38 North is thrilled to announce that we have a new Vice President, Chris Murray, who brings a long history in energy and environmental protection and has in recent years become an expert in clean energy programs at the U.S. Department of Defense.
For over 20 years, Chris has specialized in energy and environmental issues in a broad variety of settings, including the White House, the United States Congress, the Department of the Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Chris is an expert on Department of Defense energy policies and procurement authorities. As an advisor to the Department of the Navy, he helped develop third-party financed microgrids to increase the Navy’s energy resilience. In recognition of his efforts, the Secretary of the Navy awarded Chris one of the Navy’s highest civilian honors – the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. As an advisor to the Air Force, he has spearheaded the Federal government’s first-ever Energy-as-a-Service prototype project to develop a new business model to help the Air Force procure clean and resilient energy cost-effectively to meet its mission critical needs. Chris also led an interagency effort that included all the Services and the Department of Energy to develop that federal government’s first-ever prototype projects for cutting-edge geothermal technologies. If successful, the geothermal facilities will supply Air Force installations with clean, resilient, baseload energy under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement.
As an energy counsel in the U.S. Senate, Chris helped secure $2 billion in grants for U.S.-based lithium-ion battery manufacturers under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which helped finance the construction of manufacturing facilities across the country. Chris also drafted the original Cash-for-Clunkers bill, which provided consumers with over $2 billion in cash incentives to purchase advanced, fuel-efficient vehicles in exchange for retiring their older vehicles.
As the Deputy Associate Director for Legislative Affairs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Chris advised White House staff and agency officials on outreach and communication strategies to further the President’s environmental priorities. Chris also served as FERC’s top White House and congressional liaison. Chris has a J.D. from U.C. Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Philosophy from Miami University.
Now that Chris is on board, 38 North will be able to offer more strategic and tactical guidance on accessing Defense department programs that our clients often need to prove out their technologies in a variety of applications. As the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the U.S. government is positioned to not only fund new technology research and development, but also to purchase and install these technologies at federal sites globally.
If you are interested in working with the DoD and partnering with 38 North, please contact us.