Climate Law

Climate Change Lawyers in Salt Lake City, Reno and Las Vegas

Parsons Behle & Latimer is on the cutting edge of this rapidly evolving area of law. Our attorneys integrate our knowledge and experience in the areas of environmental, natural resources, energy, corporate law, real estate, taxation, government relations and litigation to advise and represent clients across the Western U.S. We have been representing companies as they track, comment on and prepare for climate change regulation at the state, regional and federal level.

Contact: Mike Zody, (801) 536-6818, MZody@parsonsbehle.com, chair of the Climate Law Practice Group or Michael J. Malmquist, (801) 536-6658, MMalmquist@parsonsbehle.com, Environmental and Natural Resources department chair.

Climate Change Practice Areas:

Western Climate Initiative

Our attorneys represent the Utah Business Climate Change Coalition (UBC3) that has engaged our firm to closely track and comment on the cap-and-trade system being developed by the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). Given the WCI's goal of a regional cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases, industry is faced with a host of important issues including the details of GHG monitoring, reporting, trading, and enforcement, as well as eventual integration with existing regional GHG trading systems, such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and national and international systems.

Renewable Energy

Parsons Behle & Latimer has been instrumental in shaping renewable energy tax incentive legislation and regulations in Utah, and is participating in similar initiatives in other states. We represent the developers of several wind energy projects, including the first major project in Utah. We have also been assisting solar manufacturers and developers in siting solar manufacturing facilities and permitting solar energy projects, as well as representing buyers and sellers of geothermal rights. In states with Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), we represent clients through drafting legislation and regulations, negotiating and drafting purchase agreements, drafting applications and compliance reports, and appearing for clients in compliance proceedings.

Carbon Sequestration

Our lawyers represent clients navigating the unique environmental, liability, permitting and subsurface property issues presented by carbon capture and sequestration. Parsons Behle & Latimer has been helping clients shape western laws designed to encourage development of geologic sequestration projects. We are currently assisting clients involved in cutting edge pilot geologic sequestration projects.

Energy Users and Producers

We represent several large industrial energy users (including mines, manufacturing facilities, iron and steel producers, magnesium producers, aerospace companies, and refineries), as well as energy producers, on a wide range of legal and business issues driven by climate change law. We have been helping these clients navigate the impact of emerging climate laws, including advising on carbon-based contractual risks in existing and new power supply contracts.

Emissions Trading, Offsets and RECs

We have experience in emissions trading under the Clean Air Act. We have been helping clients explore opportunities to produce offsets in the voluntary and pre-compliance offset markets. Our energy lawyers have been monetizing and securing renewable energy credits for energy users and producers, and exploring alternative compliance strategies within Renewable Portfolio Standards.

Regulatory Compliance

Our lawyers are currently advising clients on the impact of the EPA's greenhouse gas endangerment finding and potential regulation under the Clean Air Act. We are assisting clients in navigating existing and emerging greenhouse gas reporting programs, including the EPA's proposed greenhouse gas reporting rules.

Permitting and Litigation

We have been helping clients engaged in permitting natural resources and energy projects to address climate change issues arising under the Clean Air Act, NEPA and the Endangered Species Act. We have been defending permits against administrative and court challenges focused on claimed impacts on climate.

Green Building

Our lawyers advise clients on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, voluntary certification program intended to promote environmentally sustainable construction practices. We have recently assisted the developer of Utah's largest urban redevelopment project in obtaining LEED certification from the Council.

Project Finance

Parsons Behle & Latimer regularly supports project finance teams on the multitude of state and local permitting, regulatory, compliance and commercial issues that arise on renewable energy projects. We have expertise and experience dealing with the environmental, tax and other federal, state and local administrative and regulatory bodies with whom you will have to deal in order to get your project permitted and operating. With our long history of dealing with relevant regulators, we are experts on the state of these rapidly changing rules and standards and understand the current policies of these bodies.

Corporate Governance

Our firm has both the corporate and environmental law experience as well as the familiarity with state, regional and national initiatives dealing with climate change, necessary to assist your board of directors consider these risks and opportunities.

Government Relations

Our firm not only assists clients in complying with climate laws, we help shape them. A critical component of any climate change practice includes influencing the state and federal policy makers charged with drafting climate change laws and regulations. Our firm brings together the expertise of our attorneys and our internal government relations experts when it comes to shaping climate change laws and policies. We are able to do so because our government relations practice is built around a core of attorneys and other professionals who bring political backgrounds and familiarity with day-to-day legislative processes to bear on their work on behalf of clients.