About me

Address: Washington, D.C.: Robert S. Strauss Tower, 2001 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006-1037

Areas of Focus: Transportation Policy & Regulation; Energy & Environment Policy; Environmental Permitting & Approvals; Environment & Natural Resources; Regulatory; Climate Change; Sustainability; Carbon Offsets; Projects & Energy Transition

Biography:
Ken has more than three decades’ experience in advising companies, governments and environmental groups on environmental law, climate change and sustainability issues, including on:
- Carbon markets and offsets
- Carbon pricing
- Renewable fuels
- Transportation and GHG emissions
- Air and water pollution
- Energy efficiency
- Climate disclosures
- Environmental claims
- Environmental, social and governance (ESG).
Ken has demonstrated success working through complex regulatory programs implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He also has a deep understanding of the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standards program, GHG emissions and the Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations.
Ken has worked extensively with DOE and USDA on clean energy and bio-economy programs. Ken works on energy efficiency issues in:
- Buildings
- Consumer and commercial products and appliances
- Transportation systems
- Other processes and controls, including with voluntary programs such as Energy Star.
Ken has participated in numerous United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations on issues including mitigation, financing, market mechanisms, transparency, compliance and technology transfer. He has assisted clients in navigating:
- The United Nations Environment Programme
- The European Commission
- The World Bank
- The International Finance Corporation
- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development systems.
Ken also counsels clients on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Equator Principles.
Ken formerly served as the managing director of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), a global transgovernmental network of regulators, business and international organizations. In that role, he assisted governments around the world in strengthening the rule of law and building stronger environmental governance systems through performance measurement, adaptive management and public-private partnerships. He has led global capacity-building projects for prosecutors and judges, compliance and enforcement indicators, hazardous waste and port security, fresh water governance and on strengthening compliance and investor confidence in GHG and other environmental markets around the world.
Ken served as a senior attorney at the EPA, where he received national recognition for his work on emergency response and oil spill prosecution. He also worked in private practice as an environmental lawyer, counseling corporate and municipal clients throughout the United States on air, water, petroleum, waste and toxics.

Representative Work:
- Representing a major auto industry company in negotiation of agreement with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to sustain year-over-year GHG emission reductions despite less stringent federal standards.
- Providing counsel to clients from multiple sectors on greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, including on carbon pricing strategies, target setting and participation in initiatives such as the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition.
- Providing extensive analysis and stakeholder mapping on the California Cap-and-Trade Program, the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and other climate compliance markets.
- Advising clients on carbon “neutral transactions” and other climate-related claims, including the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides.
- Advising clients on the Renewable Fuels Standards, including processes to register cellulosic and advanced renewable fuel pathways, and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Credentials:
Education: J.D., American University, Washington College of Law, 1989; B.B.A., Emory University, 1985
Bar Admissions: District of Columbia, 1991

Recognitions:
- Chambers USA , Climate Change, 2026.
- The Legal 500 US , Environment: Transactional, 2024.
- JD Supra, Reader’s Choice Award, Environment, 2022.

Affiliations:
- Co-chair of the Governance Committee, Board of Directors, Verra.
- Former managing director, International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, 2002 - 2015.
- Former president, Board of Governors, River Falls Community Center Association.
- Chair Emeritus, specialist group on compliance and enforcement, World Commission on the Environment, International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
- Adjunct faculty, American University, Washington College of Law.

Insights:
- CARB Previews Next Phase of SB 253: Insights from the Latest Public Workshop (August 3, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/carb-previews-next-phase-of-sb-253-insights-from-the-latest-public-workshop
- CBAM Expansion Poised to Impact Global Supply Chains (July 9, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/cbam-expansion-poised-to-impact-global-supply-chains
- California Delays First Corporate GHG Reporting Deadline (June 25, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/california-delays-first-corporate-ghg-reporting-deadline
- Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices  (June 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- CARB’s SB 253 Workshop: Initial Reporting and the Road to Scope 3  (March 31, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/carbs-sb-253-workshop-initial-reporting-and-the-road-to-scope-3
- CARB Finalizes Initial Rulemaking Package for SB 253 and SB 261 (March 6, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/carb-finalizes-initial-rulemaking-package-for-sb-253-and-sb-261
- Speaking Sustainability - Legal & Regulatory Updates - February 2026 (March 5, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/speaking-sustainability-legal-and-regulatory-updates-february-2026
- EU Industrial Accelerator Act: Focus on Green and Important Details to be Negotiated (March 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/eu-industrial-accelerator-act-focus-on-green-and-important-details-to-be-negotiated
- EPA’s Rescission of GHG Endangerment Finding Sets Up a High‑Stakes Legal Fight (February 26, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/epas-rescission-of-ghg-endangerment-finding-sets-up-a-highstakes-legal-fight
- Sustainability Disclosures: A Complex Legal and Regulatory Environment for Boards of Directors (February 19, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/sustainability-disclosures-a-complex-legal-and-regulatory-environment-for-boards-of-directors
- Speaking Sustainability - Legal & Regulatory Updates - January 2026 (February 12, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/speaking-sustainability-legal-and-regulatory-updates-january-2026
- Coast to Coast: How New York’s New GHG Reporting Rules Compare to California’s SB 253 (January 7, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/blogs/speaking-sustainability/coast-to-coast-how-new-yorks-new-ghg-reporting-rules-compare-to-californias-sb-253