Kevin Baker

Role: Moderator

Kevin Baker is the Deputy General Counsel, Hydro for rPlus Energies. Kevin believes both in a practical and a reasoned approach to providing legal advice and that an in-house lawyer is a critical part of successful business operations. With over 24 years of legal and commercial experience representing large international corporations, like Rio Tinto and Antofagasta Minerals, Kevin has a proven and diverse skill set for developing and monetizing large, complex infrastructure projects. Kevin is particularly skilled in regulatory and permitting matters. In this area he provides legal support and actively participates in agency and regulatory processes, including for local land use permit applications, state siting and development permits, BLM rights of way and plans of development, FERC licensing, USBR power privilege leasing, and other local, state, and federal permitting matters. Of note, Kevin was the lead attorney and critical to rPlus Energies’ successful and multifaceted filing of two pumped storage license applications with the FERC. Previously, for Antofagasta Minerals, Kevin was the Vice President, Legal Affairs for one of the nations’ largest and most controversial copper and nickel mining projects located in Minnesota. One of his most interesting and notable achievements in this role was the successful defense of the mine’s mineral rights by preventing a Presidential Antiquities Act designation, the termination of a withdrawal action from the U.S. Forest Service, and reversing a Department of the Interior official opinion. This effort included complicated federal litigation, lengthy and high-level negotiations with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture senior leadership, the White House, and Congress. Kevin was also the senior attorney for Rio Tinto’s energy group in the U.S., where he led and managed the company’s legal department. Later, he also served as Rio Tinto’s business development attorney and was responsible for the creation and listing of Cloud Peak Energy on the NYSE, as well as several large and complex mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures for the company. Kevin is an award-winning author, has published two books, and volunteers as a motivational speaker across the country. He is also an Eagle Scout. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in International Finance from Brigham Young University, as well as a Master in Business Administration, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon.