John Morris
- San Francisco
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John is a skilled negotiator who pairs commercial instincts with experience in pricing environmental and climate risks and opportunities.
John Morris’s project development practice encompasses environmental review, permitting, and transactional counseling to sponsors and investors in infrastructure, decarbonization, and climate adaptation projects. John serves as outside counsel to developers of ”new energies” projects including carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), clean hydrogen, and enhanced geothermal projects in California. John also advises electric utilities and other stakeholders on environmental and regulatory aspects of catastrophic wildfire risk mitigation.
John provides strategic counseling on the decommissioning and repurposing aging infrastructure, legacy assets, and brownfields. John and his Perkins Coie colleagues represented the Klamath River Renewal Corporation on the decommissioning and removal of four hydroelectric dams in the world’s largest dam removal and river restoration project. He also advises upstream and midstream oil and gas companies in decommissioning onshore oil fields, repurposing crude oil pipelines, financing orphan well plugging and abandonment, and rationalizing real estate and asset portfolios through divestments of excess facilities.
In his transactional practice, John regularly advises private equity investors and public company clients on environmental risk management in mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, and real estate investments and divestitures.
Education & Credentials
Education
- University of Texas School of Law, J.D., with honors, Associate Editor, Texas Law Review, 2014
- Claremont McKenna College, B.A., Philosophy and Psychology, 2010
Bar and Court Admissions
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California
Related Employment
- Paul Hastings LLP, San Francisco, CA, Associate, 2018-2020
- Latham & Watkins LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Associate, 2014-2018
Professional Recognition
Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Environmental Law, 2026
Professional Experience
Environmental Transactions
- Represented a private equity investor in acquisition of California underground natural gas storage business and associated pre-closing regulatory approvals
- Represented global infrastructure investor in acquisition of California geothermal power plant and associated pre-closing regulatory approvals
- Advised sponsors and investors on permitting and environmental risk mitigation in the acquisition, disposition, tax equity financings, and debt financings of utility-scale wind and solar projects in the United States
- Represented private equity firms in roll-up acquisitions across multiple industry sectors including automotive, logistics, construction, food and beverage, and healthcare
- Represented a venture capital fund in late stage investment into advanced geothermal energy startup
- Represented a multinational energy and fuels corporation in various real estate transactions involving the purchase, sale, and leasing of commercial and industrial lands
- Represented a downstream oil and gas company in the acquisition of a portfolio of retail gasoline service stations in the western United States.
- Advised a midstream oil and gas producer in its carveout of U.S. Gulf Coast waste services company*
- Represented a food and beverage corporation in its acquisition of California plant-based foods company and pre-closing state and local regulatory approvals*
* Prior experience
Energy Transition and Climate Change Mitigation
- Represented an oil and gas company in the planning, environmental impact review, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) program permitting, and other state and local permitting for a proposed carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project
- Represented an oil and gas company in the planning, environmental impact review, and permitting of a green hydrogen production plant co-located with solar energy facility
- Represented an oil and gas company in the planning, environmental impact review, and permitting of a U.S. Department of Energy funded enhanced geothermal energy project
- Represented a developer of waste-to-hydrogen fuels plant in project planning, environmental impact review, and permitting matters
- Advised electric transmission developers in environmental review, permitting, regulatory, and wildfire risk mitigation matters relating to California Independent System Operator transmission project opportunities
- Represented developers in the planning, environmental impact review, and permitting commercial microgrids and district utility systems
- Represented a producer of aerial- and ground-applied wildfire retardant in permitting and environmental impact review advice concerning wildfire fuels reduction projects in California
Decommissioning, Repurposing, and Asset Retirement
- Represented Klamath River Renewal Corporation in the environmental review, permitting, water quality certification, and defense of project to decommission four hydroelectric dams and restore interstate river system
- Represented an oil and gas company in environmental review and permitting for the decommissioning of a California onshore oil field
- Represented a pipeline company in permitting and dispute resolution arising from divestment of idle crude oil pipeline
- Advised a university in permitting, risk management, and environmental impact review for a proposed dam decommissioning and watershed restoration project
- Represented a climate change organization in development of strategy to accelerate funding of orphan well plugging and abandonment
Brownfield Development
- Advised a developer in environmental review, permitting, and environmental risk management strategies in connection with proposed rail-to-shipping export terminal sited at former landfill site under Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and regional board oversight
- Represented an investor in New York’s first “Build Ready” solar energy project sited on former mine tailings dump site
- Represented a battery energy storage systems (BESS) project developer in the siting and environmental risk management strategies for project proposed on closed landfill
- Represented a foreclosing lender in groundwater and soil vapor cleanup, post-foreclosure strategy, and resale of perchloroethylene (PCE)-impacted commercial property under regional board oversight
- Advised a public-private partnership to redevelop former landfill site into community-oriented athletic and academic campus*
- Represented the National Football League franchise in site selection, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, permitting, and approval of stadium project proposal on former landfill site*
* Prior experience
Environmental Enforcement Defense
- Represented a landowner in defense of criminal investigation and negotiation of misdemeanor resolution of claims relating to oil discharges from legacy infrastructure damaged by wildfire and subsequent mudslides
- Represented a company in response to criminal indictment for claims arising from alleged unlawful transportation and storage of hazardous waste, resulting in grant of pretrial diversion
- Represented an aerospace company in administrative settlement negotiations involving the cleanup, restoration, closure, and post-closure permitting of former aeronautical testing and research site under regional board and DTSC oversight
- Advised a former landowner of contaminated site in response to regional board cleanup and abatement order arising from alleged historic releases of trichloroethylene (TCE) by commercial tenant of former landowner
- Represented an energy company in the investigation, compliance assessment, and voluntary response actions at lead-impacted former gun range located on its property
- Represented a natural gas utility in its petition to the state board for review of cleanup and abatement order arising from alleged disposal of exploration and production waste to groundwater*
- Represented an oil and gas environmental services company in administrative settlement with EPA Region 6 arising from hazardous waste storage and generation violations and establishment of compliance monitoring program*
- Represented a waste-to-energy solvents recycler in administrative settlement with EPA Region 9 of hazardous waste facility air emissions violations and implementation of offsite mitigation program*
- Provided extensive counseling on environmental, health, and safety compliance and permitting matters under EPA jurisdiction and before California state, regional, and local regulatory agencies. This included representation before the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), Regional Water Quality Control Boards, DTSC, California Air Resources Board (CARB), regional Air Quality Management Districts (AQMDs), California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), and California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM)
* Prior experience
