Clients praise him for his ‘subject matter expertise’ and say he’s ‘fantastic; he’s a creative thinker and clients love him.’

Chambers USA, 2021

Matt Paulson represents companies in the oil and gas, refining, power and chemical manufacturing industries on environmental matters, including strategic permitting, regulatory compliance, investigations, enforcement, crisis response, civil and appellate litigation and transactions. His work includes advising clients on issues arising under all the major federal environmental laws and their state counterparts.

Matt regularly advises clients at the early project planning stages, assisting with scoping a broad array of regulatory and permitting requirements across all media and disciplines, from air, water and waste permitting to endangered species and cultural resource reviews, as well as other federal, state, and local requirements that can affect project timing and viability.  He regularly represents clients in state and federal enforcement actions and internal investigations involving alleged environmental violations at major industrial facilities.

Matt also advises energy companies on sustainability/ESG reporting, related policy issues, and strategic risk and risk mitigation related to climate change/greenhouse gas initiatives, including scoping CCUS projects, conducting GHG lifecycle and scenario analyses, and evaluating alignment with third-party disclosure formats, among other strategic climate/ESG initiatives.

Matt’s deep, facility-level understanding of the industries he represents, coupled with a highly strategic approach help him evaluate key legal risks and drive toward practical, successful outcomes for his clients.