Recognized as one of the “leading energy lawyers in the nation” by the Legal Times in 2005, Linda Stuntz, Wittenberg University class of 1976 and a founding partner of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Stuntz, Davis & Staffier, will present the keynote address at the annual Wittenberg Series-sponsored Opening Convocation at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1 in Weaver Chapel.
Stuntz’s law practice includes “energy and environmental regulation, as well as matters relating to government support of technology development and transfer,” according to her online biography. She has a long history of legal work in the area of energy and environmental regulation, including service to the nation as deputy secretary of the United States Department of Energy under President George H.W. Bush. She held that and other senior policy positions at the department between 1989 and 1993, playing a principal role in the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
Stuntz also helped to develop the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and she was active in the implementation of amendments pertaining to acid rain and alternative fuels programs. She also worked extensively on potential global climate change and energy-related measures to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
After earning her bachelor’s degree with honors from Wittenberg and her law degree with honors from Harvard in 1979, Stuntz was an associate minority counsel and minority counsel to the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-87. More recently, Stuntz has served on numerous boards of directors, including Wittenberg’s, and she served as chair of the Electricity Advisory committee to the U.S. Department of Energy in 2008 and 2009.
In her private law practice, she has continued to address energy and environmental issues, handling cases that arise due to questions about the Natural Gas Act, the Natural Gas Policy Act, the Federal Power Act, the Interstate Commerce Act and the Energy Policy Act of 2005. She has served as an arbitrator in complex cases involving the power, natural gas and coal industries.
The Opening Convocation presentation by Stuntz serves as an appropriate kick-off to the 2010-11 Wittenberg Series, which includes a wide range of talented speakers, authors, artists and performers sure to challenge the intellect and enrich the community. Stuntz is the first of seven lecturers who will speak on campus as part of the 2010-11 Wittenberg Series, a list that includes author Jonathan Safran Foer, theologian David Yeago, historian Claudia Koonz, civil rights activist Cleveland Sellers, marine scientist Cindy Lee Van Dover, and novelist Sara Gruen.
All Wittenberg Series events are free admission. For events in Kuss Auditorium at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, free tickets can be obtained by contacting Wittenberg’s Benham-Pence Student Center Service Desk at (937) 327-7443, or by contacting the Kuss Auditorium Box Office at (937) 328-3874.
