Hawke, McKeon & Snicsak, LLC

William T. Hawke

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Partner

Bill was a Founding Partner of the law firm in 1982.  He practices in the area of utility regulation before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (Pa. PUC) with an emphasis on energy and mergers and acquisitions.

Bill also provides advice and representation in a wide range of public utility matters, including all types of certificate proceedings, tariff proceedings, affiliated interest filings, security filings, and enforcement proceedings.  Further, Bill has briefed and argued many appeals before the Courts of Pennsylvania.  In addition, Bill has assisted other law firms which required a regulatory presence or special expertise in Harrisburg.

From another business perspective, Bill was an owner and Director of the Harrisburg Energy Company (“HEC”), the General Partner of a Limited Partnership that owned and operated a cogeneration facility, and an owner and Director of Harrisburg Steam Works, Ltd. supplying steam heat as a public utility regulated by the Pa. PUC to customers in Harrisburg, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Harrisburg.

Representative Matters

• Represented Consolidated Natural Gas Company and The Peoples Natural Gas Company in obtaining Pa. PUC approval of the transfer of all of the latter company’s stock to Dominion Resources, Inc.
• Represented Dominion Resources, Inc. in the sale of a gas subsidiary in Pennsylvania to SteelRiver Infrastructure Fund, N.A.
• Represented Edison Mission Energy in its $1.8 billion acquisition of GPU Energy’s Homer City Generation Station
• Represented The Peoples Natural Gas Company in upholding its use of independent contractors
• Represented a local distribution company in its settlement of two gas explosion enforcement actions before the Pa. PUC

Representative Reported Cases

• Chester Water Co. v. Pa. Pub. Util. Comm’n, 868 A.2d 384 (Pa. 2005) (regulatory approval for a utility’s expansion of service does not necessarily require a hearing, and the fitness of, or rates charged by, a municipal authority in utility certification proceeding may be accorded little weight)
• Scott Paper Co. v. Pa. Pub. Util. Comm’n, 558 A.2d 914 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1989) (approval of changes in rate case compliance filing constituted amendment of Pa. PUC Order without affording notice and hearing in violation of constitution and statute)
• Pilot Travel Centers, LLC v. Pa. Pub. Util. Comm'n, 933 A.2d 123 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2007), appeal denied, 938 A.2d 1054 (Pa. 2007) (existence of contractual relationship between service provider and customer is a significant factor in determining public utility status under prior Pennsylvania Supreme Court cases)

Honors & Distinctions

• Martindale Hubble Peer Rating "AV/Preeminent"

Publications

• Administrative Due Process:  “Walls of Division” (Pennsylvania Bar Institute No. 1995-966), Chapter 3 at 73-86

Government Service

• Law Clerk, Assistant Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel, Law Bureau, Pa. PUC,
  1973-1979
• Director of the Office of Special Assistants, Pa. PUC, 1979-1982

Professional Affiliations

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Dauphin County Bar Association