Murkowski Welcomes New Hires to Committee Staff
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that two new counsels, John Crowther and Jed Dearborn, have joined her team at the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. She also welcomed an intern, Grant Cummings, who is assisting the committee with various projects this winter.
“John and Jed bring considerable expertise on a wide range of energy and environmental issues. John has great experience working on Alaska oil, gas, and related matters, and Jed has an extensive background in the electricity sector,” Murkowski said. “I’m also excited to have Grant with us this winter. He is full of energy and eager to share his ideas as we begin the new Congress.”
Crowther joins the committee as senior counsel after serving as director of state and federal relations for the State of Alaska from October 2017 to January 2019. Prior to that, he served as inter-governmental coordinator and special assistant at the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for five years. He will focus primarily on oil and natural gas issues for the committee, as well as issues related to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Crowther earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College and juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. He is originally from Anchorage, Alaska, and graduated from Grace Christian School.
Dearborn came to Capitol Hill in April 2017 as energy counsel for Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. He joined the committee in September 2018 to serve as senior counsel, where he focuses on policy and regulatory issues in the electricity and natural gas sectors. Prior to his Senate service, he was an associate for the energy and public utilities practice at Schiff Hardin LLP, where he represented electric and gas utilities before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, state utility commissions, and Congress. Dearborn graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Vanderbilt University, and earned a juris doctorate from The George Washington University Law School.
Cummings earned a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He previously worked as a petroleum engineer for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and has interned for BP’s Global Wells Organization, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and Latshaw Drilling Company. Cummings is from Anchorage, Alaska, and graduated from South Anchorage High School in 2012.
