Brigham A. McCown

Senior Fellow and Director, Initiative on American Energy Security

Brigham McCown

At A Glance:

Brigham McCown is a senior fellow and director of the Initiative on American Energy Security at Hudson Institute.

Biography

Brigham A. McCown is a senior fellow and director of the Initiative on American Energy Security at Hudson Institute.

At Hudson, he leads efforts to advance the United States’ energy independence, increase its infrastructural resilience, and implement strategic resource policy. He has nearly four decades of experience in government, industry, law, and national security.

As chief executive of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (2020–22), Mr. McCown oversaw the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, ensuring safety and compliance. He is founder and CEO of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, an organization that drives nonpartisan solutions for infrastructure and energy policy. McCown also helped develop the national 811 Call Before You Dig program and author the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006.

Mr. McCown has advised cabinet secretaries from both parties across four presidential administrations on policy, legal, and regulatory matters. He is an inaugural member of the Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure and Transportation Advisory Board (2025–present). He has frequently testified before Congress, championing stronger safety regulations for trucks, buses, and rail cars carrying hazardous materials. As vice chair of the regulatory subcommittee of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (2017–20), he worked to reestablish American dominance in space. He served on three presidential transition teams, including as co-lead for infrastructure and transportation, head of the Transportation Department’s landing team, and transition team lead for the Department of the Navy. He led infrastructure restoration after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Mr. McCown is a retired naval officer and aviator and holds a commission as rear admiral (LH, hon.) in the US Maritime Administration. He is also a life member of the American Bar Association Foundation. During his career in law, he was a partner at multiple international law firms and practiced before the US Supreme Court. He speaks frequently to international gatherings and global press agencies and is a former Forbes contributor.

As a professor of practice at Miami University, he teaches business, ethics, law, and policy. Mr. McCown serves on multiple boards and holds degrees in business, diplomacy, and law.

Events
08
November 2024
Past Event
North American Energy Preeminence Forum
Featured Speakers:
John Desjarlais
Lisa Baiton
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Julia Nesheiwat
Rachel Ziemba
Paul Dabbar
Robert Asselin
George Christidis
Brian McCormick
Christopher Sands
Steve Myers
Michael Catanzaro
Moderators:
Brigham A. McCown
Heather Exner-Pirot
Jamie Tronnes
Pumpjack in a field with snow covered mountains in Alberta, Canada. (Michael Interisano/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
08
November 2024
Past Event
North American Energy Preeminence Forum

Join Hudson and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for a daylong conference with energy and security experts, industry representatives, and policymakers. The forum will discuss how Washington and Ottawa can work together to leverage emerging technologies and North America’s abundant energy resources to build energy security and limit authoritarian states’ influence in global energy markets.

Pumpjack in a field with snow covered mountains in Alberta, Canada. (Michael Interisano/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
John Desjarlais
Lisa Baiton
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Julia Nesheiwat
Rachel Ziemba
Paul Dabbar
Robert Asselin
George Christidis
Brian McCormick
Christopher Sands
Steve Myers
Michael Catanzaro
Moderators:
Brigham A. McCown
Heather Exner-Pirot
Jamie Tronnes
10
September 2024
Past Event
The Implications of Climate Lawsuits for Energy Security
Featured Speakers:
Brigham A. McCown
Drew Bond
Phil Goldberg
Donald J. Kochan
Environmental activists rally for accountability for fossil fuel companies outside of the New York Supreme Court on October 22, 2019, in New York City. (Drew Angerer via Getty Images)
10
September 2024
Past Event
The Implications of Climate Lawsuits for Energy Security

Join Hudson for an expert discussion featuring various perspectives on these climate lawsuits and their potential impact.

Environmental activists rally for accountability for fossil fuel companies outside of the New York Supreme Court on October 22, 2019, in New York City. (Drew Angerer via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Brigham A. McCown
Drew Bond
Phil Goldberg
Donald J. Kochan
01
August 2024
Past Event
Taiwan’s Energy Transition
Featured Speakers:
Brigham A. McCown
Tsaiying Lu
Dr. Tsung-Kuang Yeh
Moderator:
Riley Walters
Taiwan Power Company workers during a training exercise in Yilan, Taiwan, on April 23, 2024. (Sam Yeh/AFP Getty Images)
01
August 2024
Past Event
Taiwan’s Energy Transition

Join Hudson as an expert panel discusses the current state of Taiwan’s energy transition and how the island’s energy mix might change in the next several years.

Taiwan Power Company workers during a training exercise in Yilan, Taiwan, on April 23, 2024. (Sam Yeh/AFP Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Brigham A. McCown
Tsaiying Lu
Dr. Tsung-Kuang Yeh
Moderator:
Riley Walters
05
June 2024
Past Event
Strategic Energy 2024: A Dialogue on Challenges and Solutions
Featured Speakers:
Sarah Adair
Alexander Herrgott
Jennifer Linker
Kevin Book
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Steven Everley
Vince Erfe
Moderator:
Brigham A. McCown
Strategic Energy 2024: A Dialogue on Challenges and Solutions
05
June 2024
Past Event
Strategic Energy 2024: A Dialogue on Challenges and Solutions

Join Hudson Institute for an event on how the US can effectively wield its natural resources to achieve energy independence and aid its allies.

Strategic Energy 2024: A Dialogue on Challenges and Solutions
Featured Speakers:
Sarah Adair
Alexander Herrgott
Jennifer Linker
Kevin Book
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Steven Everley
Vince Erfe
Moderator:
Brigham A. McCown
An aerial view of a cargo ship passing by the Cheniere Energy liquefied natural gas plant on February 10, 2025 in Port Arthur, Texas. China, the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas, has announced that it will be placing a 15% tariff on U.S. liquefied natural gas in retaliation to President Trump's ruling to impose tariffs on Chinese commodities. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Caption
An aerial view of a cargo ship passing by the Cheniere Energy liquefied natural gas plant on February 10, 2025 in Port Arthur, Texas. China, the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas, has announced that it will be placing a 15% tariff on U.S. liquefied natural gas in retaliation to President Trump's ruling to impose tariffs on Chinese commodities. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Brigham McCown
Brigham McCown
Senior Fellow and Director, Initiative on American Energy Security
Commentary
4 Min Read