Energy: 10 Staffers to Know

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Energy and climate change legislation is one of the top priorities for the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This week, in fact, a major energy bill is being marked up in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The legislation is filled with complex language about an array of energy issues. Here are 10 Hill staffers who will play a crucial role in the country’s future energy legislation.

Karen Billups, minority chief counsel, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Age: 46
Birthplace: Tyler, Texas
Education: B.A., history and English, Southern Methodist University; J.D., University of Texas

Karen Billups made the typical move from Hill staffer to lobbyist, and then went the unusual route back to the Congressional payroll, returning to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in 2003 after lobbying for Entergy for four years.

“I love this job,” Billups said. “I think it’s the most fun job I’ve ever had.”

What makes it fun, she added, is that after 20 years of working on energy issues, it still feels fresh.

“It’s something different every day,” she said. “Rarely a day goes by that I don’t learn something new. The energy issues are so broad, and the technology is constantly changing. It’s never boring.”

An energy industry consultant who has worked with Billups over the years called the staffer “a real legal talent” whose conservative views reflect the interests of her boss, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

“She’s very quiet and doesn’t seek personal recognition but is an extraordinarily knowledgeable staffer,” the energy consultant said.

Despite her own political stripes, Billups said energy issues can be nonpartisan. “Many of these issues are regional in nature, so we have a good relationship working across the aisle,” she said.

Billups is eager to meet with outside groups and lobbying interests, but she also includes the professional staff members who focus on the specific issue areas in any meetings.

Billups considers herself a sounding board for the committee’s staff. “Because of my institutional memory, it allows people to bounce ideas off of me,” she said.

Greg Dotson, chief counsel, House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
Age: 41
Birthplace: Charleston, S.C.
Education: B.A., Virginia Tech; J.D., University of Oregon

Greg Dotson began working for Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) in 1996. Now, he heads the House Energy and Commerce chairman’s energy and environment team during a Congressional session that is packed with debate and politicking over a climate change and energy bill.

He has staffed Waxman on matters such as the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Food Quality Protection Act, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the pending American Clean Energy and Security Act.

“For years, I was able to meet with anyone who requested a meeting,” Dotson said of his interactions with private-sector and interest groups. “Since Rep. Waxman became chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ve found my time is much more constrained because we’ve been so busy. Of course, meeting with stakeholders is still very important.”

One energy industry advocate said Dotson keeps his cards close to the vest.

“He is very sensitive to the implications of various policies and things that his boss or others might be recommending,” the advocate said. “He’s sort of an unsung hero on the Waxman staff.”

Chris Miller, senior policy adviser on energy and environment to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Age: 46
Birthplace: Detroit
Education: Undergraduate and master’s degrees in natural resources management from the University of Michigan

Having spent half of his 46 years working on natural resource issues on Capitol Hill, Chris Miller is a veteran of countless legislative fights.

But the senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he’s struck by how energy has evolved from a peripheral issue to one that permeates nearly every debate. “Everything seems to have some sort of energy hook these days,” he said.

For Miller, the road to the Majority Leader’s office included a stint in the House and 10 years working for Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) before joining the Environment and Public Works Committee, where he worked for Reid and then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), both of whom chaired the panel.