Former Wyoming Governor David Freudenthal Joins Crowell & Moring's Environment & Natural Resources Group

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Wyoming Governor David Duane Freudenthal has joined the international law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP as senior counsel in the firm's Environment & Natural Resources Group, where he will advise on a wide range of domestic and international environmental and natural resources issues. As a former governor and U.S. Attorney for one of the nation's leading states in coal and natural gas production, Freudenthal is nationally recognized as a substantive leader on a wide array of energy issues.

"In his more than two decades of government service, Governor Freudenthal gained enormous insight into the full range of mining, oil & gas, electric transmission, alternative energy, and other energy policy issues that are now at the forefront of our nation's economic development needs. We are confident that his experience will be of great value to our national and global clients interested in developing energy projects in line with increasingly complex environmental regulations," said Crowell & Moring chairman Kent A. Gardiner.

In January, Freudenthal completed two consecutive terms as Wyoming's governor with approval ratings greater than 75 percent. As head of what 24/7 Wall St. named "the best run state in America," Freudenthal led the effort that established the Hathaway Scholarship Program, one of the nation's most successful college scholarship programs. He was also the leading force in establishing Wyoming's Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Fund, creating the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming, and developing Wyoming's Cultural Trust Fund.

Under Governor Freudenthal's leadership, Wyoming was the first state to develop a legal framework for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as the first state to adopt groundbreaking rules governing hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas exploration. During his tenure as governor, Wyoming more than doubled its pipeline capacity and invested heavily in the development of coal technologies. Governor Freudenthal was also a leading force behind the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which set aside thousands of acres in the Wyoming Range in northwestern Wyoming.

"The Rocky Mountain region is one of the few areas in the country that is prospering, largely due to active energy economies. Approximately 14 percent of all the energy consumed in the nation comes from the state of Wyoming. Our energy resources, ranging from renewables to traditional fossil fuels and uranium, will help to fuel the nation's economic recovery," Freudenthal said.

"I have known and respected the work of Crowell & Moring's Environment & Natural Resources Group for many years. They are trustworthy, highly sophisticated advisors who are committed to both their clients and the communities in which they operate," he added.

In 2010, Freudenthal joined the University of Wyoming College of Law as a distinguished visiting professor, where he leads seminars on energy, environment law, and economics. Prior to his service as governor from 2004-2011, Freudenthal served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming under the Clinton Administration. As U.S. Attorney, Freudenthal established a task force that successfully prosecuted child pornography cases.

At Crowell & Moring, Freudenthal will advise clients on state and national policy and legal issues, such as water and air quality, climate change, hydraulic fracturing, and wildlife issues. Crowell & Moring's Environment & Natural Resources Group represents a range of industries, including manufacturing, oil & gas (including coalbed methane, shale plays, fracturing, and conventional oil & gas), mining (coal, precious and base metals, industrial minerals, trona, and uranium), and alternative energy companies. The group is chaired by Chet M. Thompson, former deputy general counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and consists of more than 40 attorneys, public policy advisors, and scientific consultants nationwide with a range of industry and government agency experience.

Prior to his work in government service, Freudenthal was in private practice, where he focused on providing strategic legal counsel in the areas of natural resources, environmental, and business law. He received his bachelor's degree in economics from Amherst College and his J.D. from the College of Law at the University of Wyoming.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with nearly 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels. Visit Crowell & Moring online at http://www.crowell.com.

Contact: Meredith Reilly
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SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP