Pipelines & Terminals

A durable energy infrastructure is critical to fulfilling America’s energy needs as well as preserving its emerging position as a major global energy producer. Downey Brand attorneys work with oil and gas companies on pipelines and storage terminals including permits and entitlements for facility construction and expansion, regulatory compliance, and all aspects of environmental, health, and safety governing this tightly-regulated yet dynamic sector.

Drawing upon decades of experience in environmental compliance and the energy sector, the attorneys at Downey Brand advise and defend oil and gas pipeline and terminal companies on a wide variety of legal matters, from land acquisition and permitting to emergency response and enforcement defense and related litigation.

Downey Brand attorneys assist companies as they seek approval and permits for new projects by navigating a complex web of federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act. Our attorneys provide immediate support on emergency response and cleanup of releases from pipelines and terminals and all follow-up government actions and third party claims including natural resource damages, mitigation, and enforcement defense and litigation.

Downey Brand is headquartered in California’s capital with easy access to numerous state agencies, which uniquely positions our attorneys to help resolve state-wide challenges facing the energy development and distribution sectors. We frequently represent our clients before California agencies including Cal-EPA, the Coastal Commission, the California State Fire Marshal, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), the California Air Resources Board and local air districts, the California Public Utilities Commission, California Office of Emergency Services, and the State Lands Commission.

Our attorneys also have extensive experience working with western regional and Washington D.C. offices of federal agencies that regulate the pipeline industry and energy sector including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), U.S. Fish & Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, and OSHA.