Whiteford’s Energy & Natural Resources practice provides national representation in the electric, coal, and oil and gas sectors. Our practice in the industry covers restructuring and bankruptcy matters, exploration and development, corporate transactions, easement and other real estate agreements, acquisition and sale of mineral interests, risk and indemnity issues, leases and royalty structures, litigation, regulatory compliance and permitting, financing, environmental matters, intellectual property, labor and employee benefits, and tax issues. Additionally, Whiteford attorneys issue title opinions relating to ownership, mining and drilling rights, for leasing, transactional and financing purposes throughout the Appalachian Basin.
The members of our practice group have represented a wide range of clients in the energy industry in matters involving:
- a Central Appalachian producer of thermal and premium metallurgical coal with mining operations in West Virginia and Virginia;
- various debtors and creditors in chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings involving coal, oil and gas producers, energy trading, operation and sale of electric power generation facilities;
- owners and operators of substantial electric power generation facilities;
- purchasers of mineral rights, including coal, oil and gas;
- an international coal broker;
- coal mining operators (whose operations included wash plants, loading docks and related facilities);
- a leading, publicly traded metallurgical coal producer for the steel industry headquartered in Alabama;
- a thermal processing company/servicer to the energy industry;
- an oil and gas exploration and production company operating in the Appalachian Basin;
- a coal-mining company based in St. Louis, Missouri with mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky;
- a leading energy management and demand response provider in North America;
- mining engineers;
- a producer of metallurgical coal and thermal coal with coal reserves in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Utah, Illinois, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania;
- an energy company with a focus on energy trading, power generation, and natural gas transmission in North America;
- a natural gas distribution company expanding its pipeline network throughout the Mid-Atlantic;
- landowners and owners of mineral interests in various states;
- biofuel producers and processors;
- solar and wind developers, customer-generators, and end users in the development and negotiation of leases and power purchase agreements;
- holders of overriding and other royalty interests;
- contract parties to oil and gas transactions; and
- lenders to energy companies in transactions, including out of court workouts and debt-for-equity swaps.
