Faegre & Benson counsels clients on natural resources matters—including legal and business issues related to energy, oil and gas, mining, electricity, renewable energy and public lands. We advise companies of all sizes in the United States and Europe, including public utilities, as well as institutional lenders, underwriters and private investors.

Energy, oil and gas. We advise clients regarding exploration, development, operating, gathering, farm out, unit and drilling agreements, and litigation; mineral royalties; oil and gas leasing, permitting, and development on U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state, Indian, and fee lands; defense of National Environmental Policy Act and state environmental review documents and government approvals against third-party challenges; and energy development on tribal lands.

Mining. We advise companies involved in mineral extraction and processing, prospecting, mine development, tunneling, excavation, and postmining redevelopment.

Land Use and Public Lands. We counsel companies regarding U.S. federal public lands law and litigation; acquiring, developing, and selling interests in minerals and energy resources; resort permitting, development, and litigation on federal public lands; siting and environmental permitting, including corridor siting; and eminent domain proceedings.

Ski Area and Resort Development. We have experience with the acquisition, development, financing, and operation of ski areas on Forest Service lands under special use permits. Our lawyers provide counsel and handle disputes involving Forest Service special use permit terms and regulations, Forest Service ski area development decisions, land exchanges, ski area terrain expansions and development, wildlife regulation, snowmaking, environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, and federal land use planning and ski area development.

Natural Resources Litigation. We handle litigation and arbitration (in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia) involving mineral leases, energy and natural resource supply agreements, operating agreements, joint venture agreements, mineral royalties, trade secrets, oil and gas development rights, environmental liabilities, natural resource damages, toxic torts, mineral rights, surface damages, federal lands development, environmental review, and breach of contract.