Law360 and Other Media Report on Addition of Former Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner Kim Pizzingrilli to Buchanan's Energy & Utility Practice

The recent addition of Kim Pizzingrilli to Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Energy & Utility Law Section as a state government relations professional was the subject of a March 12, 2010, article published by Law360. The news was also reported by a number of other news outlets, including The Legal Intelligencer, AlphaTrade Finance, Renew Grid, Oil & Gas Financial Journal, Central Penn Business Journal, PR-USA.net and The Patriot-News.

As noted in the Law360 article, titled "Pa. Utility Commissioner Joins Buchanan Ingersoll," Pizzingrilli joined Buchanan's Harrisburg office March 1.

"I left the commission on Feb. 26, and I started here the next Monday on March 1, so I hit the ground running," she said. "I'm excited to be a part of the team."

The article went on to note that "Pizzingrilli replaced Nora Mead Brownell on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in 2001, when Brownell left to become a commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She went on to complete Brownell's term and serve two more full terms on the state utility commission. … As a commissioner, Pizzingrilli helped lead a $50 million a year state agency that regulates energy, telecommunications, water and transportation services in Pennsylvania. She served as lead commissioner for consumer education, spearheading several public information campaigns. … Pizzingrilli served on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' natural gas committee, and was the Pennsylvania representative on the organization's Mid-Atlantic distributed resource initiative steering committee."

"I have a lot of contacts with federal regulatory agencies and agencies in other states," she said. While her background is in Pennsylvania state government, she told Law360 that she would be open to providing clients with advice concerning other jurisdictions as well.

Before joining the state Public Utility Commission, Pizzingrilli served as secretary of the commonwealth under Pennsylvania Govs. Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker. Prior to that, she was the Pennsylvania Department of State's deputy secretary for regulatory programs. She began her career in state government in 1981 with the Pennsylvania Treasury Department. She also served with the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission.

"I really have pretty much touched on every entity that's regulated in Pennsylvania," Pizzingrilli said. "And Buchanan represents clients in just about every industry."

The article went on to note that Pizzingrilli "said the firm had a great reputation in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania, and that she thought it would be a good fit for her. During her tenure in the Ridge administration, she also had the opportunity to work with many people now at Buchanan. … As she joined state government shortly after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Pizzingrilli has never really been in the private sector before now, she said. … While the private sector world is obviously different, Pizzingrilli said she was adjusting fine."

"There are a lot of exciting opportunities in Pennsylvania," she said, adding that she looks forward to helping clients to take advantage of some of them.