Ohio Governor Names Lawyer to Interstate Commission
Taking a break from the 2016 presidential campaign trail, Ohio Gov. John Kasich appointed a new member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. The governor tapped Donald L. Mason, a lawyer with the firm Roetzel, to serve as Ohio’s representative to the commission, according to an Aug. 31 announcement. His term began on Aug. 21, and he will continue to serve at the pleasure of the governor.
The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission is comprised of a majority of states in the United States and several international affiliate jurisdictions, including several provinces in Canada and the nations of Egypt and Venezuela. The commission helps member states efficiently maximize oil and natural gas resources through sound regulatory practices while protecting our nation’s health, safety and the environment. The commission serves as the collective voice of member governors on oil and gas issues, and advocates states’ rights to govern petroleum resources within their borders. It the nation’s only dedicated forum for governors, state appointees and key policy staff focusing on key oil and natural gas issues.
“[Mason’s] appointment as the governor’s representative to the commission honors his many years of work in oil and gas regulation in Ohio,” said Lewis W. Adkins Jr., practice group manager of Roetzel’s Public Law, Regulatory and Finance Group. “He really is the perfect person to represent the state of Ohio and its interests to the commission, and we’re sure he’ll do an outstanding job.”
At Roetzel, Mason focuses his practice on energy and environmental policy with an emphasis on regulated public utilities and oil and natural gas development. He served two terms as commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. During his tenure, he was appointed to several state and national committees dealing with energy policy. Mason served at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as chief of the Division of Oil and Gas and was appointed by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and reappointed by Secretary Samuel Bodman to serve on the National Petroleum Council. He was also a government representative and chairman on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Committee.
Mason earned his B.A. from Muskingum College and his J.D. from Capital Law School. Long committed to public service, he was elected to the Zanesville City Council shortly after college graduation and, at the age of 26, was elected mayor of the city of Zanesville, where he oversaw natural gas and cable negotiations, water and sewer infrastructure development and other public works projects.
Roetzel is a full-service law firm with more than 180 attorneys in offices located throughout Ohio and Florida and in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. The firm provides comprehensive legal services to national and international corporations, closely held and family-run businesses, institutions, organizations and individuals.
Tags: Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission
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