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Philadelphia's largest law firm about to get larger?


Morgan Lewis & Bockius
, Philadelphia’s largest law firm, has agreed to merge with Boston-based Bingham McCutchen, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports today.
"The deal, in which Morgan Lewis would certainly be the acquirer, would turn the firm into one of the five-largest in the world, with more than 2,000 lawyers and $2 billion in gross revenue.
"A Morgan Lewis spokesman told the Philadelphia Business Journal Sunday night that the firm would have no comment on the story. But Reuters said the merger appears to be all but a formality."
Morgan Lewis has substantial practices in environmental and energy law.

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Pallone fights to be top Democrat on House energy panel

NJ Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone – AP Photo
Five months into a fierce fight for the top Democratic spot on the high-profile House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Frank Pallone is looking to prove he has the support of a broad base of Democrats, Politico reported yesterday.
The committee, in the Republican-controlled House, is chaired by Fred Upton of Michigan. Pallone is seeking to become the panel’s ranking Democrat.

“The New Jersey Democrat released a letter Thursday afternoon signed by 50 Democrats — including a dozen freshmen — who are whipping votes for Pallone in his campaign against Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Politico reported.


The letter, signed by dozens of prominent Democrats including Reps. John Conyers of Michigan, Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, plays heavily on Pallone’s seniority over Eshoo on the Energy and Commerce Committee dais.

“Democratic leadership is split on the issue. Eshoo has the strong backing of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, while Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland supports Pallone, though he didn’t sign the letter.
“Pallone is currently the third-most-senior Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, while Eshoo holds the No. 5 spot. The two most senior Democrats on the panel — John Dingell of Michigan and Rep. Henry Waxman of California — are retiring this year.



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Gregory Eisenstark, Michael Connolly at Windels Marx

Windels Marx has announced that Gregory Eisenstark has joined the firm as Partner, resident in the New Brunswick, NJ office. Joining him is Michael J. Connolly as Special Counsel, resident in the Madison, NJ office.

Both lawyers bring with them significant experience in energy and utility matters, including prominent roles at Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) and GPU Service, Inc., respectively.


Anthony R. Coscia, who leads the firm’s Infrastructure Development and Finance Practice Group, said, “Clients across the Northeast are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of aging infrastructure, vulnerable energy and utility assets from recent catastrophic weather events, an increased regulatory environment, and competition from alternative energy sources. Greg and Michael’s experience will be instrumental to our Infrastructure clients as they meet these challenges head on.”

The Infrastructure Development and Finance Practice Group represents sponsors, investors, financiers, governments and others — on both routine and complex projects across many sectors and industries, including energy, as well as aviation and airports, surface transport, maritime, water, waste, and cultural, sports, entertainment and public facilities.

Gregory Eisenstark
Prior to joining Windels Marx, Mr. Eisenstark was Senior Counsel in the energy practice group of Morgan Lewis. Before that, he served as Associate General Regulatory Counsel for Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), where he represented PSEG’s operating companies in regulatory matters before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, other state utility commissions, and in state and federal courts.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Eisenstark was Managing Attorney – Electric for the New Jersey Division of Ratepayer Advocate, where he represented utility customers in matters before regulatory agencies and courts. In that position, Mr. Eisenstark played an active role in the transformation of the PJM Interconnection from a power pool to an independent system operator. Before that, Mr. Eisenstark was a Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey, where he represented the Board of Public Utilities and Department of Environmental Protection in utility and solid waste industry matters.

Mr. Eisenstark earned his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law – Newark and his B.A. in biology from Oberlin College. Mr. Eisenstark is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He has spoken on energy and utility issues for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the New Jersey State Bar Association, and at other industry conferences. He has also been a guest lecturer on utility rate issues at Rutgers University School of Law and Seton Hall University School of Law.
Michael Connolly focuses his practice on state and federal public utility law,

Michael Connolly

energy policy, and energy- and utility-related transactions. In addition, he advises clients on general corporate business and compliance issues, as well as on related transactions.


Prior to Windels Marx, he was Counsel at Morgan Lewis in the Energy Practice Group. In addition to his private practice, he served as Vice President for Law at GPU Service, Inc., (including energy companies such as Jersey Central Power & Light, Metropolitan Edison Company, and Pennsylvania Electric Company before it merged with FirstEnergy Corp.), where he was responsible for the legal and claims departments of the aforementioned companies, and provided guidance regarding their legal needs.

Mr. Connolly earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1981, where he received the Taintor Memorial Award for Conflicts of Law. He earned an M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education in 1976 and his B.A. from Cathedral College in 1974.

Mr. Connolly is a member of the Edison Electric Institute’s Legal Committee, the American Corporate Counsel Association, the New Jersey Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He is also Vice-Chair and Member, Legal Advisory Committee, of Nuclear Electric Insurance, Ltd., and the Former Editor of the Berks County Law Journal. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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Signs of new life (and jobs) returning to Fort Monmouth

In 2005, the Pentagon announced its decision to cut costs buy transferring operations from New Jersey’s Fort Monmouth military base to Maryland. The shutdown,
completed in 2011, resulted in the loss of 5,000 jobs on the base and also affected an estimated 15,000 off base.


Since then,
most of the sprawling 1,100 acre facility that
spans three towns — Oceanport, Tinton Falls and Eatontown–has remained empty,
weed-grown and without contracts for redevelopment. 



“But today, nearly a decade later, some parts of the base are beginning to
buzz. Construction is underway in the Tinton Falls section. New buildings are
going up and a more manicured landscape is taking shape,” reports NJTV News correspondent Christie Duffy.
  


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Pennsylvania neighbors bicker over forced gas drilling

fracking - pressconnects photo

An energy company is dusting off an old, unused state law that can force property owners to accept oil and gas drilling under their land, pitting neighbor against neighbor in a Pennsylvania community and raising the possibility that lawmakers will have to take sides, the Associated Press reports.

Houston-based Hilcorp seeks to use a 1961 Pennsylvania law to drill under the property of four holdout landowners in New Bedford, near the Ohio border an hour north of Pittsburgh.

The concept, known as "forced pooling," means that people who don’t sign leases get bundled in with those who do, to make drilling more efficient and compensate all the landowners.

The stakes are high. Property owners can reap royalties totaling hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars from drilling in the Utica Shale formation, which lies below the better-known Marcellus Shale.

Full story at: New Jersey Herald – Neighbors bicker in Pa. over forced gas drilling 

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Recent posts:
Plan calls for $10B artificial islands to protect NJ coast 
New Jersey legislation seeks to plug holes in solar roofs 
Port Authority Chairman David Samson resigns  
Shell closer to decision on ethane cracker plant in Pa 
In New Jersey, playing that ole RGGI song once more    

Pennsylvania neighbors bicker over forced gas drilling Read More »

Will NJ have enough power to keep the lights on?

South Jersey could lose more than 1,000 megawatts of power generation in coming years, with the Oyster Creek Generating Station in Ocean County shutting down in 2019 and the fate of the B.L. England Generating Station in Cape May County unclear.


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But Braden Campbell of the Press of Atlantic City reports that the Garden State has more than 2,000 megawatts in new generation set to hit the grid.

"The natural gas-powered West Deptford Energy Station in Gloucester County will add more than 700 megawatts of generation potential when it’s completed later this year, and another natural gas plant being built in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, is slated to generate 700 megawatts in 2015. The Newark Energy Center will generate 655 megawatts starting in mid-2015."



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Plan calls for $10B artificial islands to protect NJ coast

The federal government was looking for bold new thinking about ways to protect the coasts of New Jersey and New York from  storms like Sandy.  And they got one. But at a cost in the billions, will it float?
 
Construction of a string of artificial islands off the coast of New Jersey and New York could blunt the impact of storm surges that proved so deadly during Hurricane Sandy, according to a proposal vying for attention and funding, the Associated Press reports.

The proposal would cost $10 billion to $12 billion but it’s also the kind of innovative idea that federal officials requested as they consider how best to protect the heavily populated region from future storms.

"We’ve discussed this with the governor’s office of Recovery and Resiliency and the Department of Environmental Protection, and they all look at me like, ‘Whoa! This is a big deal!" said Alan Blumberg, a professor at New Jersey’s Stevens Institute of Technology. "Yes, it is a big deal. It can save lives and protect property."

The "Blue Dunes" proposal is part of Rebuild By Design, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to come up with novel ways to protect against the next big storm. It is one of 10 projects that will be evaluated and voted on next week, but there’s no guarantee any of them will receive funding. Other ideas include building sea walls around cities, re-establishing oyster colonies in tidal flats to blunt wave action and creating water-absorbent nature and recreational preserves.

 

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New Jersey legislation seeks to plug holes in solar roofs

Many commercial building owners are eager to install solar panels but fear that doing so would violate their roof warranties, according to two New Jersey state senators.

To alleviate that concern, Senate Environment and Energy Committee Chairman Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) and committee member Chip Bateman (R-Somerset) have introduced S-564,
a bill that tap $2 million in energy rate payment surcharges to create an alternative warranty program.

The legislation would cover up to $50,000 in damages suffered by a building owner as a result of adding a rooftop solar system. 

The bill was released from the committee on March 27 and is now in position for a floor vote, Listen to Senator Smith explain his reason for sponsoring the solar roof warranty bill.

Related environmental news stories:
8 Ways to Make Solar Installations Faster, Safer and Cheaper …
Putting Up Reliable Solar Mounting Systems – CleanTechnica
Ensuring a Successful Solar Roof Install – The Solar Spot |
Rooftop solar winning battles with utilities – Clean Energy Authority
Solar advocates worry about Oklahoma legislation for surcharge

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Recent posts
:
Port Authority Chairman David Samson resigns
Shell closer to decision on ethane cracker plant in Pa
In New Jersey, playing that ole RGGI song once more   
McGinty has the green credentials to be Pa governor 
EPA chief paving a rocky road toward new climate rules 

New Jersey legislation seeks to plug holes in solar roofs Read More »

Port Authority Chairman David Samson resigns

 
David Samson and Gov. Chris Christie – File Photo

David Samson, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has resigned, effective immediately, NJ Gov. Chris Christie announced during a press conference today.

Here’s the latest (Updated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 29)
:

Chris Christie announces resignation of Port Authority chair David Samson – Washington Post (blog) http://news.google.com Sat, 29 Mar 2014 11:05:27 GMT
ABC News Chris Christie announces resignation of Port Authority chair David Samson Washington Post (blog) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced Friday that David Samson, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, had resigned earl …
Read more …

Port Authority Chairman Samson quits in Bridgegate fallout – New York Post http://news.google.com Fri, 28 Mar 2014 20:05:10 GMT
Port Authority Chairman Samson quits in Bridgegate fallout New York Post Port Authority Chairman David Samson — who notoriously brushed off the George Washington Bridge lane closings as a mere “inconvenience” — resigned on Friday, New Jersey Gov. Chris …
Read more …

Chris Christie announces the resignation of Port Authority chairman David Samson – The Week Magazine http://news.google.com Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:39:09 GMT
Chris Christie announces the resignation of Port Authority chairman David Samson T he Week Magazine New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Friday announced the resignation of David Samson, the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Read more …

Port Authority chairman David Samson resigns – Wall Street Journal
http://news.google.com Fri, 28 Mar 2014 22:21:57 GMT
Port Authority chairman David Samson resigns Wall Street Journal NEWARK, N.J. — David Samson resigned Friday as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the latest in a series of developments to rock the agency in a lingering scandal …
Read more …

Port Authority Chairman David Samson resigns amid GWB probe – NorthJersey.com
http://news.google.com  Sat, 29 Mar 2014 03:33:20 GMT
NorthJersey.com Port Authority Chairman David Samson resigns amid GWB probe NorthJersey.com David Samson, the Port Authority chairman who resigned Friday, was not interviewed, and the document does not delve into reports that he voted on Port Authority …
Read more …
Another key Christie ally leaves his job amid scandal – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/ 15h ago  Christie announced at a news conference on Friday that David Samson, who chairs the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, had stepped down, effective immediately. Read more …
Washington Post – Christie talks to Megyn Kelly about Bridgegate and 2016 – Post Politics http://www.washingtonpost.com/ 16h ago At the earlier news conference, he announced that the Port Authority chairman, David Samson, was resigning from his position. Read more … Christie announces that David Samson resigned as Port Authority chairman
Chris Christie Says Port Authority Chairman Has Resigned 
Business Insider

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Recent posts: 
Shell closer to decision on ethane cracker plant in Pa
In New Jersey, playing that ole RGGI song once more  
McGinty has the green credentials to be Pa governor
EPA chief paving a rocky road toward new climate rules  

Port Authority Chairman David Samson resigns Read More »

Shell closer to decision on ethane cracker plant in Pa

Royal Dutch Shell ethane cracker plant in Singapore (Shell photo)


Although a final decision still is not official, Royal Dutch Shell continues to brief Beaver County commissioners on its progress in planning an ethane cracker plant to exploit
the rich natural gas play in Western Pennsylvania.


Shell is studying the feasibility of constructing the facility on at a soon-to-close zinc plant site in Potter Township operated by Horsehead Holdings, Inc. 

Tony Amadio, chairman of the board of the Beaver County Board of Commissioners, said he left the latest meeting with Shell officials on Thursday feeling hopeful, Justine Coyne reports in the Pittsburgh Business Times.

"They have not made an announcement, but they try to keep us up to date the best they can," Amadio said. "From what they have said they would do over the last two years, everything they said is moving forward."

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The company outlined plans to  move a section of Route 18, relocate power lines, undergo a large excavation project that would raise the surface of the site three feet above the Horesehead site, construct a temporary overpass to move dirt and construction materials, move the existing rail lines to be parallel with Route 18, and build a roll on roll off dock along the Ohio River, according to Amadio.

Beaver County Commissioner Joe Spanik said Shell reps said they are hoping to get the required permits needed to move forward on the Route 18 project by July. Spanik said the design work has been done, so the next step will be engineering.

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