Bottom Line

• FORESTS. The Monument Policy Group, led by C. Stewart Verdery, recently signed new clients on a number of issues. The firm will work with the Minnesota company PolyMet Mining on issues related to the Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017. Ashley Hoy, former director of coalitions for the Senate Republican Conference’s office of the vice chairman, and T.A. Hawks, former Senate Agriculture Committee minority staff director, will work on the account.

{mosads}• Monument also signed on to work with Identification Technology Association, which focuses on biometrics, identity management and cyber protection, to work on issues related to secure identity solutions, as well as Idaho company Black Sage Technologies Inc., a systems integrator that detects and defeats drone threats, to work on matters related to the deployment of unmanned aircraft systems.

• FINANCE. Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck recently signed on to work with California personal finance company Credit Karma on financial services policy. Travis Norton, Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) former counsel; Russ Sullivan, the Senate Finance Committee’s former staff director; and Milan Dalal, who worked on the Senate Banking Committee, will work on the account.

• PORTS. Lone Star Ports, based out of Corpus Christi, Texas, has hired Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas to work on issues related to the port of Corpus Christi, which is the largest exporter of crude oil in the U.S. The port is currently developing a crude oil export terminal, the Caller Times reported in October. Former Senate chiefs of staff Helen Tolar, who worked for Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.); Steven Haro, who worked for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.); Constantine Hingson, who worked for former Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.); and Charles Wooters, who worked for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are among those on the account.