Van F. Smith

Van Smith assists clients with matters relating to electricity, natural gas, and renewable energy.  Since joining the firm, he has provided counsel for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceedings involving the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act, compliance matters involving North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards, Clean Air Act rulemakings, and other general litigation matters. 

Professional Background

Van has significant experience with federal energy and environmental regulatory agencies and with energy and environmental economics.  Prior to law school, Van worked as a private consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and assisted the EPA in promulgating major regulations.  His work involved estimating the economic and social costs of major environmental rulemakings, and included assessing the public health impacts and regulatory burdens associated with national air pollution, water pollution, and pesticide rulemakings.  In addition, Van assisted EPA’s hazardous materials cleanup and oil spill programs in creating performance benchmarks to measure their impact and compliance with statutory mandates.

Throughout law school Van focused on federal regulation of energy and the environment, while serving as a research assistant to an environmental law professor, an administrative law professor, and an economic law institute, and concurrently completing a master’s degree in energy policy and economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Van also worked directly for the executive branch, Congress, and a federal administrative agency. 

Government Service

Law Clerk, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 2011

Law Clerk, Office of General Counsel, U.S. International Trade Commission, 2009

Trade Policy Advisor, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 2008-2009

Water and Sanitation Engineer, U.S. Peace Corps, Dominican Republic, 2004-2006

Professional and Civic Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Energy Bar Association

Publications

Enabling Environments or Enabling Discord: Intellectual Property Rights, Public-Private Partnerships, and the Quest for Green Technology Transfer, 42 Georgetown Journal of International Law 817 (2011).