PRACTICE AREAS
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
The Miller Cole team has extensive experience leading key initiatives in several practice areas including:
ENERGY
On-shore and off-shore wind energy programs with DOE, state, federal and international governments. Miller Cole works with clients to capture and maximize U.S. and international opportunities for off-shore wind energy production. We manage and guide our clients through the government process with jurisdictional issues, citing, approvals, logistics, customs, intellectual property, taxes and other issues.
Miller Cole works with corporations to facilitate realization of R&D priorities including increasing turbine efficiency and reliability, composite blade technologies, new blade materials, blade aerodynamics and noise reduction as well as development of sales channels and verticals.
The European Union is expanding offshore wind energy generation, which will be needed for the region to achieve its mandate of deriving 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 (Miller Cole estimates there will be a 20-fold increase in offshore wind from a globally installed base of 1.5 GW in 2008 to 30 GW by 2020). Other countries and continents have prioritized massive wind power expansion including North America and Latin America. Aggressive targets have been established in China and India, the Middle East and Africa, and projects in Asia Pacific are beginning to materialize.
AUTOMOTIVE
Automotive is a major focus of our government relations practice located in Washington, D.C. Some of our attorneys previously worked on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for chairmen of the transportation subcommittees. Highlights of client support include:
Representing numerous clients before the following U.S. Senate and House Committees:
- Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee,
- Senate Armed Services Committee,
- Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee,
- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,
- House Energy and Commerce Committee,
- House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform,
- House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
- Administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation,
- Department of Energy
- Department of Defense
- Miller Cole works with clients to maximize R&D, product innovation, manufacturing and commercialization resources available to companies at the federal and state government levels. We work with you to identify, develop and leverage the financial, technical and export resources necessary to achieve and exceed your goals. We work with you to identify grants and/or loans that enable companies from start ups to corporations advance technologies and products to levels which may be impossible to pursue on their own.
- Miller Cole has represented numerous automakers and suppliers at the federal and state levels including Washington, California and the Northeast states on priority legislative and regulatory issues including fuel economy, emissions, safety, competitiveness, trade, legacy and healthcare costs.
- Miller Cole has assisted numerous automotive clients with global regulatory and legislative activity tracking, analysis and lobbying efforts, introduction of new technology in automobiles in the safety, environmental and advanced powertrain areas including electric, hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. We have also developed programs to improve child safety in vehicles and sponsored Child Safety Seat Initiatives.
- Miller Cole developed a corporate sponsorship and retention program for development and expansion of the federal Department of Transportation, National Highway Safety Administration's Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) program.
- Retained by a major trade association to support the Congressionally funded Plastics Composite Intensive Vehicles Roadmap for 2020 program with the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. .
Environment
Environmental Protection Agency
Since 1990, the Miller Cole team and its associates have worked with and within the EPA and its offices, divisions, senior staff and political appointees including several Administrators. We have represented clients on a multitude of issues ranging from compliance to issues mitigation to development of credits for innovative technologies that reduce and/or prevent air and/or water contamination. Miller Cole has served on several Federal Advisory committees and was the firm chosen to review EPA's strategic planning process which established agency-wide goals and strategy under the Clinton administration.
- Clean Air Act
- Mobile & Stationary Emissions Sources
- Low Carbon Fuel Standard
California EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB)
Miller Cole has represented numerous automotive clients before CAL EPA and CARB on several issues including: diesel, LEV, PZEV, ZEV, mobile emissions, coatings (organic and inorganic) and paints, glazing and development of regulatory credits for advanced technologies.
Energy
Department of Energy (DOE)
Miller Cole has worked with DOE on several projects from advanced materials and vehicle lightweighting to advanced battery research, development and manufacturing initiatives to renewable energy including wind energy.
We have worked with clients to develop relationships with DOE, national laboratories and USCAR, identified and created opportunities for involvement in key R&D projects and leveraged grant and loan funding for RD&D and manufacturing programs.
Miller Cole has represented clients to DOE on the following programs, leveraging grants and loans to advance their R&D programs.
- On-shore and Off-shore Wind Energy
- Building Energy Efficiency
- ARPA-E
- Advanced Battery Research, Development and Manufacturing
- Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research and Development
- Electric Vehicle Research and Development
- Fuel Cell Vehicle Research and Development
- Development of financing and regulatory proposals to support near-term investment in electricity generation from Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) facilities.
- Deployed public private partnerships including 3Party covenant financing Integrated for capital intensive projects
DOE/United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR)
Miller Cole has interacted extensively with USCAR and its research consortia. We were retained to develop the first five-year strategic plan for the Vehicle Recycling Partnership and provided leadership and support in development and orchestration of Congressional visits, tours, research demonstrations and advanced vehicle ride and drives featuring the latest advanced technology vehicles developed by GM, Ford and Chrysler.
In 2008, Miller Cole positioned the FreedomCar project for international recognition by the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive division, where it was awarded the Executive Leadership Team Award for its dedication and advancement of fuel cell and advanced electric vehicles.
Established as the FreedomCAR Partnership in 2002 and expanded to include fuel companies in 2003, the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership is a public-private partnership between the U.S. DOE; five major energy producers, including BP America, Chevron Corporation, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil Corporation, and Shell Hydrogen LLC; USCAR, whose members include Chrysler, Ford and General Motors; and now, two major utilities – DTE Energy and Southern California Edison.
Chemicals and Plastics
Miller Cole has worked with the chemicals and plastics industries since 1990 on projects ranging from plastics recycling to end of life vehicles. We have led numerous projects in support of vehicle fuel efficiency and to promote utilization of advanced lightweight materials including the Plastics Composite Intensive Vehicle Roadmap for 2020 with NHTSA.
Miller Cole's Partners have extensive experience negotiating with EPA to achieve success for our clients on priority issues including TSCA reform, restricted chemicals, priority pollutants, stationary emissions, climate change and green chemistry.
Our firm's collective experience at EPA, interacting on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and subsequent rulemakings encompasses all of the agency's recent rules on mobile and stationary emissions issues including Climate Change, Cap and Trade issues,. gasoline and diesel as well as its various rules regulating emissions of volatile organic compounds from paints and coatings.
Miller Cole is well positioned to work with chemical sector clients on negotiation of the challenging stationary emissions rules currently being debated in Congress.
Miller Cole has an exceptional record of success in working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in negotiation and development of Clean Air Act credits for advanced technologies that have enabled automakers to comply with PZEV and ZEV mandates and created marketplace advantage for our clients.
Miller Cole represents chemical sector clients before CARB and CAL EPA on the various rules calling for more stringent standards including the green chemistry initiative, Cool Cars, emissions standards from gasoline to diesel, coatings and paints, as well as numerous energy efficiency proposals that will impact the chemicals and plastics industries.
Miller Cole has the experience and relationships to negotiate deployment of market-based initiatives, using regulatory negotiations, and reaching consensus with environmentalists, industry, and state officials to improve your Corporate bottom line.
