Represents clients in land use and environmental transactions and litigation.
Counsels in matters regarding environmental permitting, entitlements and environmental reviews.

Andrew Oelz counsels clients on all aspects of land use and environmental laws, including permitting, entitlements and environmental review for complex government projects, commercial projects, and conventional and renewable energy projects.

His experience extends to issues involving federal, state and local environmental protection laws, including:

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
National Environmental Policy Act
Clean Air Act
Clean Water Act
Endangered Species Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32)
California Coast Act
Coastal Zone Management Act.

Andrew’s transactional practice covers a broad spectrum, including negotiating representations, warranties, indemnities and the allocation of environmental liabilities in traditional transactional contexts, as well as financial restructuring matters.

Andrew also advises clients on security disclosure matters, including emerging issues related to climate change disclosures.

Andrew’s experience includes significant energy transactions involving oil and gas assets, coal mines, gas station portfolios, and electric generation facilities, including the then-largest photovoltaic solar facility in the world.

Andrew also represents clients ranging from large corporations to local agencies in litigation before federal and state courts. He counseled the city of Los Angeles on state law matters related to its long-range master plan to modernize and upgrade Los Angeles International Airport, and then defended the city from CEQA actions challenging the final plan. He also advised an industry association challenging the California Air Resources Board’s compliance with CEQA and the Administrative Procedure Act related to its approval of vehicle emission regulations.

He represents his clients in a variety of contexts, including:

Writ of mandate proceedings
Civil rights enforcement (42 U.S.C. § 1983)
Multiparty toxic tort
Proposition 65 enforcement.

Representative Work

Represented the noteholders of an engineered metal company, negotiating the purchase of a distressed steel mill in a bankruptcy proceeding, including resolving environmental liabilities (e.g., Superfund liability) with prior owners, neighboring businesses, insurance carriers and government agencies.
Advised a publicly traded fuel and convenience retailer, negotiating the sale of a large portfolio of gas stations and convenience stores, including obtaining the release of environmental liabilities based on a unique environmental insurance approach.
Negotiated the merger of two large, offshore oil and gas companies, including conducting due diligence reviews of potential environmental liabilities related to asset retirement obligations and civil/criminal violations of environmental laws.
Successfully counseled a producer of nitrogen fertilizers and thermal power, advising on air permitting and environmental reviews for a proposed manufacturing facility using novel technology.