LegiStorm

A K Street defense lobbyist has moved to Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans.

Kristina Belcourt comes from Potomac Advocates, where she was principal consultant. There, she lobbied on behalf of a number of heavy-hitting defense contractors, including BAE Systems and General Dynamics.

Belcourt, who served in the U.S. Air Force before transitioning to her current role with the Virginia Air National Guard, is now a professional staff member under SASC Republicans and the party's staff lead on the Airland Subcommittee.

After a short lobbying stint with Jacobs Engineering Group, an aide is back with Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).

Laura Lee Burkett rejoined Fischer's office last week as legislative director. At Jacobs, she was a government-relations manager for infrastructure and lobbied on road and transportation issues. The Fortune 500 company focuses on engineering, construction and consulting services and, through its PAC, has given $8,000 to Fischer's reelection efforts since 2018.

Before leaving for Jacobs less than a year ago, Burkett was Fischer's legislative assistant for agriculture, energy, environment, natural resources and trade. She has also worked for Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.).

Two more ex-members have officially passed through the revolving door.

Alpine Advisers recently added former Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) to its lobbying contract with ASML US, a subsidiary of Dutch multinational corporation ASML Holdings. ASML Holdings develops and produces systems that are used in semiconductor manufacturing. Walden was formerly ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Former Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) also registered as a lobbyist on behalf of Mewbourne Oil Co. Olson and former Rep. Jim Turner (D-Texas) are part of a Hance Scarborough team working on oil and natural-gas leasing, drilling and operating issues for the Southwestern producer.

Both Olson and Turner retired from Congress at the end of last term and are newly eligible to lobby the House under ethics rules. Former Reps. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), Pete King (R-N.Y.), Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Martha Roby (R-Ala.) have also registered as first-time lobbyists in the year's first quarter.

After working for four congressional Republicans and the Trump administration, a Hill staffer has made his first pass through the revolving door for the renewable-energy sector.

Blake Deeley, most recently Rep. Dan Meuser's (R-Pa.) legislative director, is now director of federal affairs for the American Clean Power Association. He's already registered as a lobbyist for the association, which spent more than $1.9 million on its federal lobbying program in 2021. The Energy Storage Association, a recent ACPA acquisition, disclosed another $80,000 on lobbying last year.

Before joining Meuser's office last year, Deeley served as special assistant to then-President Donald Trump and as an adviser at the Department of the Interior. He's also held positions with Rep. David McKinley (R-W.V.), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

A GOP staffer is back to the Hill, now with agricultural lobbying experience under his belt.

Coleman Garrison is now a professional staff member to the Senate Agriculture Committee under Ranking Member John Boozman (R-Ark.). Garrison comes from the Irrigation Association, where he was a government and public-affairs director and lobbied on agricultural and environmental issues for the trade group.

Before leaving the Hill for the National Association of Conservation Districts in 2016, Garrison worked for Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and for then-Reps. Sandy Adams (R-Fla.) and Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas).