Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios
We know the lawmakers guiding energy policy in the new Congress, but it’s their staff who will be putting pen to paper on legislation. Today, we look at the players you need to know.
- We’ll be adding names to this non-inclusive list as the 118th moves along.
Kevin McCarthy’s office: Emily Domenech
Details: Domenech, a senior policy adviser, came over from the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where she worked for four years under two GOP leaders.
- Domenech staffed Science Chair Frank Lucas for a year while the GOP was in the minority before joining McCarthy’s staff, she told Axios.
- Previously, she was staff director for the Energy subcommittee under former Chair Lamar Smith.
- Domenech worked on the Energy Act of 2020 and the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act of 2017 that sought to eliminate financial and technological barriers to nuclear energy.
Of note: Domenech has also worked at DOE and the Pentagon, as an adviser to Rick Perry’s presidential campaign and as a legislative director for Rep. Randy Neugebauer, according to her LinkedIn page.
Our thought bubble: Republicans want an energy package as one of their first major bills. Domenech will help coordinate that.
- The process of getting committees' submissions into a big package "is no small effort,” Domenech told Axios. “I'm really impressed with the work the committees have done so far.”
Steve Scalise’s office: Francis Brooke
Details: Brooke, who is Scalise’s policy director, was a prominent staffer in the Trump White House.
- A baseball pitcher while at Northwestern, he worked for Mitch McConnell before taking a policy role with former Vice President Mike Pence.
- As Trump’s domestic energy policy aide, he was involved in the administration’s changes to fuel economy standards and a bevy of other regulatory rollbacks.
- Brooke also did a stint in 2020 as deputy director of the National Economic Council, per LegiStorm and Scalise’s office.
Our thought bubble: Brooke has a wide network in GOP politics, and, like Domenech, he could be a top player in coordinating the party's agenda.
Energy and Commerce Committee: Mary Martin
Details: Martin, E&C's chief energy and environment counsel, has been with the committee GOP since 2017, according to her LinkedIn.
- Before that, she was an attorney in the private sector. She also spent roughly five years working on energy and natural resources policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
- In that role, Martin led the Chamber's advocacy against the Clean Power Plan and other regulations at the Obama EPA.
Our thought bubble: Martin's background at the Chamber could prove useful in lining up support for an energy bill.
Chuck Schumer’s office: Adrian Deveny
Details: Deveny is the energy and environmental policy lead for the Senate Democratic majority.
- Deveny joined Schumer’s office in 2019 after an eight-year stint with Sen. Jeff Merkley, according to his LinkedIn.
- He developed the Keep It in the Ground Act and was a “central” negotiator on the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act overhaul, Merkley said in a floor speech.
Our thought bubble: Deveny played a top role in negotiating the IRA and gaming out its potential emissions reductions.
- He'll be someone to watch as lawmakers look for a deal on the farm bill and, potentially, an environmental permitting overhaul.
Energy and Natural Resources Committee: Renae Black
Details: Sen. Joe Manchin’s ENR staff director was also a central player in the IRA.
- Black began her congressional career in 2013 as a legislative correspondent for then-Sen. Mary Landrieu, per her LinkedIn.
- She worked for Landrieu and Sen. Maria Cantwell on ENR before moving to the Commerce Committee, where she served as senior counsel for ranking member Bill Nelson for four years.
- She rejoined the ENR staff in 2019, rising to become staff director at the beginning of 2020.
Our thought bubble: Her boss' stature assures her a prominent spot in any dealmaking.
Environment and Public Works Committee: Courtney Taylor
Details: Taylor came aboard in January to succeed Mary Frances Repko, a Hill policy veteran, as staff director for EPW Chair Tom Carper.
Taylor has something of an unconventional background for a high-level congressional staffer, having spent the last two decades in the executive branch and the private sector.
- During the early 2000s, she worked as an attorney for Interior and, later, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, per LegiStorm.
- She served as policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund’s Ecosystems Program, according to Carper’s office.
- Most recently, Taylor was a lobbyist with ML Strategies. She has advocated on issues related to the Kigali Amendment and coastal restoration, according to federal disclosures.
Our thought bubble: Carper can be low key, but he and his staff are dealmakers.
- They negotiated intensely with Manchin on the IRA and secured a deal to get a fee on methane emissions into the law.
- Among their legislative priorities will be a reauthorization of the Brownfields Program, which expires at the end of the current fiscal year.
