Offshore Wind: Charting the Path for the United States

1.5 CLE credits in the Areas of Professional Practice category. The credit is both transitional and non-transitional.

This event was produced in collaboration with Chadbourne & Parke LLP

On October 19, the Guarini Center held a discussion with leading industry and government experts on the outlook for wind development off the coast of New York State and the broader US. Topics addressed include federal and state incentives for offshore development,  New York’s offshore wind blueprint, and a look back at the factors that contributed to the development of the Block Island Windfarm.

Speakers:

• Chaim Wachsberger, Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP (moderator)
• David Hang, Senior Vice President of D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P.
• John Rhodes, President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
• Scott Weiner, Deputy for Markets and Innovation, New York State Department of Public Service
• Bill White, Senior Director of Offshore Wind Sector Development, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
• Frederick Zalcman, Head of Market Development & Government Affairs at DONG Energy

Bios:

Chaim Wachsberger represents sponsors, equity investors, and financing sources in connection with energy, transportation and other industrial and infrastructure projects in the United States and abroad. Mr. Wachsberger’s work includes acquisitions and divestitures, portfolio financings, and the development and project financing of major projects. These projects often involve complex structures, multilateral or export credit agency participation, and political risk insurance products. Mr. Wachsberger headed the Firm’s Project Finance Group from 1997 until 2010 and served on the Firm’s Management Committee from 1992 to 2013. He is an adjunct professor at NYU Law School co-teaching a course on US energy transactions.

Mr. Wachsberger has been ranked in “Band 1” for “Projects” in 2009-2012 and “Band 2” in 2016 in Chambers Global. In the United States, he has been listed for project finance in Chambers USA 2001-2006, 2008-2012 and 2016, The Legal 500 US 2010, 2012, 2015, IFLR1000 2012, Who’s Who Legal 2012, The Best Lawyers in America 2006-2008 and 2010-2013, and New York Super Lawyers 2006-2012.

Mr. Wachsberger is a member of the State of New York Bar Association, State of New Jersey Bar Association, and American Bar Association (Section on Corporation, Banking and Business Law). He is an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law.

Mr. Wachsberger attended City University of New York, Queens College, B.A., 1973 and Columbia Law School, J.D., 1976.

David Hang is a senior vice president of D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P. and a member of the D. E. Shaw group’s U.S. growth and buyout private equity unit. Prior to joining the D. E. Shaw group in 2007, Mr. Hang was a principal in the private equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC and its predecessor, J.P. Morgan Partners, LLC. He is a member of the board of managers of Deepwater Wind, LLC and also serves as its chief financial officer. In addition, Mr. Hang serves on the boards of directors of Green Rock Energy, L.L.C. and the parent company of Dorado Beach Resort. He previously was a member of the boards of directors of Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services, Inc. and Vetco International Ltd. Mr. Hang earned a B.S. in commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, where he was designated an Echols Scholar for academic distinction.

John Rhodes was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on September 16, 2013.
Mr. Rhodes brings more than 30 years of experience in business with a focus on the financial and energy industries having lived and worked internationally, including India, Germany, Brazil, and Argentina.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Rhodes served as the Director for the Center for Market Innovation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an international environmental advocacy organization.  The Center works to channel private capital towards environmentally beneficial investments with a focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and sustainable food and agriculture.

Before joining NRDC, Mr. Rhodes spent three years acting as Chief Operating Officer at Good Energies, a leading investment firm focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency.  As a member of the senior management team, he oversaw operations, strategy and portfolio companies.

Additionally, Mr. Rhodes was a partner at Booz Allen Hamilton where he provided strategic consulting for clients across technology–intensive industries including energy, aerospace, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.  He has also served as a Trader and General Manager at Metallgesellschaft, a German mining, metals and engineering firm.

He also serves on boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Alliance to Save Energy, Urban Green Council, New York Institute for Special Education, American Federation for Aging Research and Cornerstone Literacy. He previously served as a Trustee on the Citizens Budget Commission of New York and as an Advisory Council member for the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution.

Mr. Rhodes is a graduate of Princeton University and the Yale School of Management.

Scott Weiner is as the Deputy for Markets and Innovation at the New York State Department of Public Service, which has a broad mandate to ensure access to safe, reliable utility service at just and reasonable rates. In this role, Scott is responsible for leading the Department’s staff activities in support of New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative. Scott joined the Department after a distinguished career as an executive, educator and public official.

Scott has also served as a senior executive in a number of private and public corporations including as President of Ballard Generation Systems, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Petra Solar, Senior Vice President for Market Structure and  Regulatory Affairs at Sithe Energies and Vice President for Corporate Development at General Public Utilities. Mr. Weiner has previously served on the board of many industry associations and non-governmental organizations including as Chair of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the Solar Energy Industries Association, the Electric Power Supply Association, the National Hydrogen Association and the Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas.

Scott has served in a number of senior positions in New Jersey government. These include appointments as the Executive Director of the N.J. Election Law Enforcement Commission, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Commissioner of the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, Chief Counsel to former New Jersey Governor Jim Florio and as a Special Assistant Attorney General and Special Counsel to former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. He also served as a Borough Councilman and as President of the Borough Council in Fort Lee, NJ.

Scott is the founding Director of the Center for Energy, Economic and Environmental Policy at Rutgers University and has served as a Senior Policy Fellow and Faculty Fellow at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

Bill White serves as Senior Director, Offshore Wind Sector Development at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).  Bill leads MassCEC’s efforts on the federal leasing process for offshore wind development, as well as coordinated transmission planning, environmental surveys, met-ocean data collection, and stakeholder engagement efforts related to offshore wind.  Additionally, Bill led the construction of the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford, a first-in-the-nation facility designed for the staging, assembly, and deployment of offshore wind projects.  Previously, Bill served as a Special Assistant to the President in the Clinton White House and worked at the U.S. Department of State.  He is a graduate of Boston College’s School of Management (B.S.) and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (MPA).

 Frederick Zalcman is DONG Energy Wind Power’s Head of Market Development and Government Affairs for the US. His work focuses primarily on creating robust, self-sustaining markets for offshore wind energy.

Zalcman has nearly 30 years of experience in the energy field as an attorney and policy analyst. His career has centered on promoting market structures and regulatory policies that are supportive of energy efficiency, renewable resources and clean distributed generation. Prior to joining DONG Energy, Zalcman was Managing Director of External Affairs for the Eastern U.S. for SunEdison, the world’s largest renewable energy developer, where he spearheaded legislative and regulatory efforts resulting in the exponential growth of distributed solar across multiple state markets.  Previously, Zalcman was the Executive Director of the Pace Law School Energy and Climate Center, one of the nation’s preeminent sustainable energy research, education and advocacy groups.

Zalcman has served on a number of gubernatorial, legislative and agency advisory boards providing guidance and counsel on clean energy policy and program development. He has also taught energy and natural resources law, and has written and lectured extensively on energy and environmental matters. The Association of Energy Engineers named him the Northeast Region’s Renewable Energy Innovator of 2009.

Zalcman received a B.A in History from Washington University in St. Louis, and a joint degree in Law and Public Administration from Indiana University.