Don Bluedorn

Selling a Former Coal-fired Electric
Generating Station

Babst Calland attorneys Justin D. Ackerman and Donald C. Bluedorn II will discuss some of the practical legal issues associated with selling a former coal-fired electric generating station, with a particular focus from the seller’s perspective. Justin Ackerman will discuss the primary commercial issues in the transaction and some of the typical seller and buyer goals. Don Bluedorn will then discuss some of the unique environmental regulatory issues in the transaction, including the application of US EPA’s CCR (coal combustion residuals) Rule which was finalized in 2015.

Kevin Garber

Recent Developments in Oil and Natural Gas Wastewater Regulation

The management of flowback, produced fluid, and other oil and gas wastewater continues to be a significant industry concern as the pace of new drilling slows with lower natural gas prices.  The presentation by Kevin J. Garber and Michael K. Reer summarizes federal and state regulatory initiatives with the potential to make oil and natural gas wastewater treatment and/or disposal more heavily regulated.  With respect to wastewater treatment, suggested topics of conversation include  EPA’s proposal to formally prohibit publicly owned water treatment plants from accepting wastewater from unconventional wells, EPA’s ongoing study of the centralized wastewater treatment industry and operator handling of wastewater, EPA’s draft hydraulic fracturing assessment, and the recently adopted amendments to Pennsylvania’s Chapter 78 as they apply to wastewater management.  Wastewater disposal topics include EPA’s new guidance on reducing the risk of induced seismicity, the U.S. Geological Survey’s preliminary model for forecasting induced seismic events, and the States First primer on managing permit conditions to reduce the risk of induced seismicity.