Brianne K. Kurdock

Area of Emphasis

Brianne Kurdock is a member of the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office and a shareholder in the Energy and Natural Resources, Environmental, and Pipeline and HazMat Safety groups. Ms. Kurdock represents clients in pipeline safety matters at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), state commissions, and the federal courts. Her nationwide practice covers compliance and strategic counseling, audit preparation, incident response, enforcement proceedings, regulatory comment preparation, and litigation. Ms. Kurdock has significant experience in these areas as a former PHMSA attorney and as regulatory counsel to the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, an industry trade association. She has experience in all sectors of the pipeline industry, including gas transmission, gathering, distribution, oil, natural gas liquid, and product pipelines, liquefied natural gas facilities, and products and chemicals terminals. Ms. Kurdock also has experience in handling environmental regulatory issues affecting pipeline construction and operational activities.

Background

Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Kurdock served as the primary pipeline safety and environmental regulatory attorney for the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, a trade association that represents the interstate natural gas pipeline industry in North America. As a former PHMSA attorney, she represented the agency in regulatory, enforcement, and litigation matters including serving as regional counsel in administrative enforcement cases and the lead attorney for special permit applications and rulemaking initiatives.

Previously, Ms. Kurdock practiced land use and environmental law as an associate in a private law firm.

Ms. Kurdock earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2000. She received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2005. After law school, Ms. Kurdock clerked for the Honorable William J. McGovern, Superior Court of New Jersey.

Memberships and Affiliations

Ms. Kurdock is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, New York and New Jersey and before the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. She received the U.S. Department of Transportation’s General Counsel’s Superior Achievement Award, the PHMSA Administrator’s Team Eagle Award, the PHMSA Administrator’s Superior Achievement Award, and the New Jersey Superior Court’s Certificate of Commendation.

Publications/Presentations
  • Presenter, “PHMSA Enforcement,” SGA’s Operating Conference & Exhibits, Atlanta, GA, July 17, 2017.
  • Presenter, “Preparation for a New Pipeline Records Standard,” AGA’s 2017 Transmission Integrity Management Workshop, Pittsburgh, PA, June 14, 2017.
  • Author, “Trump Administration Focuses on Energy Regulations,” The PIOGA Press, April 2017.
  • Presenter, “PHMSA’s Emergency Order Authority,” Kinetic webinar, March 14, 2017.
  • Presenter, “2016 PHMSA Enforcement: A Year in Review,” Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, December 13, 2016.
  • Co-Presenter, “MSC Pipeline Safety Seminar: PHMSA Rulemaking Update,” Canonsburg, PA, December 8, 2016.
  • Presenter, “Change is Coming: 2016 Pipeline Safety Regulatory and Legislative Update,” Energy & Mineral Law Foundation’s Kentucky Mineral Law Conference, Lexington, KY, October 20, 2016.
  • Co-Author, “PHMSA Increases Civil Penalties and Commits to Providing Detailed Calculations in Individual Cases,” The PIOGA Press, October 2016.
  • Presenter, “New PHMSA Rules from a Legal Perspective,” Southern Gas Association Operations Conference, July 26, 2016.
  • Presenter, “Pipeline Safety Enforcement and Compliance: Recent Trends and Developments,” B2B Webinars, June 2014.
  • Presenter, “Overview of Pipeline Safety,” U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Policy Committee, 2010.