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Formerly a shareholder and chair of Richards, Watson & Gershon's environmental, energy, oil and gas department, John brings over 25 years of experience to Meyers Nave, advising both public agency and private clients throughout California on their rights, obligations, liabilities and opportunities under federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. He also advises operators, landowners, working interest owners, public agencies, universities, and institutional clients on oil, gas, electric and other energy issues.John's environmental expertise includes providing advice on the impact of environmental laws on the acquisition, sale, financing and leasing of property; representing public agencies, property owners and tenants in negotiations for the remediation of properties and assisting in the oversight of numerous environmental remediation projects. In addition, John assists clients with obtaining permits, waste discharge requirements and other approvals from California environmental agencies. He has negotiated remediation agreements, prospective purchaser agreements and consent decrees with these agencies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is also experienced in the redevelopment of Brownfields sites, including assisting public agencies in obtaining federal grants. John also regularly counsels clients on their compliance with the federal Clean Water Act and California's Porter-Cologne Act. He has also assisted cities with their NPDES municipal storm water permits.John's environmental litigation practice has focused on the representation of cities, groups of municipalities, individuals and corporations in a wide variety of environmental matters, including Clean Water Act, CERCLA cases, contaminated property clean-up and cost recovery cases, as well as environmental insurance coverage claims. He also negotiated with the State Water Resources Control Board, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and environmental groups regarding NPDES municipal storm water permits and other Clean Water Act matters.For 25 years, John has advised operators, working interest owners, landowners, royalty owners, public agencies, universities and institutional clients on a wide variety of oil and gas and other energy matters. While Mr. Harris has extensive experience in all aspects of the energy industry, he has focused primarily on the unique problems of California producers, landowners and royalty owners, as well as the wide range of operational problems faced by exploration and production companies operating in California and in other states. On the transactional side of his practice, Mr. Harris has helped clients in oil and gas lease negotiations, sales of oil and gas producing properties, coal seam gas properties and pipelines, operating agreements, financing transactions and production purchase and sales agreements, as well as agreements by and with governmental agencies, including drafting pipeline franchises.Mr. Harris has also litigated many different types of oil and gas cases, such as lawsuits over the rights of producers, landowners and royalty owners under oil and gas leases and operating agreements, lease termination disputes, drainage and development and subsurface trespass claims, actions for breach of implied covenants and fiduciary duty, tax issues, quiet title matters and other title disputes, claims for misuse of confidential information, constitutional questions, secured transactions issues and securities fraud cases. Mr. Harris' broad experience has given him a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of the engineering, geologic and other technical issues, as well as the business, practical and political considerations involved in oilfield operations in California.John received his J.D. in 1980 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his B.A. in 1974 from the University of California at Santa Barbara with High Honors. He is an active member of the California Redevelopment Association's Brownfields Committee, and the California and Los Angeles County Bar Association's Environmental Law sections. Mr. Harris is a member of the California Independent Petroleum Association and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. He also serves as the California editor for the Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Production Committee's Annual Report included in the ABA Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section's "Year in Review." John frequently speaks on environmental and oil and gas issues for numerous professional and trade associations. |
