With its strong energy, environmental, litigation and zoning law practices, and longstanding community ties throughout the mid-Atlantic states, Saul Ewing is superbly qualified to counsel companies on development of the Marcellus Shale. As a member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association, Saul Ewing has been recognized by the National Law Journal as a regional firm with the depth and experience needed to address the issues of natural gas production and transportation in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.

Saul Ewing blogs the leading legal issues in Marcellus Shale production and transportation at Marcellus Shale Watch. The firm's Marcellus Shale team is comprised of attorneys in its Project and Resource Development Department who work throughout the mid-Atlantic region and combine the following characteristics:

• Energy and utility lawyers who have broad experience from the Alaskan tundra to the mines and wells of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. The Pennsylvania Bar Institute has invited Saul Ewing’s lawyers to teach the oil and gas statutes that control in Pennsylvania. Members of the Energy and Utilities Practice Group include former chairs of the public utility commissions of Pennsylvania and Maryland; our attorneys regularly deal with the utility regulation aspects of the transportation of energy commodities, and the siting and construction of necessary infrastructure for that activity
• Environmental lawyers well-schooled in navigating the states’ regulatory and permitting process, representing clients in enforcement proceedings, representing natural resource owners in regulatory takings cases, and in the purchasing and selling of mineral rights. Our lawyers practice before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and other Federal and state agencies, and in many cases worked with, and led, those agencies before joining Saul Ewing
• Real Estate and Transactional lawyers with experience in leasing, acquisition, land-use, real estate related litigation, and construction and buying and selling natural resource companies and properties. In particular, we have 50 years of experience acquiring right of way for natural gas pipelines, both by negotiation and by eminent domain. We have significant experience with real estate in numerous counties throughout Pennsylvania, including Greene, Washington, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Beford, Fulton, Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Crawford, Warren, Forest, Elk, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, Sullivan and Bradford.
• Litigators with significant experience in contract, environmental, condemnation, title, real estate and commercial disputes that can and do arise in the energy industry, including 55 condemnation matters filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation
• Tax lawyers who provide clients with advice and representation with regard to federal, state and local tax issues, minimizing tax impact both in the current financial situation and for future tax savings
• A government affairs practice in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. In Maryland, Saul Ewing recently announced its strategic alliance with Harris-Jones & Malone, LLC, a preeminent lobbying firm that consults on a diverse range of issues, including energy, environmental law, education, healthcare, gaming, telecommunications, procurement, liquor licensing, corporate law, taxation, labor, insurance. In Pennsylvania, we maintain an affiliation with State Street Partners LLC, an independent entity that provides government relations consulting, lobbying services, and business solutions to clients in a variety of industries covering matters involving energy development, public policy, regulatory and permitting compliance and governmental issues.

Serving the Natural Gas, Oil Industries

Saul Ewing's gas and oil attorneys represent companies that extract, process, transport and distribute natural gas, oil, coal and non-coal minerals in a range of legal issues impacting the industry, including real estate and land use, environmental concerns, regulatory matters, finance and litigation. To learn more about our oil and gas experience, please click here.

Whom We Represent

• Fortune 500 corporations
• Independent natural gas producers
• Coal companies
• Aggregate and sand mining producers
• Specialty mineral companies
• Refineries and retailers
• Natural gas storage developers
• Natural gas processors and distributors
• Pipeline companies

Representative Marcellus Shale Matters

• As Pennsylvania counsel, provided environmental due diligence in connection with a multi hundred million dollar investment by a global private equity firm in an independent oil exploration and development company involved in the exploration and development of Marcellus Shale.
• Currently represent an independent gas exploration and production company with operations in the Barnett Shale and Marcellus Shale Plays. This work includes: (1) review and revision of Pennsylvania lease and option forms; (2) creation of Pennsylvania LLC to conduct seismic imaging work; (3) preparation of form of confidentiality / nondisclosure agreement for use with Pennsylvania partners / investors; (4) miscellaneous corporate work, e.g., foreign entity registration, etc.
• Currently assisting two major natural gas producers who are in the process of obtaining permits for the first Marcellus gas wells to be permitted in Maryland.

In recent years, our team has provided sophisticated legal services to energy and utility clients, ranging from siting issues and development financing to environmental due diligence and regulatory compliance.

Experience

• Provided real estate and utility regulatory due diligence as Pennsylvania local counsel to a company with wind energy generation facilities in connection with its private placement financing.
• Represented a large national energy and electric generation company in connection with its billion dollar plus acquisition of Mid-Atlantic  electrical generating facilities. The matter encompassed six sites in Maryland and Delaware for which we were responsible for all conveyancing documents, tax issues, easements and related permitting and regulatory matters. Saul Ewing worked with an international law firm on the matter.
• New Jersey counsel for an energy company in connection with its multi hundred million dollar acquisition of a 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery in New Jersey and a connecting natural gas pipeline. Saul Ewing was responsible for drafting and revising the conveyancing documents, and provided due diligence with respect to title, rights-of-way, and environmental conditions.
• Saul Ewing serves as siting counsel and environmental regulatory counsel in Pennsylvania on two peaking power plants for an international power development company.
• Served as Delaware counsel and title agent for a power generation facility in connection with a multi-state multi-billion dollar financing, handling all real estate matters.
• Saul Ewing advised a large energy company on realty transfer tax issues on the transfer of real estate to a related entity and provided Pennsylvania counsel opinion with respect to its large mortgage loan.
• Represented a waste-to-energy developer in Maryland in connection with its development of an electric generating facility, providing environmental, real estate and bond financing legal support.
• Provided legal support to a major US energy company in connection with its potential sale of interests in electric generating facilities in Pennsylvania and California,
• Represented a major US energy company in connection with certain aspects of the restructuring of its corporate debt related to granting security interests in certain generating assets and provided an opinion on any regulatory approvals required in Pennsylvania.
• Tried two CERCLA cases in federal courts in New York in 2007 and 2010 involving multi-million dollars claims related to clean up of multiple former gas operations
• Served as lead counsel for the Industrial Solvents & Chemical Group which successfully remediated the #1 Site on Pennsylvania's Priority List
• Represented landfill operators in connection with permitting disputes and zoning battles in a number of upstate Pennsylvania counties, including Centre, Lycoming, Huntingdon, Clearfield, Jefferson, Erie and Franklin Counties.
• Represented major players in Anthracite Coal Industry in defending against a series of antitrust cases.
• Served as either lead counsel or counsel for one of primary players in 20+ Superfund sites in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.
• Tried numerous enforcement and permitting cases before Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board.
• Currently represent a major interstate natural gas pipeline company in a project to expand its natural gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Saul Ewing’s representation has included regulatory counseling, land use and condemnation issues.
• Currently represent a major interstate natural gas pipeline company in their north east expansion project.   Activities include representing the company in completing a pipeline expansion which required over 50 condemnations in federal court in Pennsylvania.
• Currently represent a major interstate natural gas pipeline company in a variety of litigation and regulatory matters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  These include: 1) litigation with another pipeline company; 2) regulatory issues associated with disposal of old sections of pipeline; 3) assisting in the interpretation of new regulations affecting the ability of the client to construct new pipelines or maintain pipelines in Special Protection watershed areas in Pennsylvania; 4) hazardous waste compliance; and 5) air compliance.
• Currently representing a major U.S. energy company  in siting two proposed gas fired power plants in Pennsylvania.
• Represented  a major national energy company in Pennsylvania in connection with the due diligence on the potential purchase of a large coal fired power plant and separately in connection with the evaluation, investigation and due diligence on a project to build a new coal fired plant.
• Advised a major international energy company on environmental due diligence and  permitting relating to a wind farm project.
• Currently represent a solar energy service company in negotiating and drafting contracts with customers for the installation, operation and maintenance of solar energy systems.
• Currently represent a renewable energy company in connection with  the proposed development of an ethanol production facility in Pennsylvania  in siting and land use issues as well as environmental permitting work. In addition, Saul Ewing represented the client in an Environmental Hearing Board case.
• Currently represent a major national company with the development of a major solid waste disposal facility in Bucks County, Pennsylvania which will expand the landfill gas (LFG) recovery operation.
• Currently represent a major merchant power generator in the acquisition of multiple power plant facilities in Delaware.
• Currently represent a joint venture of major utilities in the licensing and development of the Maryland piece of a 267-mile 765 kV transmission line, which will end southeast of New Market, Maryland.  The project has involved complicated real estate issues as well as complex filings with the Maryland PSC.
• Currently represent a nuclear development company, in the siting, licensing and development of a new generation nuclear plant, including managing the complex and extensive regulatory reviews in the state of Maryland.  The Maryland Public Service Commission granted a final order approving the construction of the plant.
• Currently represent a manufacturer of solar panel components, in permitting, land use approvals and regulatory compliance related to the construction of their facility at the renewable energy center known as the Keystone Industrial Port Complex located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
• Currently represent a major steel company in the redevelopment of the their steel plant site to the Keystone Industrial Port Complex (KIPC) located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. KIPC has been acknowledged by many public officials as a hub of renewable energy manufacturing and is today the home of wind turbine and solar component manufacturing. 
• Represented a major energy company, in connection with its private placement due diligence on existing Pennsylvania wind energy generation facilities.  This project was part of the energy company’s several hundred million dollar line of credit financing project which included Texas and California.  The diligence involved real estate; environmental and regulatory reviews.
• Represented a major energy company with the land use approvals required by the operator of the largest solar farm to date in the eastern U.S., located on approximately 20 acres abutting a closed and capped section of landfill in Bucks County, PA.
• Represented an energy development company in the siting, licensing and approval of the first wind project in New Jersey.
• Served as general outside counsel to a biofuels company and represented the start-up company in its initial financing. 
• Advised a major electric utility on a wide variety of matters in New Jersey including electric industry restructuring, rate filings, mergers, asset sales, provision of Basic Generation Service ("BGS") and participation in the BGS auction process.
• Tried original jurisdiction cases in Commonwealth Court.
• Tried the most significant regulatory takings case in Pennsylvania.