Anne C. Blankenship

Anne Blankenship has worked in West Virginia’s energy industry in various capacities for over a decade. She has nearly 20 years of experience as an attorney in the environmental, regulatory, and utility sectors, in addition to her time serving as the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association’s Executive Director.

Ms. Blankenship’s practice includes the representation of public utilities in West Virginia, including oil and gas distribution companies and electric companies. She provides consultation on regulatory and legislative matters for utilities and representation of her clients before the West Virginia Public Service Commission.  She also represents clients in the development of electric power generation, including solar and other renewable energy, and assists in lease negotiations and navigating regulatory and permitting requirements.

In the energy and environmental law arena, Ms. Blankenship has over 15 years of experience, primarily in the area of clean air law, in addition to water, waste and emergency response matters.  Her clients include manufacturers, oil and gas companies, major state trade associations, and other industrial and commercial businesses. She provides consulting to her clients regarding regulatory and legislative developments in the area of environmental law and representation before agencies and courts regarding compliance, permitting and enforcement issues.  She was designated Special Environmental Counsel  in the wake of a large chemical spill in West Virginia in which she played a key role in the remediation of the site and managing negotiations with various state and federal agencies.

In her role as Executive Director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, Ms. Blankenship led and managed one of the oldest and prominent trade associations in West Virginia that represents all sectors of the oil and natural gas industry.   She represented the members of the association on regulatory matters and advocated for the interests of the industry as a registered lobbyist in West Virginia.

She has undergraduate and graduate degrees in biological sciences from Marshall University and a J.D. from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.  She returned to West Virginia after law school and has built her career and raised her family in Charleston.