Bill Cooper, former General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy, brings decades of service spanning government and private industry. Most recently, he served as Vice President and General Counsel at Golden Pass LNG LLC, a joint venture between affiliates of QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil.
As General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy, Bill provided guidance to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and program offices on critical national initiatives. During his tenure, he oversaw legal operations for a $50 billion agency with nearly 105,000 federal employees and contractors, responsible for 17 national laboratories and the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. While at the U.S. Department of Energy, Bill also served as Acting Director of Public Affairs, leading a team engaging with national, state, local, and industry media on the Department’s work and initiatives.
His Capitol Hill service includes Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the House Committee on Natural Resources where he focused on oil, gas, coal, and mineral development on federal lands and waters, and Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman on the National Environmental Policy Act. Bill also served as lead drafter and negotiator on the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Security Act (PROMESA), displaying his creative, intellectual, and strategic versatility when dealing with complex issues in a politically challenging environment. Bill also served as Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, drafting and negotiating legislative provisions critical to the energy industry.
From 2005 to 2015, Bill led the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas, where his advocacy before Congress, the White House, and federal agencies helped drive the policy changes that enabled the United States to become the world’s largest LNG exporter.
Education
• University of Tennessee College of Law, J.D.
• Wabash College, A.B.
Bar Admissions
• Tennessee
• District of Columbia
Contact
T: 202.249.6900
bcooper@thetorridongroup.com
bcooper@torridonlaw.com