Energy in the United States

Energy in the United States

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Regional Capabilities

Few sectors, either in the US or globally, are evolving more rapidly than energy. Whether you operate in traditional or developing fields, Dentons serves the full range of your needs.

Our global Energy team is the industry’s largest, with more than 1,200 practitioners across the Firm’s global platform advising and representing companies and regulators operating in or interacting with the electric and natural gas sectors. Our law firm was named Energy Law Firm of the Year for three out of the last five years in peer-driven surveys. The Energy team remains at the forefront of energy developments and continuously handles some of the highest-profile matters in the industry. We offer a full spectrum of services to clients in the US and foreign companies. We leverage local knowledge and resources throughout the Firm and across our worldwide network to support our clients’ objectives wherever needed.

Our team provides strategic support to clients throughout the industry, from regulatory and governmental bodies, oil majors and independents, power generators and utilities, to solar, wind, hydro, biomass and cogeneration companies; from transportation operators, financial firms and energy users, to investors interested in the development of renewable and alternative energy sources. We also advise coal, oil and gas, landholding, timber, and hard rock mining industry clients on a wide range of matters including mergers and acquisitions, commercial and real property transactions, environmental and regulatory compliance, and civil and administrative litigation.

We navigate major changes in the energy landscape, and understand the shifting regulatory and policy implications for your business. With enormous experience across the world’s energy markets, our lawyers and professionals are committed to driving innovation and helping you achieve your business goals.

With decades of experience, our lawyers call upon a substantial reservoir of industry knowledge and experience when representing clients before state and federal agencies. Rely on our advice and assistance with every aspect of your projects, including financing and acquiring conventional and renewable energy facilities, negotiating power supply agreements, litigating in US courts and advocating before policymakers and regulators.

Clients have turned to Dentons for guidance through the energy boom spurred by the recovery of abundant shale gas and oil resources. At the crossroads of energy and environmental matters, our Energy team works closely with our highly successful Environment and Natural Resources practice in aiding the development of such resources, and helping our clients understand what the new abundance of natural gas means to their business.

Key Service Areas

Power and gas regulation and transactions

We represent players in the electric and gas utility sectors, including vertically integrated and municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, renewable energy developers, cleantech companies, natural gas developers and shippers, energy management and contracting businesses, regulatory bodies, and a host of new market participants. Our team includes individuals hailing from state utility regulators, FERC, NERC, the organized electricity markets, and natural gas standards bodies, among others. Through our unique network of strategic advisors, we have deep reach to federal and state regulatory agencies across the nation.

FERC matters

We regularly advise clients operating in the electricity and natural gas sectors on regulatory matters before the FERC, including matters relating to operations, rates, project development, enforcement and compliance, and agency rulemaking.

Power sector disputes

With practitioners steeped in federal, state and administrative litigation, we are a go-to firm for major energy sector disputes. In the US, we have litigated major disputes from state and federal administrative agencies and courts to the US Supreme Court on an array of topics ranging from ISO/RTO market rules, state incentives, electric and gas rate and cost allocation matters, market power litigation and merchant transmission rights, cost of service, electric transmission and gas pipeline development, power contracts, EPC contracts, PURPA rights, preference power, water and resource allocation, federal preemption, eminent domain, among many other issues. Globally, we have advised clients on a multitude of domestic and cross-border energy disputes.

Renewables

At Dentons, our lawyers assist businesses, utilities and government entities with all aspects of renewable energy, including development, interconnection, power purchase agreements, production, distribution, purchasing, storage and transportation. We have experience with many types of renewables, including:

Wind
Biofuels
Biomass (including farm and forest products)
District energy
LEED buildings
Solar
Waste-to-energy
Renewable natural gas

Our lawyers provide experienced counsel in environmental and regulatory law, antitrust, federal and state utility and power plant regulation, real estate, land use permitting and other entitlements and incentives, power plant construction, energy and natural resource company acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures, business competition and energy litigation.

Coal

Our team of coal law lawyers collectively has more than 150 years of experience serving coal industry clients throughout all major coal-producing regions in the US. Our team:

Helps clients in transactions ranging from small tract coal leases to billion-dollar coal asset transfers involving international finance
Assists clients in connection with complex financing transactions, equipment leasing and capital expenditures and with the capitalization, start-up and development of new coal mining operations
Litigates coal-related cases ranging from landowner claims to landmark appellate cases affecting the entire industry

Additional areas of coal proficiency include:

Sales of coal mines and coal reserves
Financing coal assets
Coal title
Land departments
Coal supply contracts
SMCRA and environmental matters
Coal bed methane gas
Slurry and secondary recovery
Longwall mining and subsidence
Mine safety health administration
Disposal of coal slurry and combustion waste

Oil and gas

Market volatility, security of supply, environmental risk and regional politics are just some of the variables affecting the international oil and gas industry. At the same time, there is now a wider international focus on developing unconventional reserves, such as oil sands, coal bed methane and shale. These factors, among others, require a level of experience and proficiency in energy transactions that far exceed those traditionally required in the oil and gas industry.

Dentons can help drive complex oil and gas transactions to a successful conclusion. We understand your business and business objectives and we can give you the hard-won knowledge and experience to deal successfully with opportunities and challenges in the ever-evolving oil and gas industry. Dentons also understands the risks and safety issues faced by this industry, and can help you manage risk as you navigate the evolving legal regulatory and technological landscape.

With one of the largest international teams of legal energy authorities anywhere, Dentons can help you expand across the full range of oil and gas activities, including:

Exploration
Development
Production
Project leasing
Processing and transportation
Title opinions
Export
Marketing

Water

In the ever-converging world of energy and water, Dentons has significant experience in the water sector. Dentons counsels water utilities, municipalities, government entities, businesses, and others in the water sector on a variety of water-related matters. Our team handles water utility rate and financing cases, disputes over water and sewer service territories, certification proceedings, asset acquisitions and dispositions, extension agreements, wholesale agreements, and a wide range of other matters for utilities ranging from environmental permitting, to construction contracts, to labor and employment advice and beyond. Our professional staff even includes a certified water audit validator to assist with validation of water loss audits.

Dentons Global Smart Cities & Connected Communities Initiative

Dentons’ Energy team created the first-of-its-kind law firm-based Global Smart Cities & Connected Communities Think Tank Initiative. The Think Tank is comprised of over 750+ members from around the world with legal, business, academic and policy thought leaders from both the private and public sectors.

The Think Tank hosts monthly roundtables on issues and best practices for cities and communities faced with trends of unprecedented urbanization and technology and innovation that outpaces essential structural changes. Discussions address the need to quickly scale-up and modernize physical, digital and social infrastructure, including grid modernization, to help cities and communities make delivery and use of essential services more efficient, connected, cost-effective, secure, equitable and sustainable. The Think Tank publishes articles by members and hosts an annual Global Smart Cities & Connected Communities Summit to bring together interdisciplinary thought leaders and stakeholders for discussions on critical trends and best practices in communities around the world grappling with tremendous shifts in population centers, politics and governance, social and technological disruptions impacting process and attitudes toward change, leadership, risk, delivery of services, sustainability, lifestyle demands and social justice.

Dentons can offer clients advice on identifying and deploying strategies to meet these challenges, including grid modernization, engagement of stakeholders in a process to develop a Smart Master Plan, deployment of advanced telecommunications technologies, securing a smart future, smart health care and smart transportation options, funding and financing infrastructure modernization, and addressing equity, access and affordability in our cities and communities.

Unique strategic partnerships

Dentons has entered into strategic partnerships with prominent individuals and entities in the energy sector. Through these relationships, we are able to offer our clients unparalleled experience on a broad range of economic, technical, financial and policy matters that, together with legal and regulatory constructs, may inform their business decisions.

Recognition

Dentons improves its ranking in the elite top 10 arbitration firms

April 11, 2025

Global law firm Dentons has ranked once again among the elite international arbitration practices worldwide, achieving an eighth place ranking in Global Arbitration Review’s GAR30 list for 2025.

Dentons Recognized as “Energy Law Firm of the Year“ for fourth consecutive year by Lexology Index Awards

November 26, 2024

Dentons was awarded “Energy Law Firm of the Year” at the Lexology Index Awards 2024.This is the fourth year in a row and the seventh time overall that the Dentons Global Energy team has received this recognition.

Alliance to Save Energy recognizes Clint Vince for pioneering contributions to energy efficiency

September 19, 2024

Dentons is pleased to announce that the Alliance to Save Energy has recognized Energy partner Clint Vince with its prestigious Charles H. Percy Award. Vince, chair of Dentons’ US Energy practice and co-chair of the Firm’s Global Transportation and Infrastructure sector for its US Region, was honored for his innovative work in developing energy efficiency programs that benefit both consumers and utility companies.

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Insights

Energy & Climate in a Changing Federal Landscape: A Key Conversation with Jonathan Pershing

February 12, 2025

Dentons’ Smart Cities & Connected Communities Think Tank and Keystone Policy Center’s - Key Conversations program co-sponsored this fireside chat with Clint Vince, Chair of Dentons' US Energy practice, and Jonathan Pershing, Program Director of Environment at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and former US State Department Special Envoy for Climate Change. In this discussion, we delve into the evolving landscape of energy and climate policy, the outlook under the new Administration, and the crucial role that non-government organizations and civil society will play in shaping the future.

Alberta Law Review: A Playbook for International Risk Mitigation: Investor-State Treaties and Contractual Protections

February 6, 2025

International energy companies have long relied on a stable system of investor-state treaties to safeguard their rights around the world.

White House Issues Executive Order on Advancing US Leadership in AI Infrastructure

January 15, 2025

United States: On January 14, 2025, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order titled Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure (“AI Executive Order”).

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News and Events

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Regional Capabilities

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