SAN FRANCISCO, August 18, 2011:  Farella Braun + Martel announces that it served as lead outside counsel to First Solar in obtaining the key U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Record of Decision (ROD) on August 10, 2011, clearing the way for First Solar to construct the proposed Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, the largest PV project ever approved on public lands. 

U.S. Department of the Interior Press Release

The Desert Sunlight project is a 550-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic facility located on approximately 4,000 acres of land administered by the BLM in Riverside County.  As First Solar's go-to lawyers for environmental, real estate and project permitting needs, the firm has assisted First Solar in securing numerous permits and approvals from other federal, state and local agencies, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Riverside County.  The firm has also assisted First Solar in negotiating protest settlement agreements with major environmental organizations and individuals, addressing environmental and cultural resource concerns.

The firm’s legal team for First Solar’s Desert Sunlight Solar Project included Environmental Law Partners David Lazerwitz, Skip Spaulding, Jon Benjamin and Robert Hines, Environmental Special Counsel John Epperson, Environmental Associates Matthew Bostick and Mathew Swain, Land Use Special Counsel Ilene Dick, Real Estate Partner Richard Rabbitt, and Real Estate Associates Karen Jue and Navjot Athwal.

Farella Braun + Martel represents clients throughout the United States and abroad in sophisticated business transactions and high-stakes commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Founded in 1962, the firm is headquartered in San Francisco and maintains an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry. Farella Braun + Martel lawyers are known for their imaginative legal solutions, dynamism and intellectual creativity. With an unwavering service ethic and interdisciplinary team approach, the firm is committed to advancing clients' objectives in the most effective, coordinated and efficient manner. Farella Braun + Martel is a green business.

Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
415.954.4433
[email protected]