In a toughened regulatory environment for energy-sector companies, Schiff Hardin has appointed a new chair of its energy and public utilities practice. Washington-based attorney Regina Speed-Bost replaces Sherry Quirk, who has held the position since 2007. Speed-Bost, a former in-house lawyer at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, advises clients, ranging from gas companies and distributors to electric utilities, on a wide range of energy regulatory matters. Her previous employers include Sullivan & Worcester, where she was a partner, and Duane Morris, where she was a senior associate.
In a discussion with IFLR1000, Speed-Bost described an environment where government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Commodity Futures Trade Commission, and the Securities Exchange Commission, as well as FERC, are making a strong push on the energy regulatory front.
“It’s happening across the board, and that’s why I believe that rather than seeing landmark legislation and implementation, you’ll see battles being fought in a regulatory context at those agencies,” she said.
Much of Speed-Bost’s practice is devoted to regulatory cases, applications, Section 203 issues, and other matters unfolding under FERC’s purview.
“You’ll see movement with respect to returns on equity, more aggressive moving forward in ways that allow alternative fuel sources to continue to be maximized, and the use of interactions within entities to promote the abundance of natural gas. At the same time, you’ll see regulatory controls being played out at the CFTC in terms of trading practices,” Speed-Bost noted.
Speed-Bost's practice has a marked cross-border element.
“With respect to compliance, we have done some work advising clients on the interplay between Canadian regulation and that of the U.S. Then we have part of our corporate group handling import and export financial and transactional matters,” she continued.
Speed-Bost obtained her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College.