Energy & Telecommunications

Cleantech & Renewable Energy

Preti Flaherty's Energy and Environmental Law Groups provide Cleantech and Renewable Energy Law practice support to clients as they navigate the legal, technical and business aspects of cleantech ventures. Our Energy, Environmental and Government Affairs attorneys combine their deep understanding of the clean technology industry with experience working with cleantech and renewable energy companies around the world. We represent clients ranging from startups seeking to capitalize on their technology to Fortune 500 companies seeking to lower their costs and minimize their environmental footprint. We advise project developers, landowners, and other businesses on all aspects of project development, operation and transactions related to the development of a variety of clean technologies, including:

  • Traditional and advanced biomass energy conversion
  • Biogas, anaerobic digestion and advanced biofuels production
  • Traditional and advanced natural gas-fired electricity generation
  • Combined heat, power and cogeneration
  • Traditional and innovative hydropower production, including ocean and tidal energy
  • Solar photovoltaic and thermal energy production
  • Wind power
  • Geothermal and ground-source heat pumps
  • Demand response and energy storage
  • Energy efficiency
  • Water treatment and processing
  • Landfill gas-to-energy

We go beyond the traditional legal realm. Our Energy and Environmental Law attorneys assist clients with both legal and business consulting services to support cleantech and renewable energy ventures:

  • Permitting and Regulatory Issues – Representation throughout the local, state and federal permitting processes, including the process of securing expedited wind permits, Site Location of Development Act Permits, Natural Resource Protection Act Permits and Clean Water Act Permits (wastewater, stormwater and wetlands). Preti Flaherty also has the largest and most active LURC (Land Use Regulation Commission) practice of any Maine firm.
  • Interconnection Agreements – Negotiating and securing favorable terms for interconnecting electric generation projects to the grid.
  • Power Purchase Agreements – Negotiating and securing commitments to purchase electric generation projects' output.
  • Renewable Energy Certificates and Credits (RECs) – Securing state and non-governmental organization certification of renewable energy producing facilities, marketing RECs and maximizing the value of renewable energy generation.
  • Cleantech and renewable energy project finance – Working with traditional lenders and VC funds plus assistance with securing federal grant funding for energy efficiency projects.
  • Real estate and lease agreements – Negotiating and drafting documentation to allow project developers and landowners to find mutual benefit through cleantech project development.
  • Energy Policy Analysis – Shaping regional and federal energy policy related to renewable resources, energy efficiency, and demand response.
  • Project acquisition, operation and sale – Advising, developing strategies for and implementing due diligence, acquisition, operation and sale of renewable energy or cleantech facilities.
  • Business consulting – develop solid business plans to help cleantech clients achieve their growth objectives.

Firm Highlights

News

Benchmark Litigation Names Preti Flaherty 2023 “Maine Firm of the Year”

Benchmark Litigation has named Preti Flaherty as 2023 Litigation Firm of the Year in the State of Maine. The Benchmark Awards honor distinguished litigators and law firms in all 50 states and 10 practice...

News

Maine Lawyers and Judges Once Again Show Overwhelming Support of Campaign for Justice

2022 proved to be another challenging year for Mainers. Skyrocketing inflation, an uncertain economic future, an ongoing housing crisis and more factors continue to push more at-risk individuals into a tight spot. Maine’s civil...

Press Coverage

Authorities Refuse to Release Records for Maine School Shooter Hoax Calls

On November 15, 2022, multiple law enforcement agencies in Maine received false calls alerting police to active shooter situations at several high schools throughout the state. In the wake of this widespread hoax, the Kennebec...

Press Coverage

What’s Inside Maine Freight Trains? Public Can Only Hazard a Guess

Due to an exemption from the state's Freedom of Access Act, Maine residents are prevented from reviewing information regarding the transportation through their communities via freight trains of potentially hazardous materials. Rail industry officials...

Event

Bodie Colwell will be a Featured Panelist at ABI Annual Spring Meeting

Bodie Colwell will be a featured panelist on "Danger Ahead! Avoiding and Addressing Ethical Landmines in Attorney Engagement and Compensation" at the American Bankruptcy Institute's Annual Spring Meeting. The panel focuses on disputes regarding engagement...

Publication

Maine Workers’ Compensation New Year Update 2023

The new year brings proposed legislation, an update to the Medical Fee Schedule, and two recent decisions from the Appellate Division. Proposed Legislation Workers’ compensation bill LD 53 (HP 28) would amend 39-A M.R.S.A...

Publication

FY2024 H-1B Registration Fact Sheet for Employers

Registration Process To file H-1B petitions subject to the FY2024 cap for an employee, you must first electronically register and pay a $10 fee for each electronic registration. The electronic registration includes basic information about...

News

Attorney Jeffrey Thaler Named to 2023 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Energy Law

For the second time, Preti Flaherty attorney Jeffrey Thaler has been recognized by the esteemed legal publication Lawdragon as an elite practitioner in the field of energy law. Jeff is the only Maine-base lawyer...

Publication

Enforcers Make It Easy to Report Cartels

This article was originally published in the American Bar Association  Antitrust Newsletter  on February 8, 2023.  Did you know that global competition enforcers have easy-to-find websites to encourage reporting of anticompetitive conduct? Not only...

Event

Jeff Talbert to Moderate Panel on PFAS Regulatory Action at ABA Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Conference

Jeff Talbert, Chair of Preti Flaherty's Environmental Law Group, will moderate "Regulatory Action: History & Horizon" at the ABA Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Conference. This panel will discuss the 2016 EPA health advisory, the...