ENERGY AND GOVERNMENT FINANCE
POSITION YOURSELF TO THRIVE WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO UNPARALLELED SERVICE
The energy industry is rapidly evolving and shaping the future of the global economy, and Holland & Knight’s Energy Innovation and Government Finance Team can help you stay ahead of the curve, with energy attorneys and professionals throughout the United States and Latin America who have extensive industry experience and in-depth understanding of governmental operations. We fully engage all resources within the firm to ensure seasoned, creative and timely counsel to all types of clients, including:
We prepare clients to anticipate challenges and navigate the energy technology and public financing landscape. We counsel clients on the critical role that the government plays in driving market development, overcoming obstacles and mitigating the financial and technological risks accompanying the development of emerging technologies.
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OUR FIRM
Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” Guide 20 Government practices earned metropolitan first-tier rankings, including Energy Law in the 2025 guide
The Best Lawyers in America Guide Attorneys recognized in Government Relations Practice, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, Litigation − Environmental, Project Finance Law, Public Finance Law and Natural Resources Law in the 2025 guide
Legal 500 United States Guide Firm recognized in the Energy: Renewable/ Alternative Power practice category in the 2024 guide
Chambers USA − America’s Leading Lawyers for Business Guide 14 Government lawyers recognized in 2024
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Holland & Knight has built a successful government affairs practice through our depth of experience and diversity – and by maintaining our bipartisan ties.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): Our team has secured funding on behalf of clients through the DOE, and we can leverage our relationships on your behalf.
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD): Our team has worked on behalf of clients with the career and political staff at the DOD, including key energy personnel at the departments of the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force.
OPPORTUNITY IDENTIFICATION, INTELLIGENCE AND POSITIONING
We counsel clients on developing federal and state initiatives, helping to capitalize on opportunities from a wide range of government agencies and entities by providing thoroughly customized and scaled opportunity monitoring and intelligence for optimum positioning.
SECURING ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES
Clients turn to us for advice on agency preferences, best practices for pursuing grants, loans, loan guarantees and other mechanisms of support, as well as strategic guidance in leveraging private capital with nondilutive government funding.
APPLICATION COORDINATION
Our team has experience managing and coordinating the planning and implementation of government funding strategies, allowing our client to effectively leverage key public and private stakeholders and strategically navigate multiple opportunities.
CREATING STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES
Our bipartisan team promotes public and private sector cooperation with our established working relationships at all levels of the government, helping ensure our clients’ interests are well represented and effectively advanced.
CLEANTECH REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
DOE Loan Programs Office (LPO)
Since 2021, Holland & Knight has represented 25 percent to 33 percent of the entire loan program pipeline. Currently, this is approximately 40 transactions, 10 of which are in due diligence and in a position to receive a conditional commitment in the next three to six months.
Prior to 2021, the Holland & Knight Energy Team supported more than a dozen programmatic closings from 2009 to 2014. Additionally, our team members led the DOE LPO ad hoc coalition on behalf of our LPO clients, which successfully saved the program in 2017 and removed all gating programmatic obstacles through legislation and agency rulemaking action. Recently negotiated transactions include:
Total HK-Assisted DOE LPO Funding Since 2021
DOE Grant Funding
Over the past 15 years, Holland & Knight has led the premier DOE grant funding practice. Since 2021, Holland & Knight has helped clients secure more than $3 billion in grant awards from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other existing DOE funding programs. Recently secured awards include the following:
Niron Magnetics
Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy
Nth Cycle Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential program
$17.5 million
Secure and Sustainable Materials $3 million
NRECA (In partnership with Holy Cross Energy) Grid Deployment Office Grid Resilience Innovation Partnership Program
Utilidata (In partnership with four investor-owned utilities) Grid Deployment Office Grid Resilience and Innovation Program
Freeport McMoRan
Electronic Recyclers International Inc.
Brimstone Energy Inc.
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
Diageo Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
Copper Recovery in Arizona for the Domestic Energy Supply Chain $80 million
Battery Recycling, Reprocessing and Battery Collection
Industrial Decarbonization Demonstration to Deployment
Industrial Decarbonization Demonstration to Deployment $75 million
The Dow Chemical Company Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations Industrial Decarbonization Demonstration to Deployment
of Clean Energy Demonstrations Energy Investments in Rural and Remote Areas
NRECA Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity 2 awards totaling $10 million
Boston Metal Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grants
Plug Power Inc.
Plug Power Inc.
Plug Power Inc.
The Chemours Co.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (on behalf of Chemours and Plug Power)
Albemarle
TerraVolta Resources
Cirba Solutions
Urbix
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Activities
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Activities $45.7 million
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Activities
$30 million
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Activities $10
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Activities
Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Battery Manufacturing and Recycling
Battery Manufacturing and Recycling
Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing
Battery Manufacturing and Recycling
$124.64 million
The Dow Chemical Company
Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
NanoGraf Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Form Energy Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Battery Manufacturing and Recycling
$100 million
Battery Manufacturing and Recycling $60 million
Battery Manufacturing and Recycling $5 million NRECA (In partnership with Georgie Transmission Corporation)
Additional Wins
• Advised multiple clients in their application and selection for awards under the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program; the firm’s clients are parties to five of the seven Hydrogen Hub awardees that were announced on Oct. 13, 2023, and collectively stand to receive more than $1 billion each
• Advised multiple clients in their application and selection for awards under the GRID innovation program; collectively stand to receive $750 million
• Assisted Albemarle Corp. on a $90 million Defense Production Act grant from the DOD to help support the expansion of domestic mining and the production of lithium for the nation’s battery supply chain
• Represented multiple innovative companies in obtaining more than $100 million in research grants from the DOE’s Applied Energy offices across nearly three dozen awards from 2011 to 2020
• Represented a leading battery material developer in obtaining an inaugural ARPA-E SCALEUP grant in 2020
• Supported clients in obtaining more than $300 million in DOE grant awards from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from 2009 to 2010
CONTACT US
Taite McDonald
Partner | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.469.5200
taite.mcdonald@hklaw.com
Taite McDonald focuses her practice at the intersection of innovation and government. She is especially well versed in running complex, cross-government matters with intricate legal, policy and financing components. Ms. McDonald is highly knowledgeable in several areas, including energy technology commercialization, federal energy procurement, biofuels, cannabis, hemp, innovative DOD contracting, and government grants and loan guarantees. She provides counsel to companies of all sizes, from early-stage startups to Fortune 100 companies and large utilities.
Ken Cestari
Partner | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.469.5619
ken.cestari@hklaw.com
Ken Cestari has extensive experience in federal credit programs and a broad range of experience in complex secured and unsecured financings, with a focus on the financing of clean energy projects. Mr. Cestari has deep knowledge of the credit programs administered by the DOE’s LPO and the underlying federal laws and policies that govern and apply to all federal credit programs. He has particular knowledge with the development and financing of photovoltaic solar, concentrating solar and nuclear power production facilities, natural gas cogeneration facilities, wind farms, landfill gas projects and waste coal recovery projects.
Beth Viola
Senior Policy Advisor | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.457.7030
beth.viola@hklaw.com
Beth Viola is the chair of the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Industry Sector Group. Possessing decades of experience in climate change and energy policy, Ms. Viola advises a range of corporate clients, coalitions and industry associations on public policy related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and the transition to a low-carbon economy, including the funding and deployment of clean energy and innovative technologies and advocacy on related environment, tax, trade and appropriations issues.
Elizabeth Noll
Senior Policy Advisor | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.469.5579
elizabeth.noll@hklaw.com
Elizabeth Noll has spent more than a decade refining her energy policy and technical skill set to achieve measurable outcomes. She has worked at multiple levels of government, from federal to state and local, as well as in the nonprofit environmental and private sector energy space. Most recently, Ms. Noll served as the deputy assistant secretary for House Congressional Affairs at the DOE for the BidenHarris Administration.
Katherine Hantson
Senior Counsel | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.469.5597
katherine.hantson@hklaw.com
Katie Hantson focuses her practice on helping energy companies identify and secure federal funding and financing, including through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Ms. Hantson has nearly 15 years of public and private sector experience drafting, implementing and influencing energy policy and legislation.
David Mann
Senior Policy Advisor | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.469.5658
david.mann@hklaw.com
David Mann focuses his advocacy practice on the energy transition, as well as federal funding and appropriations. Mr. Mann represents technology companies in renewable energy, low- and zero-carbon fuels, building materials and energy efficiency, green chemistry, liquid gases and hydrogen, as well as other sustainable and circular economy innovations.
Mackenzie Zales
Associate | Washington, D.C. +1.202.469.5506
mackenzie.zales@hklaw.com
Mackenzie Zales focuses her practice on clean technology, renewable energy, compliance and government financing opportunities. Ms. Zales works with clean technology and renewable energy clients to pursue federal funding and financing programs at the DOE, with a particular focus on funding from the DOE, LPO, IIJA and IRA.
Susan Wegner
Attorney | Washington, D.C.
+1.202.419.2597
susan.wegner@hklaw.com
Susan Wegner focuses her practice on environmental considerations in business transactions, environmental regulatory research and analysis, and renewable energy strategy development and implementation. Ms. Wegner has more than 20 years of experience as a lawyer and consultant and is committed to finding useful and creative solutions to regulatory and business challenges for clients.
Rebecca Sereboff
Legislative Assistant | Washington, D.C. +1.202.469.5621
rebecca.sereboff@hklaw.com
Rebecca Sereboff works on policy issues related to renewable energy, transportation electrification, clean technology commercialization, and energy project funding and financing. Ms. Sereboff is well versed in navigating federal funding and financing programs at the DOE and DOT.
Brianna “Bri” Jones Rich
Associate | New York +1.212.513.3472
brianna.jonesrich@hklaw.com
Brianna “Bri” Jones Rich focuses on financing opportunities for the development of clean technology and renewable energy. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Jones Rich advised clients on a wide variety of domestic and cross-border transactions, including project finance, structured finance and other tax equity transactions.
James Steinbauer
Senior Public Affairs Advisor | Washington, D.C. +1.202.469.5559
james.steinbauer@hklaw.com
James Steinbauer works on policy issues related to climate change, renewable energy, technology commercialization, transportation, economic development and public relations. Mr. Steinbauer helps clients navigate federal funding and financing programs at the DOE, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and DOD.
Halley Townsend
Associate | Washington, D.C. +1.202.469.5596
halley.townsend@hklaw.com
Halley Townsend focuses her practice on a wide variety of energy and environmental regulatory matters. Ms. Townsend’s practice includes advising clients on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal regulations, including the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), as well as on litigation and enforcement actions impacting their interests. Ms. Townsend also counsels clients trading in derivatives, primarily in energy and environmental markets, and on compliance with derivatives-related regulatory requirements, including those imposed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Katherine Speece
Public Affairs Advisor | Washington, D.C. +1.202.469.5599
katherine.speece@hklaw.com
Katherine Speece focuses on policy issues related to renewable energy, natural resources, technology commercialization, transportation and appropriations. Ms. Speece develops and executes comprehensive federal relations strategies to bring legislative, regulatory and executive solutions to clients.