Energy Law
Helping clients navigate the ever-changing landscape of energy technology and law.
Energy law and policy plays an increasingly important role for local governments. As technology evolves, demand patterns change, and the transition to clean energy continues, municipal governments find themselves increasingly evaluating the impacts of new proposals, advocating for residents in proceedings before state and federal governments, and exploring opportunities to leverage new technologies and policies for local benefit.
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The goal of local communities is two-fold: to be assured that commercial energy facilities and infrastructure co-exist with residents and businesses safely and efficiently, and maximizing opportunities to deploy and use these technologies for their own benefit. Our firm has extensive experience helping local governments achieve both goals by:
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Advising on pre-construction permitting decisions at the local level
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Negotiating and drafting “host community agreements” to provide a framework to lock down the key features of proposed projects and to secure mitigation and offsetting benefits for the community
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Representing our clients in proceedings before state and federal permitting authorities, including the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board and Department of Public Utilities, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
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Assisting with payment in lieu of taxation (PILOT) agreements, helping with procurement and contract negotiations, negotiating land purchases, leases, power purchase agreements, and energy management service agreements.
New technologies and energy policies have ushered in new possibilities and opportunities for local governments. But those possibilities and opportunities come with challenges: Technology that was once celebrated as “clean” may now be the subject of controversy; vigorous disagreement may occur over where to site energy facilities; and even welcomed, new technologies may negatively impact their neighbors through noise, traffic, or other operational impacts. We excel in helping our clients navigate this complex area of the law to realize those possibilities and avoid the pitfalls.