Bob Stout

Bob Stout is a Senior Fellow (non-resident) with the Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, who resides and works in the Washington, DC area. He is also a consultant/contributor to the Institute’s Energy Pathways USA program.

Bob advises public and private stakeholders on the development and implementation of policies and strategies to advance the ongoing energy transition through cleaner, secure, and affordable energy solutions. His projects and interests include U.S. and global climate and energy policy, methane emissions detection and mitigation, and ESG/sustainability stakeholder engagement. He also serves as Senior Fellow with Future 500, a non-profit consultancy focused on building relationships and trust between companies, advocates, investors, and philanthropists, and sits on the Coordinating Subcommittee for the National Petroleum Council’s ongoing study of GHG emissions reduction plans and potential across the natural gas value chain.

Bob spent nearly three decades as a lawyer and executive with bp, most recently as the VP and Head of US policy and regulatory affairs in bp’s Washington office from 2013-20. Before that, he served as bp’s global Associate General Counsel for environmental, health, and safety and led bp’s environmental legal response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Bob began his career as an associate and equity partner in the litigation department of Latham & Watkins, after serving as a law clerk on the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He received his A.B. summa cum laude from Ohio University and his J.D. Order of the Coif, from Northwestern Law School.