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BENJAMIN SCHLESINGER, PH.D.
SUMMARY
Dr. Schlesinger, founding president of BSA Inc., is one of North America’s
leading independent energy consultants, specializing in gas and electricity
marketing, pricing, infrastructure, trading practices, strategic planning, and
power plant development worldwide. He has thirty-two years of experience in managing
and carrying out engineering/economic analyses of complex energy issues, with
particular focus on North American energy commodity movements and pricing,
policies and programs. Dr. Schlesinger has advised over 400 clients in the U.S.,
Canada, and fifteen other countries, including the top utility, energy trading
and producing, manufacturing, regulatory, educational, private power, and
financial services companies. A former vice-president of the American Gas
Association, Dr. Schlesinger has testified before the U.S. Congress and in 16
states and provinces on the direction of the gas industry, gas contracting,
purchase and sales prices, royalty valuations, market value, hedging and risk
management, and related industry practices.
EDUCATION
Stanford University, Stanford, California, M.S. (1969) and Ph.D. (1975),
Industrial Engineering.
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, A.B. (1967) and B. Engineering
(1968).
EXPERIENCE
3/84-Present PRESIDENT, Benjamin Schlesinger and Associates, Inc. (BSA),
Bethesda, Maryland.
 | Dr. Schlesinger’s consulting experience extends to natural gas,
liquids, and electricity pricing, supply, contracting, commercial
mechanisms, market forecasting and regulatory issues. Major assignments: |
| Analyzed pipeline and market economics, finance, and market mechanisms for
natural gas buyers, sellers and lenders, including liquefied natural gas
(LNG) project finance and strategic analyses in conjunction with 18
existing, expanded or proposed LNG receiving/regasification terminals in
the US, Canada and Mexico. |
| Developed and/or audited fuel purchasing plans and strategies for
more than 100 large-scale independent power projects throughout the
Americas, in areas including supply, transportation, distribution,
pricing and power competition |
| Directed energy sales and purchase agreement (SPA) contract negotiations for industries,
suppliers, generators,
utilities, marketers and municipal agencies in North America, Europe and Asia |
| Created and prepared widely-cited multiclient studies of emerging gas
and power industry commercial practices, focusing on spot and futures
trading risk management, pipeline capacity markets, and energy trading |
| Advised the New York Marcantile Exchange (NYMEX) on the design and development of the highly successful
natural gas futures contract for delivery at Henry Hub, and member from
19984-2000 of NYMEX's Natural Gas Advisory Committee |
| Co-authored analytic studies for the Canadian Energy Research
Institute (CERI) dealing with added gas supplies to Eastern Canada and
the US northeast, and challenges in financing pipeline capacity an era
of short-term transportation contracting |
| Instructed since 1990 on energy markets and contracting in the unique "Alphatania"
courses hosted by EconoMatters of London. Attendees include leadership
of major European and Asian energy firms |
| Represented the United States before the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) Working Party on Gas and worked with other
international delegates to establish the UNECE Gas Center |
| Testified as an expert on major gas industry policy and business
issues for private clients and the gas industry in general before the
FERC, the U.S. Congress, Department of Energy, and utility regulators
and panels in Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, D.C., Florida,
Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Mexico,
Ohio, Ontario, Texas and West Virginia. |
7/82-3/84 PRINCIPAL, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland.
| Lead consultant in the firm's natural gas industry practice, including
direction of gas supply, marketing, and business strategy assignments for gas
utilities, pipeline companies, and other private and public clients. Major
accomplishments: |
| Together with the Energy Futures Group, Inc. created and conducted a
pioneering analysis of natural gas spot markets, trading, and brokerage risks
and opportunities for a group of 20 gas pipelines, producers, and utilities. |
| Directed an analysis of worldwide North Slope gas markets and
transportation alternatives for the State of Alaska; testified before
legislative committee. |
| Prepared energy market competition and supply studies as part of business
strategy assignments for three utilities. |
| Contributed substantively to Gas Industry Challenges for the 1980’s,
Booz, Allen’s monograph on innovative analysis methods for the utility and
pipeline industries in a changing business environment. |
2/77-7/82 VICE PRESIDENT, Policy Evaluation and Analysis, American Gas
Association (AGA), Arlington, Virginia.
| Responsible for selection, quality and completeness of all AGA energy
analyses and special quantitative reports from 1978 to 1982. |
| Directed an analysis staff of 26 that produced more than 80 major studies
used to underpin all of AGA's government relations, international, marketing
and consumer communications (1982 group budget to $1.5 million).Delivered
testimony on behalf of the gas pipeline and utility industry in numerous
Congressional, Department of Energy, and EPA hearings and proceedings on U.S.
energy policy, planning methods, synthetic fuels, and coal and environmental
policy formulation. |
| As senior staff was responsible for AGA's board-level Gas Supply, Demand
and Reserves Committees, worked closely with gas pipeline and energy utility
executives in formulating policy and preparing forecasts of gas supply, demand
and price. Promoted to Vice President of AGA in 1978 after 16 months as
Director, Policy and Economic Analysis. |
| Key technical accomplishments: Led macroeconomic analysis of major
potential oil supply disruption; created gas-use strategy to reduce air
emissions from coal boilers; analyzed coal gasification trade-offs, including
air, health and safety. |
2/76-2/77 CHIEF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER, Office of Commercialization, Energy
Research and Development Administration (ERDA), Washington, D.C.
| Contributed to direction and leadership of a policy and technical nature
on all major environmental, health and safety issues related to
commercializing coal gasification and liquefaction, oil shale, and biomass
energy technologies. Worked directly with the Deputy Administrator toward
defining ERDA's position on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977. Maintained
liaison between his office and the EPA, Interior, NIOSH, and the Water
Resources Council. |
10/74-2/76 Ph.D. and post-doctoral studies at Stanford University, sponsored
by the U.S. Geological Survey.
| Completed and refined Ph.D. dissertation on Western coal development at
Stanford University, with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey's Resource
and Land Investigations Program. Nominated for IEEE Franklin Taylor Award,
1975. |
3/70-6/75 PROJECT ENGINEER, Environmental Services Department, Bechtel Corp.,
San Francisco, California.
| Supervised economic and environmental analyses, and site assessments for
major energy and transportation construction projects ranging in capital cost
from $5 million to $4 billion. Managed environmental impact assessments for: |
| 600-mile crude oil pipeline through Quebec and New York state |
| Siting of a full-scale U.S. uranium enrichment plant |
| Proposed 30-mile metrorail in San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| Participated in five nuclear power plant EIS’s. Developed toxic waste
database for the Santa Ana Watershed Planning Agency. Analyzed crop pattern
strategy and prepared an industrial development plan for the Setif Region,
Algeria. |
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES
Dr. Schlesinger has lectured on the natural gas industry before courses at
Columbia University, Johns Hopkins, Stanford University, CUNY, University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland,
and approximately 125 executive seminars in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Great
Britain, Europe, Japan and the Philippines. He has appeared on CNN Business
Line, CNN International, and other media, and his opinions and analysis of
natural gas industry and related economic developments have been quoted in
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post,
Business Week, and many other publications.
In addition to the NYMEX Natural Gas Committee (see above), Dr, Schlesinger has served on advisory boards to the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, Gas Research
Institute, Solar Energy Research Institute, and the Regional Institute for
Children and Adolescents in Rockville, Maryland. He a past Lt. Governor of
the Capital District Kiwanis in Montgomery County, Maryland.
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