2024 Energy Regulatory Conference

On November 14, Vinson & Elkins hosted an Energy Regulatory Conference in its Houston office. The conference underscored the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors to reimagine how we generate, distribute, and regulate power. A range of seasoned energy professionals provided valuable insights on the changes in the administration and what that means for energy regulation.

Below is an overview of what our panelists covered. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Dani Carter with questions to further discuss.

• A Conversation Between Bill Scherman and the FERC Commissioner, Mark Christie: Bill Scherman and the FERC Commissioner, Mark Christie discussed a range of hot topics from new commissioners, the state of our government, and transmission reform.
• Energy Litigation Update: This panel examined current trends, notable decisions, and pending cases in energy sector litigation, including challenges to regulatory actions by FERC and EPA, the role of climate change in federal agency decision-making, and state court trends, while also discussing the interplay between litigation and broader policy, regulatory, and legislative efforts amidst a judicial reconsideration of foundational legal principles.
• Hydrogen Hubs and Transportation: This panel explored the evolving regulatory landscape for hydrogen hubs and transportation, discussing current regulations, potential policy changes, and their implications for the development and deployment of hydrogen infrastructure, while highlighting both challenges and opportunities for stakeholders.
• Outlook on Texas Power and Gas: This panel provided an update on the latest legislative and regulatory changes in Texas impacting the electric and gas industries.
• A Conversation Between Bill Scherman and the NERC President and CEO, Jim Robb: Bill Scherman and the NERC President and CEO, Jim Robb discussed a range of hot topics from reliability to power security.
• Electricity: Data Centers, Behind the Meter & Artificial Intelligence: This panel discussed the unprecedented impact of AI-supporting data centers on electricity demand, the challenges and solutions for meeting this growth, and the potential impacts of evolving FERC and state policies.
• Oil Issues: This panel discussed recent developments on key regulatory issues at FERC impacting oil pipelines. We discussed oil pipeline indexing, ratemaking, and other policy implications with a new administration.
• Congressional Outlook & Infrastructure Permitting: This panel discussed the challenges facing infrastructure projects across all energy forms, including those essential for the energy transition and traditional oil and gas projects, addressing federal permitting reform, the impact of recent NEPA changes, issues under environmental statutes, and anticipated litigation over infrastructure development.

This information is provided by Vinson & Elkins LLP for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended, nor should it be construed, as legal advice.