Firm Overview

Van Ness Feldman is a Washington, DC-based law firm with over 80 professionals concentrating on government policy and regulatory issues in the areas of energy, environmental, natural resources, and transportation law.  The firm’s 10-lawyer Seattle office also focuses on these issues, with an emphasis on assisting clients in the Pacific Northwest, California, and Alaska. 

Clients choose Van Ness Feldman because of our unwavering, 30-year focus on energy, environmental, and infrastructure law and policy.  Clients benefit from our depth and breadth of government and industry experience, our creativity in solving complex problems, our ability to help clients develop effective strategies on “cutting edge” issues, and the accessibility of senior-level practitioners.

Some of the firm’s recent representations include:

• Natural Gas, Oil, and CO² Pipelines.  The firm provides comprehensive regulatory and project development services to clients that are actively developing over $7 billion in new pipeline, import terminal, and storage infrastructure – including two of the largest, longest interstate gas pipelines in North America.  The firm also is active in the emerging area of geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.
• Electricity.  The firm’s comprehensive electricity practice represents investor owned utilities and large public power generation and transmission owners in all aspects of regulatory and policy counseling, permitting and project development, compliance, and litigation.  The firm also assists electric utilities with development of legislative proposals in the areas of transmission access, construction, and air and climate policy.
• Renewable Electricity Generation.  Van Ness Feldman represents several leading project developers and independent power producers who are developing wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, and waste-to-energy projects.  The firm advises these clients on FERC and other regulatory issues, project permitting, and transactions.  Our clients in this area also include large industrial users of electricity who are generating power at their manufacturing facilities from waste heat and other sources.
• Renewable/Alternative Fuels.  Van Ness Feldman represents participants throughout the entire value chain of alternative and renewable fuels.  These include companies engaged in development of new high-yield energy crops; research, development, and demonstration of biotechnology processes to extract energy from these crops; biofuel production and refining; and distribution and delivery infrastructure.
• Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology.  We advise product manufacturers, electric utilities, and non-governmental organizations on policy, regulation, and incentives related to energy efficient products and services.  We also advise clean technology companies and their investors on the impacts federal policies will have on their developing markets.
• FERC Regulatory and Compliance Counseling.  A large component of our practice involves “day-to-day” counseling and advice on issues implicit in the construction and operation of natural gas and oil transportation and electric generation and transmission projects and facilities.  The firm also assists clients in developing effective regulatory compliance and risk assessment strategies, and we represent clients in regulatory audits in such areas as corporate compliance and electricity reliability.  The firm also provides transactional and regulatory counsel in such matters as corporate mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations, as well as energy asset acquisitions and sales.
• Climate Change Policy and Emissions Trading Matters.  Van Ness Feldman was one of the first law firms to have an active climate change and greenhouse gas regulatory practice, beginning in the mid-1990s.  Highlights of our climate change work include a host of significant climate legislative, policy, and transactional engagements, resulting in Environmental Finance’s ranking of Van Ness Feldman as a leading U.S. law firm for emissions trading transactions.
• Natural Resources Permitting and Litigation.  The firm assists electric utilities, resource developers, municipalities, and manufacturing companies on a wide range of Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act issues, as well as other permitting, regulatory, and policy matters.
• Transportation.  The firm represents rail shippers in commercial contract matters, negotiations, litigation, and arbitration.   The firm also counsels and advocates for industry associations on legislative matters relating to “captive” rail shipments and railroad antitrust law and policy.