CHARLESTON -– David M. Flannery, a member of the Jackson Kelly Environmental Practice Group, recently was nominated and appointed as a member of the National Coal Council.
He will serve a two-year term from 2011-2013.
Chartered in 1984 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the purpose of the NCC is to inform and make recommendations to the United States Secretary of Energy with respect to any matter relating to coal or the coal industry. In his letter of appointment, Secretary Steven Chu said he was appointing Flannery to represent the viewpoint of law firms with energy and environmental regulatory practices to ensure their viewpoint is clearly articulated in the committee discussions.
The NCC has a formal structure, a membership of up to 125 individuals from a broad spectrum of interests and formal processes in place to address the study and review requests made by the Secretary of Energy. The council is an advisory body that is, by law, specifically precluded from lobbying the U.S. Congress. Also, under the laws of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), its meetings are open to the public. The NCC is a tax-exempt organization, supported entirely by voluntary contributions from its members. It receives no funds whatsoever from the federal government and its studies are provided at no cost to the Department of Energy.
Jackson Kelly has represented the coal industry since the mid-1800s and currently provides comprehensive services to the coal industry nationwide. The firm was recently named "Law Firm of the Year" in Mining Law by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers 2011-2012 "Best Law Firms" rankings. The firm was the only law firm to receive this national recognition in mining law.
Flannery is a Member of Jackson Kelly and is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the firm's ancillary business subsidiary, Jackson Kelly Solutions. His practice is focused upon the representation of companies and trade organizations in a variety of matters including energy and environmental regulatory issues, facility siting and the litigation of environmental enforcement and environmental tort cases at both the state and federal level.
Jackson Kelly is a national law firm representing global corporations, national companies, entrepreneurs and individuals in areas of law such as environmental, business, labor and employment, federal and state workers' compensation, civil litigation and occupational safety and health.
The firm has offices in Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.