Nationally recognized for its expertise in legal issues affecting the oil and gas industry, Stoel Rives provides comprehensive services to industry members. Working closely with oil and gas companies, LNG facilities, refineries, pipeline operators, and trade organizations, we understand the industry's complexities and are committed to navigating our clients through the dynamic landscape of the oil and gas industry.
Our approach is tailored to advance client objectives across project lifecycles, from financing and site certification to construction and operation. We represent major participants in the oil and gas processing and distribution chain, offering solutions that align with their strategic goals.
Our firm's commitment to the oil and gas sector is reflected in our consistent ranking in national law firm directories and accolades from prominent legal rating organizations. Our reputation is built on deep industry knowledge, a proactive mindset, and a track record of successful outcomes for our clients.
Key Services
- Transactional and Corporate Counsel: We lead transactions involving the purchase, sale, and leasing of oil and gas fields, production facilities, refineries, pipelines, and other oil and gas facilities, ensuring thorough due diligence, particularly in the environmental and land use aspects of such transactions. Our experience covers domestic and international energy transactions, project financings, joint ventures, and construction and distribution agreements. We also provide ongoing operational counsel, including securities compliance, corporate finance, intellectual property protection, and workforce management.
- Environmental and Permitting Counsel: Our team develops preventive strategies and compliance maintenance, focusing on environmental compliance, land use, water rights, and other permitting issues. We navigate the complexities of the federal and state regulatory regimes that impact the oil and gas industry, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), the federal Clean Air Act (CAA), the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA), and their state analogs and counterparts, such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Our expertise extends to securing rights-of-way on tribal lands and the unique land and royalty issues associated with the oil and gas industry in Alaska.
- Litigation: We defend clients in administrative and judicial proceedings, regulatory compliance challenges, royalty and other commercial litigation matters, environmental and regulatory enforcement actions, and third-party lawsuits. Our experience in endangered species and marine mammal litigation is unparalleled, and we are adept at negotiating with regulators and presenting cases in various venues, both administrative and judicial.
Experience
- Assisted with deal structure, negotiations and due diligence resulting in an agreement with Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. to invest $250 million to drill new gas wells over a five-year period in the Jonah Gas Field, Sublette County, Wyoming. We advised on federal and state tax, environmental, and oil and gas law and assisted with the drafting and negotiation of all transaction documents.
- Serve as outside counsel to California Resources Corporation in matters covering mineral title examination and preparation of drilling and division order title opinions, various exploration and production matters, unitization and pooling issues, asset acquisitions, oil and gas-related litigation matters, environmental permitting advice and assistance, eminent domain defense, surface use disputes and related negotiations, SB 4 compliance, and defense of environmental litigation matters.
- Serve as counsel to Furie Operating Alaska, LLC, regarding Alaska oil and gas production taxes and property taxes in connection with oil and gas exploration and development activities in Cook Inlet. Also represented Furie in a $160 million financing transaction to fund the installation of an offshore natural gas production platform, marine pipeline and onshore production facilities to bring natural gas to market from Furie's Kitchen Lights Unit in the Cook Inlet.
- Represented an underground natural gas storage developer on $125 million expansion project, including negotiation and drafting of development agreements and property acquisition agreements.
- Counsel to Shell Oil Company in successful litigation seeking preliminary injunctive relief enjoining environmental activists from interfering with Arctic exploration vessels and activities (Shell Oil Company v. Greenpeace, USA).