Houston, Texas, United States
Alton Payne, JD, PhD, is an accomplished legal and technical expert with over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Currently an adjunct professor at Houston Community College, he teaches Logistics and International Business Law, drawing on decades of real-world regulatory and operational insight. His career spans legal practice in intellectual property and offshore operations, senior leadership in R&D, teaching at three colleges, and scientific research at national laboratories. Alton has worked across numerous federal agencies—NOAA, EPA, DOE, PHMSA, and BSEE—contributing to national safety initiatives ranging from nuclear risk assessment after the Three Mile Island incident to oil & gas regulatory reform post-Macondo/Deep Water Horizon. Alton was an intellectual property and regulatory attorney in Houston for over 25 years. He was VP of R&D at Gulf Applied Technologies and a physical scientist at 3 national laboratories. Dr. Payne has taught at Houston Community College, University of Houston, and New Hampshire Technical Institute. He has worked for 5 Federal agencies, namely, NOAA, EPA, DOE, PHMSA, and BSEE. He has participated in several national safety projects, namely (1) analyzing radiation risks after the Three Mile Island nuclear incident, (2) evaluating the safety risk associated with the diffusion of Tritium in the fusion reactor program, (3) developing tidal current models for Valdez-type pollution releases, (4) calculating safety risks from incinerating bio-hazard waste from hospitals, (5) analyzing safety hazards caused by atmospheric reaction rates dealing with climate change, (6) working for the DOT Office of Pipeline Safety inspecting oil & gas pipelines, and most recently, (7) assisting in post-Macando disaster rule-makings and the subsequent regulatory reform rule-makings. He received two Director Awards for his efforts on the post-Macando/Deepwater Horizon disaster rule-makings. Alton holds a JD in Regulatory Law, a PhD in Environmental Sciences & Engineering, an MS in Nuclear Engineering, and a BS in Physics and Mathematics. A commissioned officer from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, he served aboard the USS Ship Ferrell during the Vietnam era. Living in Pearland, Texas, Alton balances his professional contributions with passions for scuba diving, skiing, and refereeing soccer—while sharing life with his wife, sister, and (more than) a few grateful rescue pets.
Regulatory and standards analysis for offshore energy projects. I supervise a staff of technical professionals in the engineering, technical, and regulatory review of industry consensus standards on the design, fabrication, installation, and decommissioning of renewable energy and oil & gas offshore facilities.