Download Speakers

Assessing Natural Gas' New Promises and Controversies
October 3, 2011
Speaker Background
Alan Carroll: Professor, Department of Geoscience; Associate Editor of the American
Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin
Dr. Carroll teaches courses at the University of Wisconsin on Physical Geology, field geology, Sedimentary Basin Analysis,
and Physical Sedimentology. He also contributes to Earth Materials courses. In addition to a number of Departmental and
University committees, he serves as an Associate Editor for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin. In
his spare time he is an avid aviator and has built and flies his own plane.
Dr. Dale Nesbitt, Deloitte Marketpoint
Dr. Dale Nesbitt’s career spans the energy space worldwide. Dr. Nesbitt has worked on almost each major
pipeline and LNG terminal that has entered the market since 1974; valued upstream, pipeline, and LNG assets
throughout North America and the world; valued one of the industry’s key mergers; developed power plants in a
number of locations; calculated forward prices and price differentials in and between each North American electric
generation region; supported the landmark National Petroleum Council 2003 analysis; helped win the New Smyrna
Beach case before the Florida PSC and the PGT Roll In case before the FERC; helped numerous energy
companies administer their gas supply and utilization R&D portfolios; fully connected the prices of tradable
emissions allowances with the price of energy; led one of the energy industry’s prominent bankruptcy case on
behalf of the Equity Committee and served as the economic witness in that case; built one of the definitive world
supply-transportation-refining-products-demand-pricing model of the oil business for one of the majors; and
educated clients and managers in energy organizations worldwide. Dr. Nesbitt conceived the Deloitte MarketPoint
energy modeling system and built the economic centerpiece.
Susan Tierney, Managing Principal, Analysis Group
Dr. Tierney is an expert on energy policy and economics, specializing in the electric and gas industries. She has
consulted to companies, governments, non-profits, and other organizations on energy markets, economic and
environmental regulation and strategy, and energy facility projects. Her expert witness, business consulting, and
arbitration services have involved industry restructuring, market analyses, regulatory policies for renewables and
energy efficiency, transmission planning, siting and cost-allocation, wholesale and retail market design, contract
disputes, resource planning, resource procurement analysis, market monitoring, and asset valuations. In addition, Dr.
Tierney’s work has covered regional transmission organizations, siting of generation and transmission facilities and
natural gas pipeline projects, natural gas markets, electric system reliability, and environmental policy and regulation. A
former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy and state public utility commissioner, she is
chairman of the board of the Energy Foundation and a member of the National Commission on Energy Policy and the Secretary of Energy's Advisory
Board. She has also been appointed to the National Petroleum Council. Dr. Tierney has published widely and frequently speaks at industry
conferences.
Saya Kitasei, Program Manager and Lead Researcher on the Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative at the
Worldwatch Institute.
She is the author of Worldwatch Report 184, Powering the Low-Carbon Economy: The Once and Future Roles of
Renewable Energy and Natural Gas, as well as a series of briefing papers that examine specific environmental
challenges and opportunities presented by natural gas. She has also covered global trends in wind power, natural
gas, coal, carbon capture and storage, and carbon markets for Worldwatch's Vital Signs Online. Prior to joining
Worldwatch in 2009, she worked on climate and energy at the Center for American Progress, the Climate
Institute, and INFORM. Saya holds an MA in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and a BS in Earth
Systems from Stanford University.
Betsey Day, Associate Environmental Scientist, Stantec Consulting
Betsey is a professional wetland scientist and hydrologist who is currently working with several shale gas development
companies on land stewardship and biodiversity conservation initiatives aimed at efficiently managing their landscape footprint.
Betsey specializes in environmental policy, natural resource inventory and assessment, and impact mitigation for complex and
often controversial projects. She understands practicalities associated with the design, construction, and operation of electric
and gas transmission and distribution infrastructure, and related environmental compliance issues. Betsey holds a BS in
environmental science from UW-Green Bay and a MS in water resource management from UW-Madison.
Peter Taglia, Environmental Geologist
Peter is a professional geologist who is currently working in numerous aspects of climate change mitigation with an
emphasis on electrical generation, terrestrial and geological carbon sequestration and biofuels analysis. In May of 2007,
Peter was appointed to two working groups of Governor Doyle's Task Force on Global Warming, the electrical generation
work group (which he was also co-chair) and the technical advisory group. Peter has continued to work on climate issues
as a member of the renewable electricity, advanced coal and carbon capture advisory group of the Midwest Governors
Association and on the Wisconsin Legislative Council Special Committee on Domestic Biofuels. Peter is experienced in
conducting environmental investigations, preparing environmental remediation plans and developing environmental impact
statements at superfund sites, energy facilities and power plants. Peter holds a BA in environmental geology from the
University of Montana and a MS in hydrogeology from the UW-Madison.
Kevin Vesperman, Administrator-Division of Energy Services
Mr. Vesperman is currently the administrator for the Division of Energy Services which runs federally and state funded low income energy assistance
and energy efficiency programs; and the State Energy Office.
Kevin Vesperman has over 30 years experience in the utility industry, which included positions in the environmental area, fuel procurement, business
development on the deregulated side of the utility, and electric generation project development. Over the last several years, Kevin had been directly
involved in seeking regulatory approval for two coal fired generation facilities, the Sutherland Generating Unit 4 in Iowa and the Nelson Dewey
Generating Unit 3 in Wisconsin. In that role, Kevin was the company expert on carbon capture and sequestration providing testimony in both
jurisdictions on the technology. In addition to those areas, Kevin also was the expert witness on site selection, technology selection, utilization of
biomass, and the role of new base load coal in reducing GHG emissions.
Jeff Hicken, Manager of Gas Trading and Dispatch, Alliant Energy
Jeff Hicken is the Manager, Gas Trading and Dispatch for Alliant Energy in Madison, WI. In his role at Alliant
Energy he oversees the gas trading, dispatch and scheduling operations for both of Alliant Energy’s LDC’s;
Wisconsin Power and Light Co. and Interstate Power and Light Co which operate both gas and electric utilities in
Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He was named to his present position in July 2006.
Jeff joined Chevron U.S.A. in 1980 after college graduation and served as a Designs Engineer and Designs
Engineering Manager in various positions in the El Segundo, California refinery until he left the company in 1989.
He joined Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power and Light Co.) in 1990 and worked as a Gas Distribution Engineer before taking the position of Gas
Trader in 1997. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ken Detmer, Engineer, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Mr. Detmer is currently employed as a registered Professional Engineer by the Public Service Commission
of Wisconsin (Commission). Ken has 18 years of fossil plant Operation and Maintenance experience prior to
the Commission. In the last 10 years he has been involved with numerous construction cases before the
Commission for new generation as well as emission control projects at existing coal fired units. His duties
include EGEAS and PROMOD modeling analysis along with review of both reliability issues and generating
alternatives (including natural gas generation).