Bingham is at the forefront of addressing legal and legislative issues arising from local, regional, national and international concerns about global climate change. In an effort to provide a more comprehensive resource for our clients, we have assembled lawyers from across the firm to form a Global Climate Change Group. The group is composed of experienced practitioners in a number of relevant fields such as environmental, energy, intellectual property, land use and development, real estate, corporate mergers and acquisitions, institutional finance, projects, government affairs, and commercial litigation.
For clients, including manufacturers, energy producers and technology companies, that are trying to understand the impact of existing and developing issues involving greenhouse gasses, we take a multidisciplinary approach to their unique concerns. Depending on the project, the Global Climate Change Group can provide targeted skills or broad experience in dealing with regulatory, compliance, planning or litigation issues.
We have provided strategic advice in a number of contexts, including:
- Evaluating and recommending emissions-reduction measures that minimize business losses and address compliance with current and/or potential state and federal requirements
- Protecting the intellectual property behind new technologies designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
- Counseling developers of real property on housing, industrial, retail and office developments
- Helping energy producers expand their renewable-energy portfolios through acquisition and development of hydroelectric, wind and nuclear power
- Facilitating the permitting of infrastructure projects that need to take into account greenhouse gas issues, including mitigation and offsets
Should litigation become necessary, we have substantial experience arguing issues of preemption, justiciability, nuisance and other theories that are relevant to claims being pursued or contemplated by citizens groups and public prosecutors such as attorneys general.
In addition to compliance counseling and litigation, we have the unique ability to offer clients one of the leading government affairs practices based in Washington, D.C.