Josh Hale has worked for Southern Company for six years, serving in positions of increasing responsibility in the Marketing, Regulatory Pricing and Fuels organizations.  He has been in the Emissions Trading organization for two years, serving as the manager for nine months. His team develops allowance compliance and trading strategies for the largest utility in the nation (by market capitalization).  Their current market involvement includes SO2, Annual NOx, Seasonal NOx, voluntary RECs and regional Emission Reduction Credits.  They are responsible for the complete deal flow process with a significant amount of time devoted to future environmental strategies and the critical role allowance markets will play – with a particular focus on renewables and carbon. Josh holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and an M.B.A. from The University of Alabama at Birmingham .  He lives in Birmingham with his wife and daughter.