Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Law

Tier 1 and Best Lawyers in Energy, Environment and Natural Resources

McDonald Carano’s Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Law Practice Group provides legal services, as well as government affairs and legislative advocacy assistance, at the intersection of these three interconnected areas of law, business, and government. The practice group covers all significant federal and Nevada state environmental laws and natural resources laws, along with the full spectrum of the energy regulatory, energy utility, and energy policy landscape.

Expertise – Our team provides comprehensive expertise relating to project due diligence, state and federal incentives, permitting and approvals, regulatory compliance, administrative proceedings, enforcement actions, policy development, complex transactions, and bet-the-company litigation. We are also uniquely skilled in the myriad of complexities that arise relating to land use and the use of limited natural resources on projects that traverse public land, tribal land, and Bureau of Management land in Nevada.
Clients – Our clients include project developers, owners, operators, and investors, as well as landowners, trade associations, large-scale energy consumers, and public agencies including electricity, gas, and water utilities.
Projects – Our experience covers a wide range of projects, including public and private infrastructure, commercial centers, master-planned residential communities and mixed-use areas, industrial and manufacturing complexes, energy/power generation and transmission, mining, and economic development projects of all types.
Renewable Energy – Our renewable energy expertise includes matters relating to the development, financing, operation, powering and repowering, sale, and acquisition of utility-scale solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative energy projects such as battery energy storage.
Water Law – Our experience covers a myriad of matters involving water resources and water rights management, including administrative and regulatory proceedings, water rights transfers and related permitting applications, and state and federal water management laws and processes. We handle transactional and litigation matters involving the development, acquisition, sale, leasing, storage, and delivery of water resources, as well as regulatory compliance and litigation of water rights disputes before administrative bodies and courts.
Mining Industry – Our work in the mining industry includes advising on developing and permitting, environmental compliance, federal land exchange, water resources issues, and obtaining and defending project approvals. We also assist clients with matters involving the National Environmental Policy Act and endangered species compliance, as well as due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, and financings. We are a member of the Nevada Mining Association.
Nevada’s Lithium Loop – Our clients include pioneering businesses involved in all sectors of Nevada’s lithium loop. Nevada is the epicenter of the electric vehicle-lithium battery energy transition. Nevada is known as “the Loop” because it is uniquely positioned with a complete cradle-to-grave lifecycle ecosystem in every sector of the lithium economy – from raw materials (mining) extraction and processing to manufacturing, storage, and recycling of lithium batteries.
Energy Resources, Rates, and Rulemaking – Our specialty expertise includes working with public utilities to procure the energy resources, including distribution and transmission infrastructure, that clients need for developing and operating large-scale energy consuming projects, such as massive scale data center campuses, industrial complexes, and manufacturing centers. We serve as lead counsel to many of the state’s largest energy consuming businesses in general rate cases, rulemaking, and numerous other contested matters before the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.
Energy Agreements – Our experience with energy related agreements includes negotiating agreements with Nevada’s largest electric utility, including high voltage distribution agreements, Rule 9 facilities agreements, energy services agreements, and other infrastructure agreements. We also have significant experience negotiating power purchase agreements and analyzing power supply options for clients.
Regulatory and Legislative Insight – Our team is highly sought after for its unique combination of knowledge in both the law and local governance of Nevada. We track legal and regulatory developments of energy, natural resources, and environmental law at the state, regional, and national levels, and advise on agency rulemaking and legislation.

Awards & Recognitions

Our team identifies legally compliant, efficient strategies that achieve the business objectives of each client, whether the projects involve regulations relating to environmental laws, natural resources laws, or energy utility laws. Energy, environment, and natural resources laws change constantly. Economic and political forces heavily influence this sector, and laws and regulations often differ at the state, national, and international levels. As counsel and advocate, McDonald Carano attorneys and government affairs and legislative lobbyists guide clients through the ever-evolving legal, financial, business, and government aspects of this dynamic field.

Our reputation and track record of proven results is underscored by our practice group attorneys being included in The Best Lawyers in America and the practice group being ranked Tier 1 in The Best Law Firms in America. We are also highly ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. While conducting its research on McDonald Carano, Chambers USA received the following comments from clients describing the expertise, service and results of our Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Law practice group.

“This law firm employs the best and brightest attorneys and has access to the best legal skills. The array of expertise is excellent.” “McDonald Carano has extreme expertise, knowledge, proficiency, and understanding of energy policy and the ability to effectively break down the complexities to make the issues understandable.” “Energy issues are incredibly complex and McDonald Carano does an incredible job. The team is very knowledgeable and very connected within Nevada.” (Chambers USA, 2025)
“McDonald Carano is very plugged in to the unique set of rules and governing bodies in Nevada. They are very helpful in navigating these unique solutions.” “They have really strong expertise around environmental and land use work. They are a really strong firm.” (Chambers USA, 2024)
“The team at McDonald Carano shows great attention to detail, responsiveness, and substantive knowledge. It’s a highly skilled team which is responsive and communicative under time pressure.” “They are experts on federal and tribal land laws and permitting restraints in Nevada.” “Their team combined deep subject-matter expertise in water law with great writing and advocacy.” (Chambers USA, 2023)
“McDonald Carano’s lawyers are knowledgeable regarding matters occurring in the community.” (Chambers USA, 2022)
“The legal services of McDonald Carano are knowledgeable, timely and cost-efficient. They have the relationships with and respect of the regulatory community.” (Chambers USA, 2021)
“The firm is well versed in the subject matter and handles engagements very efficiently.” (Chambers USA, 2020)
“The team’s knowledge is tremendous, as are the attorneys’ communication skills and their sincere ability to find a solution favorable to all parties where possible.” (Chambers USA, 2019)

Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Law

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Tier 1 and Best Lawyers in Energy, Environment and Natural Resources

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