Former DEP Secretary Hanger to Join Eckert Seamans

By Nicole Houck

For PoliticsPA

John R. Hanger recently announced that he will be joining the Harrisburg office Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC as Special Counsel.

As former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Hanger is experienced in policy-making working with utility, energy, and environmental agencies. In his capacity as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Hanger’s mission was mainly to protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution. Additionally, he worked to provide for the health and safety of Pennsylvanians by promoting a cleaner environment.

Hanger’s resume also includes a term as the Chair of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, the Chair of the Pennsylvania Mine Safety Board in 2010 (the first year in Pennsylvania’s history that no miner died on the job), the Vice-Chair of Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure Investment Authority, and a member of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

Hanger has played a major role in the energy legislation in Pennsylvania. He helped to draft and enact the Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, which requires approximately 4,000 megawatts of new wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. Additionally, Hanger worked on Act 129, which authorizes Pennsylvania’s electric utilities to operate energy conservation programs. Furthermore, he worked to enact Act 1, which provided $625 million for alternative energy projects. Additionally, he  worked on the 2005 Growing Greener Law and the 2010 Recycling Reorganization.

Hanger has also served as President and CEO of Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture). With PennFuture, he worked to improve Pennsylvania’s environment and economy. Specifically, Hanger was involved with PennFuture’s efforts to promote clean energy technologies and to increase the supply and demand for clean electricity products.

Prior to his work with PennFuture, Hanger was a commissioner with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), and he served on the Electricity Committee, the Consumer Affairs Committee, and the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). He advocated for policies that allow consumers to choose their electric, gas and telephone companies, assist low-income families, and benefit the environment such as net metering, energy conservation, and renewable energy.  Mr. Hanger has been described as the architect of Pennsylvania’s Electricity Generation Competition and Customer Choice Act that passed in 1996. Before his role as commissioner, Mr. Hanger served as legal counsel to PUC Commissioner Joseph Rhodes from 1988 to 1993. Prior to his legal services at PUC, he worked at Community Legal Services Inc. of Philadelphia representing 500,000 municipal customers of the City of Philadelphia’s municipal gas, water and sewer utilities.

Hager is an expert on energy and environmental issues, public utility regulation, and competition in the electricity, gas and telephone industries, Mr. Hanger has testified before the United States Congress and many state legislatures on various energy and environmental subjects. He has authored numerous articles, written leading regulatory decisions and lectured widely to diverse audiences.

With Eckert Semans’, Hanger will practice mainly in the areas of energy, utility and environment, with a focus in alternative energy, clean transportation infrastructure, energy efficiency, competitive energy markets and smartgrid.

“As I considered potential opportunities, I was extremely impressed by Eckert Seamans.  It has tremendous resources and capabilities in the utility and energy sector, and the firm provides a great foundation to draw on my knowledge of clean energy technologies and to help clients in a meaningful way. Globally in 2010 $251 billion was invested in clean energy, and investment is growing rapidly.  I look forward to contributing to the firm’s continued growth in these areas,” said Hanger.

“We are thrilled that John chose Eckert Seamans for his practice,” said Eckert Seamans CEO Timothy P. Ryan.  “Adding him to our team provides our clients with direct access to a seasoned subject matter expert and furthers our commitment to energy and environmental issues, public utility regulation and competition in the regulated industries.”

“John has been at the forefront of nearly all energy, utility and environmental policy discussions in Pennsylvania for the past two decades.  His knowledge and background in the environmental, utility and energy areas will assist our clients as they effectively develop this essential clean energy resource,” Ryan added.

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