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Andrew Hanson helps clients develop new and innovative projects in the energy sector, including negotiating real estate transactions and purchase and supply contracts, as well as forming project entities and partnerships, including joint ventures. He also assists with regulatory approvals for hundreds of millions of dollars of investments in renewable energy projects, energy efficiency and demand response programs, electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, advance metering infrastructure, grid modernization, and other emerging technologies. Andrew also counsels clients regarding potential tax credit opportunities applicable to energy-related projects, including under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Andrew most recently served as a senior attorney with Alliant Energy. Highlights of Andrew’s achievements while in-house counsel include negotiating contracts for the acquisition of several hundred megawatts of wind and solar projects and securing regulatory approval for 1,000 megawatts of new wind generation.
In addition, Andrew has held several positions in public service, including seven years as a trial attorney with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and prior to that, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Office of Civil Enforcement and in EPA’s Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water.
Andrew has been published by the Environmental Law Institute, Virginia Environmental Law Journal, Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, Pace Environmental Law Review, Wisconsin Lawyer Magazine and other publications; he has also been a presenter at the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute.
Andrew designed and taught an intensive two-week environmental litigation course for Vermont Law School’s summer sessions, which used a hypothetical problem to lead students through the basics in pretrial civil litigation under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. He has also co-instructed a summer course on renewable energy project finance, focusing on development issues such as real estate acquisition, project acquisition, power purchase agreements, interconnection, and construction contracts for large scale renewable projects.
Selected Publications
Andrew’s most recent publications include:
Keeping Pace: Aligning California’s Phase-Out of Gas Cars With the Charging Infrastructure Required
Santa Clara Business Law Chronicle
When you put it that way, California’s new plan to phase out gas-powered cars by 2035 hits differently—the transition is real and will accelerate soon.
IRS Issues Fact Sheet for New Federal Clean Vehicle Tax Credits
Updates
The Internal Revenue Service published a fact sheet clarifying changes in federal clean vehicle tax credits enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022.
California Approves Ambitious Plan to Phase Out Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035
Updates
The California Air Resources Board, on August 25, 2022, voted to adopt the lengthy and complex second iteration of the state’s ambitious zero-emission vehicle regulation now set to fully phase out the sale of conventional gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
The Inflation Reduction Act and the Rise of Clean Hydrogen
Updates
President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act on August 16, 2022, which, among other things, uses the tax code to slow the effects of climate change by significantly investing in clean energy and reducing of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Creates a Network of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, but Issues Remain
Updates
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021, has the potential to transform the surface transportation sector in the United States.
Professional Leadership
- Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT, Environmental Law Program, Adjunct Summer Professor of Law, 2014 – 2015 and 2019 – 2023
- University of Puerto Rico Law School, Visiting Professor, 2023
- Clean Lakes Alliance, Economic Impact and Policy Committee Member
Community Involvement
- REAP Food Group, Director/Board of Directors
Related Employment
- Alliant Energy Corporate Services, Madison, WI, Senior Attorney, 2016 – 2018
- United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., Environment and Natural Resources Division, Trial Attorney, 2008 – 2015
- Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT, Environmental Law Program, Adjunct Summer Faculty, 2014, 2015
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., Office of Civil Enforcement, Air Enforcement Division, Attorney‐Advisor, 2006 – 2008
- Midwest Environmental Advocates, Madison, WI, Staff Attorney, 2001 – 2006
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., Environmental Protection Specialist, 1997 – 1998
