Elizabeth L. Horner

Previous Work

Capitol Hill Experience

Most recently, Elizabeth served as a senior US Senate staff member for over seven years. She regularly briefed and interacted with Senators and Senate leadership staff, as well as Senate-confirmed and other senior officials in both the Trump and Biden administrations. She also worked with Republican and Democratic staff across the Senate and House committees of jurisdiction and their member offices to advance legislative and other priorities, including through appropriations legislation and the National Defense Authorization Act. During her time on the Hill, she worked on nominations, oversight, and hearings covering a variety of agency activities, including: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Highway Administration, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Council on Environmental Quality, US Fish and Wildlife Service, General Services Administration, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Economic Development Administration, and regional economic commissions such as the Appalachian Regional Commission.

As Chief Counsel of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) under Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Elizabeth managed the committee’s consideration of nominations, oversight, and budget reconciliation and provided counsel in writing legislation. She served as a leading Republican committee staffer during consideration of the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan and worked with Republican and Democratic staff in the development of the bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which passed the EPW Committee unanimously. That bill ultimately became the backbone of the IIJA.

Elizabeth regularly worked with the Senate Republican and Democratic offices, and House counterparts, to advance legislative priorities. Prior to Elizabeth’s promotion to chief counsel, she was the committee’s lead staffer for Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and climate issues under then-EPW Chairman John Barrasso, MD (R-WY), the recently elected Senate Republican Whip. For example, she worked throughout the legislative process on a three-bill bipartisan package signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2021:

• Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act (USE IT Act), which supported more efficient permitting of CCUS and related infrastructure as well as research for direct air capture and carbon utilization;
• American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (AIM Act), which authorized a new regulatory regime to implement a nationwide phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons by EPA; and
• Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2020 (DERA), which reauthorized the DERA grant and rebate program administered by EPA for five years.

In-House Counsel & Trade Association Experience

Previously, Elizabeth handled energy and environmental issues for a major trade association. In that role, she worked to develop consensus among association members on priorities, engaged policymakers through written communications and in-person meetings, and helped to build coalitions with allied trade associations and industries.

Outside Counsel Experience

Elizabeth began her career after law school as an associate in the environmental practice of an international law firm. She assisted clients across a variety of environmental matters, with a particular focus on the Clean Air Act. Her work included representation in litigation before the DC Circuit and US Supreme Court, as well as in rulemakings by EPA.