Bracewell & Giuliani's Environmental Strategies Group (ESG) is a multi-disciplinary team that helps clients with a number of high-profile environmental and energy issues. It was formed in recognition of the fact that, for many companies, major corporate decisions are influenced by a complex mix of environmental, public policy and public relations issues. As a result, the ESG includes experienced attorneys, public policy advocates and strategic communications experts who work together on a daily basis to deal with environmental and energy issues that are often controversial.
In some cases, companies require high-level guidance and counseling to help them understand these issues and make the right decisions for their stockholders. In other cases, they must be actively involved in shaping the issues – an effort that requires effective and coordinated advocacy on a number of fronts, including before Congress, federal and state agencies, the courts, and the media. Our team advises companies and business groups in all these cases and represents a number of clients confronting major environmental and energy-development challenges, both domestically and globally.
Our practice focuses on regulatory enforcement and compliance, climate change, air quality, energy policy, major energy development projects, the environmental aspects of transactions, and contamination and exposure issues. We provide sophisticated environmental counseling, litigation, and enforcement defense across all major environmental issues and statutes. In addition, we help our clients to identify, assess and effectively manage material environmental issues, liabilities and obligations.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Managing Complex Environmental Challenges
The Environmental Strategies Group includes senior members of our firm with high-level environmental experience gained in private practice and in senior government positions. The group is organized and staffed to provide Board-level advice to clients whose objectives require a multi-disciplinary combination of regulatory counseling, policy advocacy, dispute resolution, and stakeholder communication services. The result: our clients are better positioned to manage regulatory developments, shape public policy, obtain support and approvals for proposed projects, resolve transactional challenges, and develop and implement effective communications, lobbying and litigation strategies.
A key component of ESG's value for our clients is our ability to manage complex issues that are affected by many competing stakeholders. In dealing with high-profile issues on which decision-makers in business and government are increasingly aware of public debate and sentiment, our practitioners are known for their ability to ensure that our clients' voices are clearly heard by stakeholders in industry, the investment community, the public sphere, interest groups and within the halls of government.
We represent leading companies in key sectors of the economy such as oil and gas, refining, power generation and transmission, LNG, renewable resources, chemicals, manufacturing, technology, mining, cement and construction as well as the financial enterprises that interact with these industries. We also build and represent client coalitions that share business objectives with respect to environmental matters of concern.
Our representations include a broad range of environmental matters, including:
- Regulatory Compliance
- Defense of Environmental Enforcement Actions
- Climate Change
- Air Quality
- Project Siting and Permitting
- Environmental Criminal Defense
- Corporate Governance and Disclosures
- Environmental Policy Advocacy and Media Strategy
- Acquisitions, Divestitures and Finance
- Remediation and Superfund
The Environmental Strategies Team
With decades of experience counseling clients within industry and serving government within federal and state agencies, our practitioners have the unique ability to counsel companies with a government insider's perspective. Our team has long-standing experience with the White House and federal agencies such as EPA, FERC and the Energy and Interior Departments, as well as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and other state and local agencies. For example:
- Jeff Holmstead served as Assistant Administrator of EPA for Air and Radiation longer than anyone else in EPA history, and was the architect of several major environmental initiatives, including the Clean Air Interstate Rule, the Clean Air Diesel Rule, the mercury rule for power plants, reforms to the New Source Review Program and the President's Clear Skies Legislation.
- As Acting EPA General Counsel, Lisa Jaeger advised the EPA administrator on air, water, toxic substances and waste disposal issues.
- Kevin O'Connor served as Associate Attorney General of the United States, the third-ranking official at the Department of Justice, overseeing, among other sections, the Environment and Natural Resources Division, which handles environmental litigation on behalf of the United States.
- Tim Wilkins, Managing Partner of the Austin Office, is nationally recognized for his work on environmental governance structures and auditing and on the environmental aspects of transactions.
- Kevin Ewing is nationally recognized for his work on environmental issues affecting strategic business acquisitions, divestitures, projects and disclosures.
- Jason Hutt is nationally recognized for his work on the environmental aspects of transactions and project development matters.
- Tracy Hester, nationally recognized for his work on enforcement defense, major cleanups, crisis response and nanotechnology, is Chair of the Environmental Enforcement & Crimes Committee, ABA Section on Environment, Energy and Resources.
- Ed Krenik has over 17 years of environmental legislative experience working in both houses of Congress and as EPA's Associate Administrator for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations.
- The strategic communications team, led by Scott Segal and Frank Maisano, has represented clients and coalitions on Fox News, CNN, CNBC, C-SPAN, MSNBC, NPR, PBS and the major broadcast networks and have arranged high-profile media placements such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Houston Chronicle and USA Today.
- Richard Alonso served as Chief of the Stationary Source Enforcement Branch of the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, the second-ranking official for Clean Air Act enforcement.
- Rebecca Rentz was the top administrator for air issues in the Houston region, serving as the Air Quality Director and Counsel to the Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
- Michael D. Olsen was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Department of the Interior, overseeing energy development in Alaska, the development of conventional and renewable energy on the OCS nationwide, and the siting of renewable energy projects on public land in the western United States.
- Salo Zelermyer served as Senior Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Mr. Zelermyer had significant involvement with regulatory responses to climate change, DOE's loan guarantee program for new and innovative energy technologies established under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and DOE's advanced technology vehicles manufacturing loan program established under section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.