Utilities and Natural Resources
We represent regional utility companies and businesses and consulting firms representing the energy and natural resource sector. Representative work includes:
- Assisting clients in resolving a variety of environmental claims and liabilities, and recovering insurance proceeds to pay for site remediation
- Successfully resolving litigation between Idaho Power and the Nez Perce Tribes concerning hydroelectric dams on the Snake River, together with representing Idaho Power in the ensuing and successful insurance litigation
- Serving as a lead negotiator in the design and successful conclusion of a complex, 80+ party cost allocation process for one of the first major Superfund aquatic site cleanup projects for a Fortune 1000 publicly traded utility; we served as a lead negotiator for conclusion of consent decrees for performance of cleanup at the site
- Representing a large publicly-traded gas utility in defense of monopolization and leveraging claims relating to the sale of natural gas
- Obtaining summary judgment dismissing prevailing wage claims on behalf of a major energy company
- Defending a dozen municipal and rural utilities in one of the largest class action securities fraud cases ever; we settled all claims against our clients, almost exclusively through payments by insurance companies, and then successfully defended their attempts to obtain repayment, alleging fraud and misrepresentation
- Litigating to jury verdicts and settlements claims for more than a dozen environmental sites related to historic manufactured gas operations for a large investor-owned utility, including cases obtaining insurance recoveries in the mid to high eight figures
- Providing successful litigation of a novel multi-million dollar insurance claim arising out of the destruction of salmon fisheries by Northwest hydroelectric dams
- Negotiating the Chapter 11 restructure of operating and term loans to a telephone and electric utility operating in more than 20 markets through several operating subsidiaries, and redocumenting a restructured loan to perfect security interests in all operating assets
- Representing a client in connection with the acquisition, siting and development of one of the nation's largest wind energy facilities
- Representing a client in connection with the implementation and development of smart grid technology