future-focused

Liskow’s Industrial Project Development team excels at helping clients achieve one simple — but not easy — goal: getting things built. When large, complex, capital-intensive industrial projects are on the line, there is simply no substitute for experience. Our lawyers do hands-on work with the nitty-gritty of getting projects over the finish line every day. This unmatched experience is why we’re the firm of choice when it comes to making it happen.

Overview

Every project of any size faces regulatory challenges. That’s a given. What’s not a given is these challenges leading to prolonged judicial review, unnecessary delay, and resulting risk to financing, schedules, and sometimes the project itself. With major projects, time and complexity are extremely expensive, and managing all the moving parts takes a combination of execution, strategic thinking, and acumen. In many respects, you are still building the ship as you’re piloting it out of the harbor. Our job is to ensure you reach your destination.

Building on a firm administrative foundation

The first challenge, always, is anticipating challenges. Which means constructing a strong, resilient, and, above all, strategic foundation–one that takes into account all the issues that can foreseeably arise, as well as, to the greatest extent possible, those that you can’t foresee. We know how to build an administrative record that will withstand judicial review, with permitting that’s defensible and results in a minimum amount of delay and complexity.

Our credibility precedes us

We leverage our reputation. When it comes to industrial projects, that reputation precedes us. We’re known as hands-on lawyers who understand the technology, the regulatory issues, and the agencies involved in major projects. Whether it’s the DEQ, the LDNR, the Corps of Engineers, the EPA, or another regulatory agency, we are known as straight shooters and substantive lawyers. Our clients benefit from our credibility. When we speak, regulators listen; when we negotiate, we get results.

Building teams to build projects

Genuine teamwork is another major benefit we bring to projects. We’re a midsized firm, and place a very high premium on collaboration. When supporting projects, we operate as an exceptionally effective, multidisciplinary team. Whether the table at which we gather is real or virtual, we work smoothly with the full range of colleagues – engineers, geologists, other attorneys, PR consultants and, of course, our clients. We strive to create a virtual consultancy in which we tightly integrate with teams and speak their language. This includes a deep understanding of the relevant technology and substantial regulatory experience and relationships.

A key element of teamwork is communication. Our emphasis on teamwork is demonstrated here, too. We communicate like we operate – seamlessly, efficiently, with no duplication of effort. And whether the client wants a weekly standing conference call, a Friday afternoon email, or needs to talk at 8 PM on a Wednesday night, we’re there.

And this includes, by the way, helping clients manage novel or emerging issues. These issues include climate change, environmental justice, and issues associated with carbon capture sequestration and other alternative energy projects. A complex project is a three-dimensional puzzle, a moving target, a huge investment, and often, a political and legal thicket. Whatever arises, we handle it, and as we said, help clients get projects done.

Notable Experience

  • A client plans to build a state-of-the-art export grain facility on the West Bank of St. John the Baptist Parish, in Wallace, Louisiana. The facility will receive barged grain and export it via oceangoing vessels. The Department of Natural Resources determined that Greenfield did not need a Coastal Use permit for the project, which was budgeted at $600 million and will create hundreds of jobs. Liskow assisted with the development of the administrative record, and the DNR’s decision was upheld in court, allowing the project to go forward.
  • We assisted a client with permitting a notorious site—one plastered across the news and persecuted in the courts—as a fully permitted hazardous waste incinerator. Permitting the site helped to resolve expensive litigation and numerous enforcement issues. Our novel approach to creating an administrative record was upheld against challenge and described by the court as the best example it had reviewed.

We are known for these strengths

  • Accurate assessments of project requirements for energy and environmental permits
  • Evaluation of environmental risks
  • Review of environmental site assessments to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
  • Development and implementation of strategies to assist with securing defensible required energy and environmental permits
  • Directing and providing counsel and guidance on the energy and environmental permitting process
  • Effective and strategic defense of energy and environmental permits against administrative or judicial challenges
  • Guidance to clients regarding commencement of construction and modifications to original plans
Significant environmental law issues tend to have a lot of site-specific factors that are unique and complicating. Of the many things that I appreciate about the Liskow & Lewis attorneys, one that stands out is how clever and insightful they are at building legal strategies for managing environmental liability and claims of regulatory non-compliance. They have worked directly on some of the largest cases in the Gulf Coast. They have worked to keep refineries and chemical plants in operation while allegations of non-compliance are resolved. And they are an enjoyable group of people with whom to work. I cannot say enough good things about Liskow & Lewis.
Best Lawyers Client Comment
Environmental Law, 2023
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