John Richards Email & Phone Number

Washington, Dc

Advising Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Committee members, and staff on legislative, regulatory, and oversight efforts to address climate risk in the banking and insurance industries, developing an aggressive and responsible regulatory agenda, advancing energy-efficient housing, working to deploy clean energy technologies and sustainable infrastructure, promoting transit and transit-oriented development, and pursuing environmental justice.Working with a broad cross-section of experts in the banking, insurance, and private equity industries, the environmental community, affordable housing advocates, energy efficiency and sustainability professionals, energy and infrastructure developers, organized labor, academia, and federal regulators to advance policies and strategies to promote progressive climate action.

Washington, Dc

Research, drafting, and editing of materials related to federal regulatory authorities for the natural gas and oil pipeline industry. Research on federal regulation of, and fact-checking of data on, crude shipments by marine and freight rail modes. Development, compilation, and fine-tuning of master stakeholder list for electricity grid decarbonization event.

Washington Dc

Senior advisor providing policy, legal, and political counsel to the Ranking Member and Democratic committee members on issues within the committee's legislative responsibilities. Assisting Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel, and coordinating efforts of Democratic committee staff Energy team, with the committee's legislative work. Managing Democratic staff Oversight and Investigations efforts, monitoring Fossil Energy and Energy Infrastructure topics, and maintaining and improving committee outreach to important Energy stakeholders.

Las Vegas, Nv And Washington, Dc

Provided advice, counsel, and support to the Executive Director and staff of the Clean Energy Project (CEP), a 501(c)(3) organization advocating for public policies to encourage, develop, and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives, technologies, and infrastructure. Assisted CEP in planning, preparing for, and executing its 2017 National Clean Energy Summit, including fundraising, developing panel topics and recruiting speakers, organizing tours, preparing principals’ background materials, and coordinating activities of dignitaries, speakers, and volunteers.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Architect of a national stakeholder outreach strategy in support of the second installment of the interagency Quadrennial Energy Review (QER); conceiving and executing a series of formal public stakeholder events featuring Administration principals, Members of Congress, governors, mayors, tribal leaders, and other public officials, along with expert panelists from multiple electricity sector industries, academia, state and regional agencies, infrastructure developers and consumers, faith-based organizations, and the environmental community. Responsibilities included researching and drafting QER text, briefing stakeholders, developing and disseminating QER materials, web content, and other information through digital media.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Senior staff to EPSA Deputy Director for State, Local, and Tribal Cooperation; member of team carrying out Presidential Memorandum establishing the QER, with April 2015 publication of “Energy Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Infrastructure.” Planned, organized, and staffed a national series of stakeholder events, with primary responsibility on for events focused on Multi-modal Transport of Energy Products, Energy Infrastructure Vulnerabilities and Regional Constraints, Natural Gas and Petroleum Infrastructure, Siting, the Water-Energy Nexus, and Infrastructure Planning and Regulation. Subject matter expert on fossil fuel generation of electricity, energy transportation and distribution infrastructure, workforce development issues, and infrastructure policy. Author of the “Stakeholder Process” section of Chapter X of the first QER, and one of the principal authors and editors of several sections of Chapter V, “Improving Shared Transport Infrastructures.”

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Assisted the Under Secretary of Energy in oversight of DOE’s four Applied Energy offices, including program office budget planning and compliance, and the progress and financial viability of their respective RD&D project portfolios. Managed day-to-day activities of the Office of the Under Secretary, including monitoring Under Secretary's official communications with Congress and the Administration (testimony, correspondence, and intra- and interagency memoranda). Primary point of contact between the Under Secretary and senior DOE political and career leadership; liaison between Under Secretary with the White House, other federal agencies, Congressional offices, multiple industry sectors and associations, organized labor, and the environmental community; Under Secretary’s representative to two interagency Alaska/Arctic groups.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

July - November 2013 (4 months)Served two Assistant Secretaries in a Chief of Staff role, managing operations of the Office of Fossil Energy, and overseeing approximately 1,000 career and contractor personnel in seven states and the District of Columbia. Developed congressional and stakeholder outreach strategies, drafted and edited testimony and correspondence, and approved programmatic and communications office materials. Primary advisor to four Deputy Assistant Secretaries (for Clean Coal, Oil and Natural Gas, Strategic Petroleum Reserves, and International Activities), as well as to the Director and Deputy Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Provided provided policy and political counsel to a freshman Senator in Democratic Leadership. Coordinated the Senator's floor and committee activities. Trained all office staff in Senate rules and procedures, helped them develop professional networks, set performance goals, and identified opportunities for staff to promote and further the Senator's agenda according to national, state, and caucus priorities.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Provided legislative, policy, and political analysis to the Senator, with a primary focus on Energy and Environmental issues. Additional policy responsibilities included Judiciary, Homeland Security, Transportation, Workplace Safety, Labor, Manufacturing, Banking, Insurance, and other issues before the Senate Commerce and Finance Committees. Led Rockefeller office response to 2006 coal mine tragedies in Upshur and Logan Counties, WV. Arranged site inspection and meetings with miners’ families and surviving miners for HELP Committee Chairman and Ranking Member and HELP Workforce Subcommittee Chairman. Engaged mine safety experts from labor, industry, academia, and government, and drafted and negotiated legislative language culminating in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006, P.L. 109-236. As Homeland Security counsel, conceived and organized the first three West Virginia Summits on Homeland Security (2003, 2006, and 2008), designing agendas, recruiting experts, developing briefing materials, coordinating equipment and first responder demonstrations, and staffing principals from local, state, and federal agencies, Congress, academic institutions, think tanks, and private industry.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Advised Senator and monitored legislation and correspondence on Banking, Trade, and Transportation. Primary staff to the Senator for the TEA-21 reauthorization and the Fiscal Year 1999 Transportation Appropriations (including funding for Boston's “Big Dig” project).

Washington, Dc

Irving, Tx

Doctor Of Law (Jd)

Activities and Societies: Member of Civil Rights Law Society and St. Thomas More Society. Selected by classmates to deliver the 1995.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), History