David Wochner has advised and represented energy industry clients in Washington, DC, for more than 20 years. As a thought leader with regard to the natural gas and hydrogen industries’ intersection with government, David regularly advises clients on critical US federal regulatory and policy issues that impact energy infrastructure and commodities, with a particular focus on issues related to the global energy transition. David co-leads the firm’s global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) practice, as well as its global Hydrogen practice, and co-hosts the bi-weekly podcast, “Hydrogen Rising.”
Over the years, David has appeared regularly on behalf of clients before the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); the US Departments of Energy, the Interior, and Transportation; EPA; and on Capitol Hill. In 2010-2011, he served as lead Washington counsel on behalf of Transocean in multiple Congressional, US federal agency, and UK House of Commons’ investigations and hearings related to the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
David’s clients include natural gas and LNG marketers, importers, exporters, and project developers; hydrogen project developers; financial institutions and hedge funds; offshore energy project developers, including offshore wind and marine hydrokinetic projects; oil and gas pipelines and shippers; oil and gas drilling companies; and state and provincial government officials.
His experience includes counseling and representing clients in matters concerning:
- US LNG exports and imports.
- Interstate natural gas, oil, and oil product pipelines’ operations and policies before FERC.
- Development of hydrogen projects, including regulatory and policy considerations related to the development of clean hydrogen standards.
- Natural gas trading operations, including NAESB agreements, interstate transportation capacity, and asset management arrangements.
- US federal, state, and local authorities’ roles in the development of energy infrastructure.
- Safety regulations under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Part 193, applicable to pipelines and LNG facilities, including pursuit of equivalency determinations.
- Congressional investigations into oil and natural gas related matters, including oil spills.
- US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) leasing and regulatory issues associated with offshore energy facilities, including LNG terminals, wind and hydrokinetic power facilities, and natural gas pipelines.
- Development of stakeholder engagement strategies for energy infrastructure projects.