Enhancing NEPA Practice with AI: Tools, Ethics, and DOE’s PolicyAI Framework for Responsible Integration

Speakers

Keith Benes
Senior Advisor
Department of Energy

Keith serves as a Senior Advisor at the Department of Energy, facilitating and accelerating the deployment of clean energy infrastructure. Driving DOE voltAIc Initiative developing AI-powered tools to improve permitting. Previously, he served with the U.S. State Department as an attorney adviser. In addition to advising the State Department on all aspects of public international law, Mr. Benes provided strategic, analytical, and policy expertise on the negotiations under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, environmental review of cross-border infrastructure projects, and the North American crude oil market. Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Benes was in private law practice with Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Mr. Benes holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center (magna cum laude), an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science (with merit), and a BA from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

Lauren Schramm 
NEPA Manager
Pond and Company

Originally from Northern Vermont, Lauren holds a Bachelor's degree from Alfred University (NY) and earned her MS from Clemson University. Lauren embarked on her career in a Texas freshwater mussel lab before relocating to Atlanta in 2017. As a project manager, she successfully led a team of scientists specializing in NEPA work for cell towers across 29 states. Lauren has since transitioned to working with additional lead agencies and Pond and Company, where she currently serves as the manager of the NEPA team. In her free time, Lauren manages a mini farm, indulges in painting, and hand-building ceramic art, and dedicates time to volunteering.