Tauna is an internationally recognized lawyer focused on climate change law and environmental commodities, described by peers and clients in Chambers Global and Chambers USA 2018 as “fabulous” and a “very talented and a very excellent” lawyer, and praised in Chambers Global 2017 for her “depth and understanding of the climate space.” She represents clients in matters involving climate and renewable energy policy, rulemaking proceedings, regulatory compliance, appellate litigation, as well as carbon, renewable energy, and conventional pollutant emissions transactions. She has worked on climate change since 1994 and speaks frequently on the topic at international conferences. She practices before the US Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

Committed to improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities, Tauna maintains a pro bono special education practice and is a community leader in promoting equity-based inclusive education. She was lead counsel for the National Disability Rights Network in the US Supreme Court case of Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools, 137 S. Ct. 743 (2017), which unanimously affirmed the ability of students with disabilities to enforce their civil rights.

For three years before law school, Tauna consulted on US-China relations and China trade and business issues. She spent the bulk of her childhood as an expatriate, and has lived in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Burma, Israel, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Relevant Experience

• Represent industry clients in Clean Air Act rulemaking proceedings, compliance counseling, regulatory analysis, and litigation. Member of lead counsel team in high-profile Clean Power Plan litigation.
• Fifteen years of experience representing lenders, project developers, investors, utilities, and offtakers in hundreds of matters involving the structuring, generation, regulation, and/or trading of environmental commodities, including greenhouse gas emission allowances, offset credits, and renewable energy certificates, in dozens of US and international voluntary and compliance programs and markets.
• Prepare white papers and comments on federal agency assessment of costs and benefits of actions impacting greenhouse gas emissions, including the social cost of carbon and National Environmental Policy Act reviews.
• Represent manufacturing trade association in considering and designing novel voluntary industry-wide, incentive-based credit trading system.
• Seconded for two years to major US financial institution in London to negotiate over 100 carbon agreements; member of ISDA, IETA, and EFET drafting teams revising standard form contracts for EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
• Advise several European carbon trading operations on entering US market.
• Provide regulatory advice to electric utility on early offshore wind energy project.

Bar Admissions

Education
MPA, MA, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Economics and Public Policy; Urban and Regional Planning, 2005JD, Stanford Law School, Editor-in-Chief, Stanford Environmental Law Journal, 2003BA, International Relations and Environmental and Technology Studies, Carleton College, magna cum laude, 1997