Environment
USA Guide 2024 : USA - Nationwide
Band 2
Contact number
+1 713 221 2300About
Provided by Bracewell LLP
Bracewell offers a fully integrated environmental platform that combines legal and policy depth with knowledge in media relations and lobbying, all focused on energy and environmental issues. The combination of legal and non-legal knowledge in a single team with a single focus benefits clients facing severe environmental and natural resources challenges that arise simultaneously in litigation, legislative debates, agency actions and public discourse. Familiar examples include climate change regulation, NSR reform, LNG development, pipeline and other infrastructure development and major accidents.
Bracewell is consistently in the vanguard of emerging legal trends in energy, environment and natural resources, and has achieved outstanding results on precedent-setting cases and projects, including:
- Clean Air Act and climate change policy, regulation and permitting, including NSR Reform, rollback of the Clean Power Plan and the new renewable fuels standards program;
- strategic advice and litigation related to infrastructure permitting for oil and natural gas pipelines, including defending against FERC and federal court challenges;
- bankruptcy litigation testing the intersection of bankruptcy and environmental law; and
- representing major trade associations and business groups in strategies to improve federal policies governing the permitting of energy and other infrastructure, including high-level meetings, preparation of white papers and drafting of rulemaking comments.
Chambers Review
Bracewell LLP has a well-respected practice, noted for acting on behalf of a strong client base of upstream and midstream oil and energy clients. Regularly sought after for its counsel on air and water permitting, CERCLA issues and accident investigations, the firm also provides due diligence to a range of financial institutions and investors on environmentally affected transactions. The team frequently represents clients before state and federal agencies and regulatory bodies, including the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the DOE and EPA.
DC-based Jason Hutt and Jeffrey Holmstead are key contacts.
Work Highlights
- Bracewell LLP represented Colonial Pipeline Company, Texas Eastern Transmission and Vanguard Renewables in resolving issues arising under various environmental, transportation and safety statutes and agencies.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"I have been impressed with Bracewell's depth of knowledge on federal and environmental regulatory matters."
"The environmental group is first-class. They are very good at outlining major issues and finding ways to work around them."
"I have been impressed with Bracewell's depth of knowledge on federal and environmental regulatory matters."
"The environmental group is first-class. They are very good at outlining major issues and finding ways to work around them."