Regulatory and Compliance Matters

• Represent salt dome storage cavern owners in response to cavern failure in front of Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, including immediate response, presentation of compliance documents and filing for variance requests
• Represent pipeline and storage corporations in front of Louisiana Public Service Commission regarding compliance and tariff applications for pipeline service
• Represent pipeline corporations in front of U.S. Corps of Engineers and multiple state agencies for construction of new pipelines in wetland protected areas and jurisdictional waterways
• Provide advice to clients regarding regulatory compliance for the closure of refining facilities, including gas processing facilities and crude oil refineries, and the abandonment of pipelines
• Participate in federal comment period for proposed regulations from PHMSA

Litigation Matters

• Represented midstream corporations in the acquisition of properties for the construction of pipelines and associated facilities in nearly 100 eminent domain proceedings
• Defended and prosecute injunction hearings for several clients for the continued operation of pipelines alleged to be in trespass
• Represented pipeline corporations against encroachments within right-of-way areas and similarly when pipelines are outside of contracted right-of-way areas
• Defended crude oil refineries in class action proceedings caused by spills outside of refineries’ fence lines
• Defense of refineries for personal injury actions claimed by employees
• Defense of multiple environmental damage claims caused by oil and gas operations, requesting compensation ranging from low millions to over one billion dollars
• Defense of energy corporation resulting from Gulf of Mexico drilling release

Transactional Matters

• Represent pipeline corporations in the acquisition of hundreds of right-of-way agreements
• Provide due diligence review of right-of-way agreements for several corporations acquiring existing pipeline systems
• Provide advice to LNG corporation constructing offshore export facilities
• Negotiate pipeline operating agreements with third party operators on behalf of several pipeline owners
• In a high-stakes mass toxic tort case, Matt was one of two trial lawyers for the team defending a major international joint venture facing over a thousand claims following a chemical release in a densely populated area. The defense succeeded in removing the case to federal court, arguing application of the Class Action Fairness Act, a federal statute that expanded federal diversity jurisdiction over class actions. The trial result: zero verdict for the defense.