Carl Fink is the founder and Managing Counsel, West Region for Blue Planet Energy Law, a law firm dedicated to providing innovative legal advice on transactional and regulatory matters for the energy industry. Mr. Fink concentrates his practice on natural gas, renewable power development, environmental commodities and emissions trading, gas and electric transmission and smart grid.
Mr. Fink’s transactional experience includes a wide variety of energy-related transactions, including interstate pipeline transportation and storage contracts; renewable energy development; project financings (both for traditional and renewable energy sources); energy and environmental commodity trading; LNG; electric transmission and interconnection agreements; mergers, acquisitions and due diligence; joint venture agreements, shipper and vendor contract negotiations; complex credit and risk negotiations; financing, and all aspects of major greenfield infrastructure development.
In the regulatory arena, Mr. Fink has represented interstate pipeline and storage companies and their customers; independent and renewable power projects; smart-grid companies; electric utilities; energy trading companies; and major industrial end-users and in regulatory matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the California Air Resources Board (ARB), and various state public service commissions and appellate courts. Mr. Fink also advises clients with respect to all issues arising under the Natural Gas Act, Energy Policy Act, Federal Power Act, ARB 32 and numerous other state and federal statutes affecting the energy industry.
Prior to founding Blue Planet Energy Law, LLC, Mr. Fink was a partner with the global law firm of K&L Gates. Prior to joining K&L Gates, Mr. Fink was Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer-FERC for TransCanada’s west region pipelines and transmission facilities in the United States, as well as associate general counsel for the PG&E’s National Energy Group, where he was responsible for legal matters related to natural gas for the company’s power generation facilities and interstate pipeline assets. Mr. Fink started his legal career as an attorney with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Memberships and Admissions:
Mr. Fink currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Energy Bar Association, West Region, as well as the Energy Bar Association’s natural gas committee and renewable energy committees. He is a member of the Voice for Oregon Innovation & Sustainability Counsel and the Oregon Bar’s Sustainable Future section. He is admitted to practice by the Bar of District of Columbia; Bar of Oregon; Bar of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Education:
J.D., Tulane Law School, 1986, (cum laude)
B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1983
