WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today announced that Judy Pensabene, the panel’s Republican Chief Counsel, will retire from the Senate on July 15.

 

            Pensabene has served as Chief Counsel under Domenici since shortly after he became chairman of the Senate Energy Committee in 2003 and is the first woman to serve as Chief Counsel in the committee’s history.  She was previously the committee’s Senior Counsel from 1990-1995.

 

            “Judy Pensabene has played an instrumental role in working on some of the most significant laws in history governing our nation’s energy policy, including the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.  She also has been a key advisor on countless Executive branch nominations and National Parks and public lands legislation over the years,” Domenici said.

 

            “I have known Judy and her family for more than 25 years.  I will miss her counsel and her expertise on many matters, but I wish her all the best in retirement—and in particular, time well spent with her family,” Domenici said.

 

            Prior to re-joining the Energy Committee in 2002, Pensabene managed the Washington office of Constellation Energy Group as Vice President of Federal Affairs and Washington Counsel.  Before moving to Washington, she practiced law in Tulsa, Oklahoma, representing independent oil and gas producers, primarily in appellate litigation.  

 

            Pensabene holds a law degree from the University of Tulsa, home of the National Energy Law & Policy Institute.

 

--30--