Overview
Parsons Behle & Latimer regularly assist energy and natural resource companies in all stages of public land development – including property acquisition, permitting, operations, closure and reclamation. Because much of the land in the West is owned by the federal government, energy and natural resource companies doing business here inevitably face the challenge of securing rights to use public land. Parsons' deep roots in this region give our attorneys a unique understanding of those challenges. For more than 125 years, we have helped clients through the regulatory maze imposed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service on companies that wish to site facilities on federal land. Through that work, Parsons' public land attorneys have developed key and longstanding relationships with those agencies throughout the West and in Washington, D.C.
We are experienced in all aspects of property acquisitions on public land, including obtaining and perfecting mining claims; obtaining mineral and surface leases; completing land exchanges; and obtaining rights-of-way, special use permits and other access rights. In addition, our permitting team has guided clients through hundreds of NEPA environmental assessments and environmental impact statements and various permitting processes, from the simplest notice of intent to the most complex plan of operation. This includes ensuring compliance with the many resource protection laws applicable to public lands, including the National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Eagle Protection Act. Finally, our attorneys have assisted numerous clients in preparing and implementing the reclamation and closure plans necessary to responsibly and legally close an operation.
