Environment, Energy, and Resources

Chapman and Cutler attorneys routinely oversee the environmental, energy, and natural resource aspects of a large variety of sophisticated transactions, including those involving the acquisition or refinancing of complex real estate, energy, manufacturing, and mining portfolios. We also have substantial experience successfully representing a large variety of private and public clients on a broad range of regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters and regularly represent clients before federal and state trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies, regulatory commissions, and legislative bodies.

The group has substantial experience with manufacturing, mining, energy, and other industrial facility siting, permitting, and compliance issues under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and solid and hazardous (and radioactive) waste generation, treatment, and disposal. The group also regularly represents clients in matters involving other environmental and health and safety programs, including wetlands permitting, OSHA, MSHA, NEPA, EPCRA, OPA, and pipeline health and safety laws and regulations.

We have played industry-leading roles in the acquisition, management, and redevelopment of environmentally-sensitive properties, including dozens of NPL-listed Superfund sites and a variety of other listed and non-listed brownfields properties. All told, the group has led the redevelopment of thousands of acres of properties that now support residential, industrial, commercial, and recreational uses. We also have deep experience in litigation matters under the federal Superfund law, both recovering costs and defending such actions.

We regularly assist investor and utility clients in the identification and management of environmental liabilities and regulatory compliance issues associated with the acquisition of energy assets, including in particular electric generation and pipelines.

Our practice group lawyers have also assisted large private and municipal investor-owned utilities and independent power producers with many legal issues dealing with coal mining joint ventures, coal acquisition and transportation agreements, transmission access, ownership, siting and rights-of-way, acquisition and maintenance of water rights, risk management, and state and local taxation.

Areas Of Concentration

Related Practices