Experienced Leadership

N. Hunter Johnston is a Senior Fellow at the Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center and serves on the Center's Global Research Council.  Hunter is a Senior Partner in the Washington D.C, law firm, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he maintains a leading law practice focused on carbon capture and sequestration policy and decarbonization policy. Hunter's legal experience over a 40-year career includes representation of clients on matters involving legislative, regulatory, and transactional practice areas with a particular focus in public policy and project finance regarding energy, tax, and decarbonization practice areas.

Hunter has extensive experience developing and financing greenfield energy projects, both domestically and internationally. A recognized leader in carbon capture policy, he has been an advisor to the carbon capture coalition that was responsible for passage of the rewrite of the 45Q tax credit and implementing regulations.

Hunter has more than a decade of experience developing carbon capture projects. His experiences have included direct involvement with all aspects of CCS development including permitting, finance, legislative drafting and strategy, federal funding opportunities, NEPA compliance, tax equity structuring and agreements, public comments, and advice regarding implementing regulations and legislative changes to improve the tax credit. He is focused on opportunities for the transition to a blue and green economy through policies to support decarbonization.

Hunter was the lead attorney on securing the first conditional commitment of $2 billion with the Title 17 Advanced Fossil Energy Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program and also led successful efforts to secure Industrial Carbon Capture Funds under the energy provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as well as other energy tax credits and programs.

His deep experience working with the Congress, the Department of Energy, the Department of Treasury, and other agencies provides expertise to guide his clients through a wide range of regulatory and legislative matters. Hunter also retains substantive experience representing clients in his native state of Louisiana, and he has a broad knowledge of Louisiana business and politics.