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Environment, Energy & Resources |
Overview
Environment Energy and Resource ("EER") matters are a core Perkins Coie practice. We assist clients whenever and wherever environmental issues arise. We have had an active energy law practice for more than 60 years representing large investor owned utilities, small renewable energy developers, and every kind of energy client in between. We represent oil and gas producers, pipelines, mines and extractive industries from Alaska to Washington DC. We regularly represent manufacturers and other businesses, financial institutions, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and individuals as they deal with the myriad of environmental, regulatory, and commercial issues.
With more than 80 attorneys focused on EER matters, our firm is widely recognized for its breadth, depth, experience and capability Our largest corporate clients and our smallest individual clients both know we quickly and efficiently address environmental, energy law and resource issues whenever or wherever they arise. And although we strive to solve our clients’ problems through planning and negotiation, we can and do litigate disputes when necessary.
Chambers USA ranks our environmental group as one of the nation's top national practices, our Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Idaho offices as "Band 1," and 14 of our Environmental attorneys individually. Our EER lawyers also have high ratings in Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers; 25 Perkins lawyers in Alaska, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Colorado and Washington, D.C. are individually listed. Some of our EER Practices include:
Our California Environmental, Energy, Resources and Land Use lawyers have counseling and litigation experience in all aspects of development and redevelopment. Our attorneys have worked on many of the highest profile development projects in California. They author some of the most well-recognized treatises in the field and routinely teach courses to developers, public agencies, consultants and other attorneys. Our California practice is part of a nationwide group of attorneys focused on environmental, energy, resource and land use matters, who have extensive experience with the full range of issues relating to project development and permitting. It is also an integral part of the firm's California Practice group in our San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles and San Diego offices.
Commercial And Real Estate Transactions
We frequently advise clients on the environmental and permitting aspects of commercial and real estate transactions. We work closely with corporate attorneys and environmental consultants to conduct due diligence in connection with financing and acquisitions. We also assist clients to negotiate indemnification agreements, secure environmental insurance, post-claim coverage, and other protections from environmental liability.
Our lawyers have extensive experience with international, federal and local wildlife laws. We help clients obtain authorization for activities that could impact species and habitat; we develop conservation programs for nonprofit organizations, landowners and developers; we defend against lawsuits that challenge resource utilization activities by mines, oil and gas producers, and forest product companies. We represent clients in civil and criminal enforcement proceedings. For wildlife issues, our clients include private landowners; extractive industry companies; real estate developers; trade associations; governmental entities; nonprofit groups; and Native American tribes.
Our energy lawyers work in almost every area of the energy industry. We represent the largest national investor owned utilities and start-up independent power producers in both regulated and unregulated settings. Our energy work includes state and federal regulation, commercial transactions, project development, finance, and all aspects of project permitting. We regularly represent clients before agencies and courts that affect their activities. Our work on energy projects includes projects fueled by natural gas, electricity, oil, coal, ethanol, bio-diesel, methane, LNG, geothermal, solar, wind, hydroelectric and other renewable technologies.
Members of Perkins Coie's Environmental Litigation group represent clients in some of the nation's most significant environmental litigation matters. These matters include multi-party cleanup sites and projects, and high-stakes permit challenges in state or federal trial courts, appellate courts, administrative tribunals and alternative dispute resolution forums. Our environmental litigation experience includes cases under CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and other federal, state and local environmental and land use laws.
We advocate for our clients at all levels of government, assisting them during the development, implementation and revision of legislation and regulatory policy involving EER issues. Attorneys based in our Washington, D.C. office assist our nationwide clients with federal legislative and regulatory matters, while our attorneys throughout the country provide similar assistance at regional and state levels. Our lawyers include former administration officials, former members of the Department of Justice's environmental divisions and former legislators, attorneys and advisors to various state governments.
Our extractive industry clients must frequently overcome challenges relating to the financing, exploration, development and production of their mineral properties. They turn to us because we have played a leading role for our clients in projects in the United States and around the world, and we are the leading law firm for project permitting and development of mineral properties in Alaska.
Lawyers in our Alaska and lower 48 offices provide a full range of legal services to the oil and gas industry. Our clients include leading oil and gas producers, pipeline and storage companies, refiners, service companies, Alaska Native Corporations and institutional advisors and lenders. We have substantial expertise in project development; commercial transactions; finance; mergers, acquisitions and dispositions; tax; litigation and disputes; environmental permitting; and federal and state regulatory matters.
We work with clients to obtain federal, state and local permits for new and existing facilities. We frequently represent clients in administrative hearings and judicial appeals regarding environmental and land use permits, and advise clients on NIMBY challenges, regulatory requirements and permit compliance. We conduct environmental audits and help clients to develop and implement environmental compliance management systems. We represent clients in litigation involving hazardous substance contamination, natural resource damages and insurance coverage. We defend clients in civil and criminal enforcement actions and against citizen suits.
We provide counsel and assistance to our project developer clients on all aspects of their projects from inception to post-closing remediation, including development, site selection, project design, land and water rights acquisition, environmental assessment, federal and state permitting, local land use requirements, management and plans, and regulatory reporting. We are familiar with the economic constraints new projects face, the critical importance of maintaining schedules, and the demands of lenders and investors.
Our water law attorneys assist clients to overcome both traditional and novel challenges associated with water resource management. Our work ranges from participating in major national and international water resource policy issues to obtaining water rights for local development activities to assisting owner/operators of water treatment facilities to control emissions, expenses and exposure. Many of our water lawyers have regulatory and technical backgrounds, as well as experience working with or leading government agencies, with thorough knowledge of federal and state permitting and administrative proceedings, or as litigators at the highest levels.
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