Virtually every project, initiative or transaction involving real property has a natural resources component. Whether constructing new energy infrastructure, developing residential or commercial real estate, or acquiring existing manufacturing facilities, companies must understand the complex regulatory framework that will govern the interaction between their own mission-critical activities and the surrounding natural resources.

Our Multidisciplinary Team. Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s natural resources practice — which includes attorneys from the environmental, real estate, renewable energy and regulated industries teams — advises clients throughout the United States and provides effective legal guidance to businesses, producers, refiners, and manufacturers. Our lawyers advise on a wide range of matters including, minerals and construction aggregates, oil and gas exploration, drilling, refining and transportation, as well as provide guidance on timber and land conservation management, wetlands mitigation and banking and mineral and water rights.

Our Strategy. The experienced attorneys of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s natural resources practice advise clients at every phase of a project, from site selection and environmental due diligence; through preparation of environmental analyses and negotiation of permits, approvals and mitigation agreements; to compliance with federal and state environmental laws and regulations. Throughout these processes, we help clients navigate efficiently through the regulatory landscape and achieve their ultimate business objectives, timely and defensibly. We make sure that any regulatory action is built on a strong administrative record that can withstand scrutiny should litigation arise. In addition, our litigators regularly bring court challenges on behalf of our clients against questionable or unclear administrative guidance, policies or rules issued by regulators, and defend our clients’ interests in natural resource litigation or enforcement actions. We understand that our clients’ projects are part of larger business initiatives that often involve fixed timeframes and far-reaching commitments, and work cooperatively with legal co-counsel, compliance managers and technical consultants to help ensure that key milestones are met on schedule and as required. In addition, we assist companies engaged in the extraction, processing, distribution and sale of natural resources tackle a broad array of regulatory and other legal and operational hurdles within the real estate sector. 

Our Value. Our team has extensive knowledge of, and has worked on, virtually every major piece of natural resources and environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Rivers & Harbors Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, National Historic Preservation Act, CERCLA and the Clean Air Act, among others.  We understand that our clients’ projects are part of larger business initiatives that often involve fixed timeframes and far-reaching commitments, and work cooperatively with legal co-counsel, compliance managers and technical consultants to help ensure that key milestones are met on schedule and as required. We draw on our extensive experience with federal and state agencies to help clients work with regulators, and we provide creative solutions and asset-maximization strategies in the re-use, development and/or sale of reclaimed lands. Our experienced attorneys across the nation regularly represent industry groups and individual businesses in helping draft legislative and regulatory language that balances the competing demands upon the nation’s valuable natural resources, offering clients an unparalleled combination of local knowledge and national perspective.