Brown McCarroll Attorneys at Law

Brown McCarroll has hands-on experience in all types and stages of renewable and clean energy development.  That includes energy efficiency innovations in power generation (biomass, wind, solar, geothermal and coal-derived clean fuels), and practical applications involving air emissions compliance and interconnection to the electric power grid.  Our broad industry experience reflects the regulatory, tax and economic knowledge to help make clean and renewable energy projects a reality throughout Texas, and to play leading roles in shaping the ongoing evolution of regulatory policy in this vital area.

What Sets Us Apart

• We have a strong environmental practice that includes some of the top air lawyers in the state of Texas.
• We have experience with key renewable energy technologies, including wind, solar power and biomass projects.
• Brown McCarroll has been in the forefront of Texas legislative and regulatory policy development in such areas as renewables, including wind and solar power, and energy efficiency.

Why We Understand Client Needs

Brown McCarroll lawyers have an interdisciplinary practice that gives clients a completely integrated service package in renewable and climate change issues.  We blend knowledge of the electric generating and oil and gas industries to assist clients with such technologically advanced projects that include enhanced oil recovery, geologic sequestration, and clean coal technology. 

Our public policy advocacy capabilities are essential in resolving interconnection and clean air permitting issues, and we have unsurpassed dispute resolution capabilities.  And when renewable energy projects involve real estate, finance or tax concerns, our team can draw on the firm’s full capabilities in these areas to get deals done.

Who We Represent

Our client base is as broad a range of companies and organizations working to advance renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction.  We represent wind farm developers, a leading solar power alliance and municipalities involved in biomass energy production.  Our lawyers work with the renewable energy operations of several major electric utility companies.   And we advise specialists such as energy services companies that retrofit buildings for energy efficiency.

What Is Our Focus

Some law firms say they have climate change and renewable energy practices when in reality they have a few lawyers with some of the necessary skills.  Brown McCarroll has a true, integrated capability to assist clients with renewable energy and climate change concerns.  We help shape emissions and carbon sequestration policy, get renewable energy projects built and connected to the transmission grid, and enable clients to take advantage of everything from tax incentives to the latest clean coal technology.  Our lawyers are committed to helping make clean and renewable energy a reality.

Wind Energy

Because we understand how the energy industry operates, Brown McCarroll has the kind of practical insight that helps clients achieve their business objectives in wind energy projects.  Our lawyers advise wind farm developers on the full spectrum of their legal needs, including siting and specific tax or regulatory issues.  We counsel all parties to renewable energy deals, using our transactional experience to:

• Help developers sell wind power and other renewable energy projects to the utilities and energy companies that can most efficiently operate them
• Help utilities identify renewable energy purchase opportunities, resolving regulatory concerns thanks to our experience with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC)
• Help investment companies expand their development portfolios while taking maximum advantage of available tax incentives
• Help turbine manufacturers and other equipment providers negotiate supply, maintenance and warranty contracts
• Help transmission companies structure capacity that gives additional opportunities to wind power and other intermittent energy sources.

The competitive advantage we offer to all our clients is the way we combine specific sector insight and broad industry understanding in a way that brings all parties to the negotiating table and gets mutually advantageous deals done.

Other Renewable Energy Technologies

The range of energy technologies being focused on reducing greenhouse gasses continues to expand, encompassing not only renewable sources like wind and solar power but also biomass, clean coal technology, carbon sequestration and numerous other alternatives.  Brown McCarroll has the comprehensive energy industry experience to help clients evaluate their carbon profile and begin analyzing which energy alternatives can help to reduce it in light of evolving regulations and emerging technologies.

For example, we have assisted with:

• Biomass energy generation from a landfill operated by the city of San Antonio
• Biomass energy produced as a byproduct of wastewater treatment by the City of Dallas
• Energy services retrofitting of school buildings and other structures
• One of the first commercial pulverized coal-fueled electrical generating projects that will minimize greenhouse gas emissions, to be built by our client near Sweetwater, Texas.

Transmission Issues

Brown McCarroll lawyers participated in the creation of the deregulated electric power industry in Texas. Today we help private and public entities engaged in renewable power production develop power supply arrangements, aggregated buying groups and other projects within the state’s deregulated market system.

Our lawyers assist independent power producers, power marketers, retail electric providers, aggregators and retail customers with all their industry concerns in securing access to power generated by renewable sources.  That includes full experience in working with the state’s rules on Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZs) for incentives to build transmission lines that carry power from wind installations and other renewable energy sources.

Environmental Compliance

Our team has been involved in all the emissions issues that have faced the renewable fuels industry, including NO_x and SO_xattainment issues under the Clean Air Act.  We are working on carbon credit trading possibilities arising from renewable energy production to help companies meet the growing demand for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

We also help ensure compliance with environmental siting regulations for wind energy installations that must meet FAA rules on tower clearance and that face numerous restrictions concerning their impact on migratory birds and other wildlife.  In addition, we offer our clients advice on all the state and federal tax incentives and related environmental regulations for renewable energy production, including renewable fuel standard credits and emission reduction credits.

Our lawyers have a solid track record with state and federal agency staffers in litigation, permitting enforcement and regulation.  We have played a leading role in creating Texas environmental law on issues ranging from environmental audits and immunity, to tax exemption for pollution control equipment.  In addition to all aspects of federal environmental compliance, we have a comprehensive grasp of the relevant state statutes, including the Texas Clean Air Act.  That makes us effective advocates for our clients before the U.S. EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and many other state and federal regulators.

Public Policy Advocacy

Our industry insight, knowledge of agency procedures and relationships with PUC commissioners and key staff members combine for effective client representation in renewable energy projects. And our experience at public policy advocacy involving the Texas state legislative and regulatory bodies means we can analyze and help improve proposed renewable energy and climate change legislation and regulations.  We currently provide such representation in Texas to the Solar Power Alliance as well as to individual renewable energy developers and electric utilities.

Summary

Our team of lawyers is drawn from a number of Brown McCarroll practice areas.  Its foundation combines deep and broad experience in environmental and energy laws, rules and regulations, with insightful analysis of legal and policy issues, and negotiation of business positions with regulators and relevant stakeholders.  The goal of our practice is to help clients and their organizations take full advantage of evolving renewable energy and climate change law, making them leaders in the new regulatory environment.