Ahuva Battams

Ahuva Battams is Senior Counsel at Beatty & Wozniak, P.C., where she advises natural gas companies, pipeline operators, liquefied natural gas (LNG) developers, energy project developers, and energy infrastructure companies on federal regulatory compliance, permitting, pipeline safety, enforcement defense, and risk mitigation across the full project lifecycle. She brings a rare combination of federal agency experience from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and in-house pipeline safety counsel experience (TC Energy), and private practice — giving her direct insight into how federal regulators develop, interpret, and enforce the rules her clients must follow.

Pipeline Safety and PHMSA Compliance

Ahuva’s core practice centers on pipeline safety regulation under the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act (49 U.S.C. §§ 60101–60503) and the implementing regulations at 49 C.F.R. Parts 190–199. She advises operators on the full range of PHMSA compliance matters, including gas transmission integrity management (Part 192), hazardous liquids integrity management (Part 195), LNG facility safety (Part 193), Enforcement (Part 190), and pipeline operator qualification requirements.

As a Senior Attorney-Advisor at PHMSA, Ahuva served as lead regulatory attorney on complex matters involving natural gas pipelines, hazardous liquids pipelines, and LNG facilities. She drafted pipeline safety regulations, guidance and interpretations, adjudicated enforcement actions, led enforcement actions against operators, and coordinated interagency proceedings including cross-border Presidential Permit matters requiring alignment across PHMSA, the Department of State, and other federal agencies, and collaborated with FERC to revise PHMSA and FERC’s Memorandum of Understanding regarding LNG matters.  Her PHMSA rulemakings include:

• Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines: MAOP Reconfirmation, Expansion of Assessment Requirements, and Other Related Amendments, 84 Fed. Reg. 52180 (Oct. 1, 2019) (codified at 49 C.F.R. pts. 191, 192) (part of the “Mega Rule”).
• Pipeline Safety: Safety of Underground Natural Gas Storage Facilities, 85 Fed. Reg. 8104 (Feb. 12, 2020) (codified at 49 C.F.R. pts. 191, 192, 195).
• Pipeline Safety: Class Location Change Requirements, 85 Fed. Reg. 65142 (proposed Oct. 14, 2020) (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking).

Ahuva was invited to, and presented, twice at the White House for her work as lead pipeline safety attorney on the Keystone XL Presidential Permit. That agency-side experience informs every aspect of her current practice — she understands not just what the regulations say, but how the agency internally evaluates compliance, structures enforcement, and exercises prosecutorial discretion.

As Senior Legal Counsel for Pipeline Safety at TC Energy, Ahuva advised one of North America’s largest natural gas pipeline businesses on regulatory strategy, safety compliance, and major infrastructure projects — including integrity management programs, incident response, regulatory audits, and capital project permitting. That in-house role sharpened her ability to identify not just legal risk but the operational inefficiencies that delay approvals and increase project costs.

FERC Permitting, Rate, and Tariff Matters

In private practice, Ahuva represented both natural gas operators and shippers before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where she focused on rate cases, administrative law, enforcement, and rulemakings under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and the Natural Gas Policy Act. Her FERC experience encompasses certificate proceedings for pipeline construction and expansion (NGA Section 7), LNG terminal siting and authorization (NGA Section 3), rate (NGA Section 4) and tariff matters, and enforcement proceedings. She advises clients on FERC compliance obligations, rate design, tariff filings, and regulatory strategy for interstate pipeline and LNG infrastructure.

LNG Facility Regulation

Ahuva has significant experience in the regulation of LNG facilities under 49 C.F.R. Part 193 (PHMSA jurisdiction over LNG facility safety) and FERC’s LNG terminal siting authority under NGA Section 3. She advised PHMSA on LNG safety policy and received multiple agency awards for her work on LNG regulatory matters, including the Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence Award: LNG Safety and Results Team, Department of Transportation (2019) and the Superior Achievement Award for the PHMSA LNG Safety and Results Team (2019). She collaborated with FERC’s Chief of Staff to revise and update the PHMSA-FERC “Memorandum of Understanding Between the Department of Transportation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Regarding Liquefied Natural Gas Transportation Facilities” in order to improve coordination throughout the LNG permit application process for FERC jurisdictional LNG facilities, maximizing the exchange of relevant information, avoid duplication of efforts, and provide for an overall increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of the LNG application review process. She advises LNG facility developers, operators, and project sponsors on siting, safety compliance, FERC authorization, and state regulatory coordination.

Enforcement Defense and Investigations

Drawing on her experience as both a federal enforcement attorney and private practitioner, Ahuva defends pipeline operators and energy companies in PHMSA enforcement proceedings, FERC investigations, and related federal regulatory matters. She has expertise in responding to PHMSA Notices of Probable Violation (NOPVs), negotiating consent orders and compliance agreements, and managing the intersection of federal enforcement with parallel state regulatory proceedings and civil litigation.

At PHMSA, Ahuva received the Eagle Award for her work on the PG&E Criminal Prosecution Support Team (2018) — one of the most significant pipeline safety criminal prosecutions in U.S. history, arising from the 2010 San Bruno, California gas transmission explosion. She served as a pipeline safety subject matter expert, assisting the Department of Justice trial counsel in the federal prosecution of PG&E, which resulted in six felony convictions for violating federal pipeline safety regulations, one count of obstruction of justice, a $3 million fine, and five years of probation.

State Public Utility Commission Proceedings

Ahuva also advises utilities, cooperatives, and energy infrastructure companies on state public utility commission proceedings, including rate cases, certificate applications, and pipeline siting matters. Her combined federal and state regulatory experience allows her to advise clients operating across jurisdictional boundaries — a common challenge for interstate pipeline operators subject to both FERC and state PUC jurisdiction. She has experience representing clients before the:

• Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy
• Mississippi Public Service Commission
• New York Public Service Commission
• Public Utility Commission of Ohio
• Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

Federal Agency Recognition

Ahuva received five federal awards during her tenure at PHMSA and the Department of Transportation, reflecting her contributions to some of the agency’s most significant regulatory and enforcement initiatives:

• Eagle Award: PG&E Criminal Prosecution Support Team, PHMSA (2018)
• Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence Award: 2017 Hurricane Disasters Response Team, Department of Transportation (2018)
• Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence Award: LNG Safety and Results Team, Department of Transportation (2019)
• Superior Achievement Award: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Team, PHMSA (2019)
• Superior Achievement Award: Energy Executive Order Section 8 Report Team, PHMSA (2020)