Practice Areas: Climate Change

GHG Permitting

Clean-energy facilities and transmission infrastructure are regulated, in part, through an increasingly fragmented local, state, and national permitting and siting framework. Expertise is required to navigate the interplay of environmental, land use, policy, tax, and other regulatory factors that influence energy facility siting and operational success. Companies that have a deep intrinsic understanding of the drivers and risks to value should be able to achieve a competitive advantage in light of the evolving regulatory framework.

The inability to quickly navigate targeted regulations results in delays and attendant costs for projects across the GHG infrastructure value chain. Multi-jurisdictional projects, such as transmission lines, face additional challenges of inter-agency coordination hurdles and inconsistent requirements. Alternatively, the rapid attainment of permits and land use approvals facilitate the deployment of capital and construction -- providing a significant competitive advantage in this emerging marketplace.

Our services:

• provide expertise in siting and obtaining all necessary permits and approvals from federal, state, and local government agencies for solar, wind, and geothermal facilities;
• advise on interconnection and transmission permitting within and across multiple jurisdictions;
• provide expertise in negotiation of transmission and interconnection issues across multiple jurisdictions;
• advise on compliance and permitting issues relating to every major federal environmental law, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA);
• advise on all aspects of FERERC relicensing process, including traditional, alternative, and integrated licensing procedures, shoreline management, and security; and
• provide guidance under the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA), state groundwater regulations, state watershed laws, and local zoning ordinances.