Rick serves as the chair of the Energy Practice Area; leader of the Electric Power Team; and co-team leader of the Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, and Linear Infrastructure Teams. He is the primary client relationship manager for the firm's largest energy and utility clients, with responsibility for handling all aspects of these relationships. His practice focuses on energy and environmental issues related to transactions involving mergers and acquisitions, financing, restructuring, project development, contaminated sites, regulatory compliance, and permitting. He provides a strategic, pragmatic approach in reaching settlements, completing projects, and closing transactions.
Rick represents electric-power generators (renewable, fossil-fuel, and nuclear), oil and gas producers and pipelines, electric utilities, and developers. He advises and counsels the firm’s oil and gas clients on the development of the Marcellus Shale and the siting of related infrastructure. He also counsels a diverse array of Fortune 500 companies and manufacturers from the aerospace and defense, medical-device, petroleum-distribution, retail, plastics, pharmaceutical, aluminum, paper, and steel sectors.
Rick has been the lead attorney on several large energy-related transactions. He handles the transfer, acquisition, and modification of all federal and state environmental permits on large, multi-facility energy and manufacturing mergers and acquisitions to ensure the ability to operate post-closing. He negotiates contractual protections and financial safeguards to minimize client exposure to environmental liabilities. Rick advises clients on resolving liability and minimizing financial exposure involving contaminated legacy sites through the use of both legal and technical strategies. He has extensive experience with complex Superfund sites involving contaminated waterways and sediments, the identification of multiple third parties and sources, and natural resource damages (NRD).
Rick regularly represents clients in matters involving project development, permitting, compliance, and the enforcement of federal environmental regulations and state counterparts that include the CAA, CWA, EPCRA, RCRA and TSCA. He counsels clients on response and reporting to chemical and petroleum spills and releases pursuant to federal and state law. Rick also has niche experience with federal and state laws and regulations applicable to wildlife resources, including the Endangered Species Act, CITES, the Lacey Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and is the co-team leader of the Outdoor & Wildlife Team.