Senior White House Lawyer Joins Covington

WASHINGTON, DC, December 09, 2013  — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Gary Guzy, most recently deputy director and general counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and a former general counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency, is joining the firm’s environmental, clean energy, public policy, and government affairs practices.

Mr. Guzy brings three decades of experience in environmental law, regulation, and policy through his roles in leadership in government, business, and academia. He joins the firm’s Washington office, effective January 21, 2014.

Over the past four years, Mr. Guzy has helped develop and guide the Obama administration’s environmental, public health, and clean energy agenda, bringing business insights to government policy and coordinating policy across government agencies. For example, he spearheaded negotiations that achieved the Obama administration’s historic agreement to double motor vehicle fuel efficiency standards and significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions through the year 2025 with the support of automobile manufacturers, states, labor unions, environmental and consumer groups, and Congress.

Mr. Guzy also has experience in the private sector where he was general counsel of APX, Inc., and Global Practice Leader for Climate Risk and Sustainability at Marsh, Inc.

“Gary brings exceptional skill in dealing with complex environmental issues and a wealth of experience in developing strategic partnerships and working with the diverse constituencies necessary to resolve the most challenging public controversies,” said Lawrence Hobel, co-chair of Covington’s environmental practice.

Mr. Guzy will work closely with E. Donald Elliott, who joined the firm last year and served as general counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency during the first Bush administration.

“Many industries are facing emerging environmental requirements and crises that threaten their business and value,” said Dan Bryant, chair of the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice. “The strategic counseling and insight from two former EPA general counsels will help our clients more easily navigate these issues.”

Mr. Guzy said he was attracted to Covington because of the caliber of its lawyers and its ability to provide clients with a solution-oriented public policy practice to help companies facing complex environmental issues.

“When companies face an environmental crisis, they need help from those who – in addition to having a deep understanding of the issues – also can work closely with regulators and environmental groups,” Mr. Guzy said. “They increasingly need someone who will not simply run interference, but who will work to develop creative win-win public policy solutions, understanding the business dimensions of their challenges as well. Successful outcomes in the environmental arena no longer fit neatly into a single box defined by executive branch, congressional, judicial, or communications actions. They increasingly require experience in managing each of these domains.”

Mr. Guzy is a graduate of Cornell University and Cornell Law School. He began his career as a clerk for Judge Elbert Parr Tuttle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.