Our Environment, Health and Safety practice has experience in providing transactional guidance, compliance counseling and management strategy, litigation and dispute resolution, and international environmental law and policy guidance on behalf of a wide range of corporate, utility, industrial, real estate, and financial services clients.
Experience
- Various small, medium and global enterprises on issues arising under regional and international environmental agreements; counseled industry with respect to foreign legal requirements; monitored developments in policy and law; counseled industry on voluntary environmental standards, initiatives, and codes of conduct; conducted multi-jurisdictional assessments of legal and regulatory obligations; and applied multilateral financial institution guidelines to projects.
- Various small, medium and global enterprises on climate law, policy, and related finance matters, including: conducting greenhouse gas (GHG) due diligence, applying carbon and other environmental standards, and drafting and negotiating related provisions in transactional and financing documents in connection with mergers, acquisitions, financing of projects, and other ventures; advised clients on international, federal, and state GHG regimes and initiatives; negotiated and drafted emission reduction purchase agreements; counseled companies on emissions trading activities, GHG emission reduction projects, and voluntary carbon market issues; and advised on GHG-related strategies and governance matters, including policies, management systems, disclosure, carbon footprinting, and offsetting.
- Louisiana A.G. James Caldwell and other parties to provide legal advice and assistance in connection with BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill:
- secured expedited approval of Louisiana’s request for a permit to build barrier islands to prevent or mitigate oil from the spill from coming ashore in sensitive coastal areas. The successful strategy involved pointing out to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that his constitutional and statutory authority to regulate emergency actions by a state to protect its coastline was questionable and that if approval was not forthcoming promptly, Louisiana might be forced to go ahead without USACE approval.
- secured expedited approval of Louisiana’s request for a permit to build barrier islands to prevent or mitigate oil from the spill from coming ashore in sensitive coastal areas. The successful strategy involved pointing out to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that his constitutional and statutory authority to regulate emergency actions by a state to protect its coastline was questionable and that if approval was not forthcoming promptly, Louisiana might be forced to go ahead without USACE approval.
- Recognize Partners in its majority investment in Sprout, an IT asset disposition provider.
- Charah Solutions Inc., a leading provider of environmental services and byproduct recycling to the power generation industry, in its sale to SER Capital Partners.
- Environmental Banc & Exchange, LLC, a private company providing environmental mitigation banking and restoration services, in connection with its $16 million project financing from HASI NC Wetland Lender LLC.
- EQT Growth on its investment in Integrity Next GmbH, a sustainability software platform.
- Brookfield Business Partners in connection with its acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Company, a market-leading nuclear power service, for approximately $4.6 billion.
- The private equity clients of a global investment management company in connection with various matters, including:
- two separate, unrelated joint venture transactions associated with large real estate development projects in New York and California.
- a series of complex, multi-party real estate transactions, resulting in the company’s acquisition of a portfolio of properties in the U.S. and abroad.
- Cresta Fund Management in connection with its investment in Lapis Energy LP.
- Insight Partners in connection with its portfolio company AMCS’ acquisition of Quentic.
- Mueller Industries in connection with its $162.8 million acquisition of ATCO Rubber Products. ATCO is an industry leader in the manufacturing and distribution of insulated HVAC flexible duct systems and will support Mueller’s strategy to grow its Climate Products businesses.
- Warburg Pincus and its affiliates in connection with a number of matters, including:
- Warburg in an aerospace venture, Extant Components Group Holdings, Inc., formed between Warburg and aerospace industry executive James Gerwien. Willkie represented Extant in the acquisition of Symetrics Technology Group, LLC, a privately held company specializing in designing, manufacturing and testing electronic systems for the Department of Defense, NASA and prime contractors of the U.S. and foreign governments.
- Warburg and Clondalkin in the sale by Clondalkin of portions of its North American Flexible Packaging division to Hilex Poly, a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners.
- WEBER-HYDRAULIK, a leading international provider of customized hydraulic drive and control engineering solutions, in connection with its acquisition of U.S.-based Hyco International Inc., from U.S. financial investor Centre Partners Management LLC.
- Zurich Financial Services in connection with climate and sustainability strategy matters.
- Bloomberg LP in connection with EPA rulemakings regarding promoting transparency with regard to Greenhouse Gas Emissions. We have also facilitated interactions between the client and other stakeholders in the climate adaptation arena.