Melanie S. Lampton

Area of Emphasis

Melanie Lampton is a shareholder in the Pipeline and HazMat Safety practice group, representing clients in pipeline safety matters. Ms. Lampton comes to Babst Calland after nearly a decade of working on energy-related matters for the Federal government. She most recently worked as an attorney advisor in the Office of General Counsel at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where she provided counsel on legislative issues and rulemakings across the department.

Prior to this role, Ms. Lampton was an attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). She advised the Office of Pipeline Safety on rulemakings, regulatory enforcement, litigation, and policy development. She served as counsel to PHMSA regional offices around the country, representing the agency at administrative hearings, as well as serving as an adjudicator for pipeline safety enforcement cases. Ms. Lampton was also PHMSA’s primary counsel on liquefied natural gas matters.

Background

Ms. Lampton earned her B.A. from New York University in 2006, and her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2012. In addition to her work at DOE and PHMSA, Ms. Lampton served as an attorney decision writer at the Social Security Administration and a judicial law clerk at the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

Awards and Recognition

U.S. Department of Energy:

General Counsel Special Act Award (2023 and 2024)

U.S. Department of Transportation:

Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence Award (2019 and 2020)General Counsel’s Superior Achievement Award (2020)General Counsel’s Special Recognition (2018)

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration:

Administrator’s Superior Achievement Award (2019 and 2020)Administrator’s Special Recognition (2019)Administrator’s Team Eagle Award (2018)Office of Chief Counsel Peer Award (2017)

U.S. Department of Justice:

Environment and Natural Resources Division Annual Award (2020)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

Gold Medal Award for Exceptional Service (2020)

Memberships and Affiliations

Ms. Lampton is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland, as well as before the United States Supreme Court.