| Biography | Charles E. Schwenck is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, where he is a member of the Energy Industry Team, as well as the Transactional & Securities and Finance & Financial Institutions Practices. Mr. Schwenck has over 30 years experience in energy, infrastructure and other commercial and industrial projects, both domestically and internationally. His practice focuses primarily on the structuring, drafting, and negotiation of arrangements for the development, construction, financing, fuel and feedstock supply, product sales, ownership and operation of such projects, the representation of developers of energy and water projects before federal and state regulatory agencies, and representation of companies involved in mergers and acquisitions in the energy industry and lenders engaged in acquisition of portfolios of energy loans and leases. Mr. Schwenck's industry experience includes engineering and construction, energy, mining, water supply and treatment, chemicals, transportation, and telecommunications. He has testified on behalf of engineering, construction and electric power industries before various Congressional committees and state legislative bodies. In addition to his activities in the traditional oil, gas and electricity industries, Mr. Schwenck possesses considerable experience in alternative energy, which includes representations in connection with the production of electricity from various alternative energy sources; the production of ethanol, biodiesel and other synthetic fuels from various feedstocks; and the separation and sequestration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases and the use of the same for enhanced oil recovery and other industrial processes. He also represents companies engaged in the development of sustainable technologies for the energy, water, transportation and mining industries. Significant Representations: · Representation of developers and other participants in major projects in over 35 countries on six continents, with a constructed value in excess of $90 billion. Such projects include:
- Oil, gas, oil sand and oil shale exploration and production
- Water supply and treatment facilities
- High speed rail (intra-city and inter-city) systems
- Land-based and sub-marine fiber optic systems
- Cargo handling systems at ports and airports
- Refineries; gas, liquefaction, regasification and processing facilities; petrochemical facilities; pharmaceutical plants
- Above-ground and below-ground oil, gas and water storage systems
- Natural gas, oil, water and coal slurry pipelines
- Coal, gold, iron, aluminum, lead, zinc and copper mines and processing facilities
- Synthetic gas production and processing facilities utilizing coal, biomass and other organic feedstocks
- Power generation facilities utilizing coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, biomass, petroleum coke, waste and synthetic gas, solid waste fuels and geothermal, solar and wind energy sources
- Ethanol, biodiesel and transportation-liquids production facilities, utilizing coal, natural gas and various starch, sugar, cellulose or waste-based feedstocks
- Facilities for the separation, sequestration and transportation of CO2 and other greenhouse gases and the utilization of the same for tertiary oil recovery and other industrial processes · Representation of acquirers of single projects, portfolios of projects and energy companies · Representation of lenders acquiring portfolios of energy loans and leases · Representation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the utility regulatory authorities and licensing agencies of more than a dozen states Before joining Foley, Mr. Schwenck was Co-Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Practice at Greenberg Traurig LLP. He has served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel and a member of the board of directors of LG&E Power Systems, as General Counsel at Fluor Corporation and as Division Counsel for the Bechtel Group's Power Division. Mr. Schwenck earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law where he was a Major Walter Dinkelspiel scholar. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Schwenck is admitted to practice in California. He is a member of the Federal Energy Bar Association and the American Bar Association (Sections on Business, International, Energy and Natural Resources, Public Utility Law and the Forum Committee on the Construction Industry). He is also a member of the Green Task Force of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the American Counsel on Renewable Energy and the advisory board of Cleantech Group, LLC. Publications and Speaking Engagements: · Co-author and presenter, "Construction Contracting and Public-Private Partnerships (P3) in the United States of America," China State Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing, China, 2010 · Moderator, Presidents' Roundtables, Cleantech Forums (New York and San Francisco), 2010 · Interview, "Charles Schwenck on Alternative Energies," Ourblook, 2009 · Author and presenter, "Challenges and Opportunities in U.S. Energy Supply, 2008-2030," Inter-Pacific Bar Association, 2008 · Author, "Business Challenges and Opportunities Arising Out of Deregulation of Electric Utilities" (four part series), Orange County Business Journal, 1997-1998 · Co-author, "Power Shopping: What Electricity Deregulation Means to You," Journal of Property Management, March/April, 1997 (Winner, Article of the Year) · Contributing Author, "The Life and Death of an Infrastructure Project," 2d Edition (Asia Law & Practice, Ltd., 1997) · Co-author, "Enforcing and Avoiding Liquidated Damages," Construction Contractor's Handbook of Business Law (Wiley & Sons, 1992) · Author, "Protecting One's Interest: Construction Claims and Disputes for Owners, Contractors, Developers, Architects and Engineers," Construction Education Management Corporation, 1986 · Author, "Obtaining the Job at the Right Price: Risk Avoidance in Construction Contracts," Construction Education Management Corporation, 1986 |