Blog Post 11.05.24
Clarence Tolliver focuses on energy regulatory, transactional and project matters, with an emphasis on nuclear fusion, nuclear fission, hydrogen, renewable energy, and aerospace and aviation industries.
Clarence has experience advising on regulatory, intellectual property, international trade and NRC-related work. Prior to joining Pillsbury, Clarence worked on a variety of intellectual property development, commercialization and international licensing matters involving energy, security and climate technologies at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories. Clarence draws from nearly a decade of experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research on energy sustainability, finance, technology and policy topics in graduate and post-graduate programs throughout Japan.
Representative Experience
- Conducted multistate evaluation and advised multinational nuclear fuel corporation on NRC license renewal and reinstatement options.
- Advised Japanese multinational on legal and regulatory mandates governing the U.S. fusion market under the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2024 and the NRC 10 CFR Part 30 byproduct materials framework.
- Advised leading artificial intelligence (AI) developer on technical, legal and policy aspects of global and U.S. AI datacenter landscapes and advanced energy options for meeting precipitous growth in domestic energy demand.
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- Engages startups, SMEs and large corporations navigating Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, and other Federal agency regulatory processes affecting the research, development, demonstration and deployment of space nuclear power and propulsion systems.
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Counsels NGOs and private nuclear technology developers on system- and component-level classifications under Department of Commerce and Nuclear Regulatory Commission export control regimes.
- Advises U.S. utilities on general and specific export control authorization requirements under Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration regulatory frameworks.
- Advised aviation startup on the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission licensing and regulatory requirements for operating test flights at hypersonic speeds.
- While at Sandia National Laboratories, served U.S. federal government agencies and national laboratories, federally funded universities, small-medium enterprises and foreign government entities in domestic and international technology transactions.
- Assisted fusion industry client with patent prosecution and business development strategies.
- Supports Fusion Industry Association (FIA) efforts to accelerate regulatory and legal reforms conducive to fusion energy commercialization and proliferation.
- Provides pro-bono counsel to non-governmental organizations focused on energy, hydrogen and decarbonization initiatives.
- Engages Japanese government, corporate and research entities seeking independent and partnership opportunities in Asia, North America and Europe.
Professional Highlights
Speaking Engagements
- “U.S. Commercial Launches of Space Nuclear Systems – Insurance & Indemnification, Considerations and Potential Options,” Association of Commercial Space Professionals (ACSP) U.S. Space Nuclear Policy Summit, National Press Club, Washington, DC, October 04, 2024
- “Justifications for Expanding the Price-Anderson Act (PAA) to Cover Private Sector Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion (SNPP) Systems,” Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Seminar (Virtual), Albuquerque, NM, August 17 and 31, 2023
- “Drivers of Green Bond Market Growth,” Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies 24th Annual Conference, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan, September 28 and 29, 2019
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- External Publications
- “Expanding the Price-Anderson Act (PAA) to Cover Private Sector Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion (SNPP),” Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2024 Conference (May 2024).
- “Legal and Policy Update: Regulation,” Fusion Energy Insights Quarterly, (December 2023, March 2024, June 2024, September 2024). Co-author.
- “Green Innovation and Finance in Asia,” Asian Economic Policy Review, (January 2021). 1st Co-author.
- Affiliations and Associations
- American Nuclear Society
- Energy Bar Association
- ABA Forum on Air and Space Law
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Registered Patent Attorney
- Rotary Club Japan Yoneyama Fellow
- Kyushu University Urban Institute Fellow
Education
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J.D., University of Michigan Law School
Ph.D., Kyushu University
B.A., Colgate University
Admissions
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District of Columbia
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Languages
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Japanese