Oil pipelines
Charles provides regulatory and business counseling to many oil pipeline clients, including BP Pipelines, Calnev, Devon Energy, MarkWest Energy Partners, Occidental Petroleum, Plantation Pipe Line, and SFPP, and the owners of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.  He has litigated a number of highly complex oil pipeline cases before the FERC and has helped his clients successfully negotiate settlements and obtain regulatory approvals in numerous matters.

• Representing a crude oil pipeline in establishing initial rates and in negotiating a unanimous settlement of resulting protests
• Defending a refined petroleum products pipeline against complaints before FERC challenging the grandfathered status of its transportation rates under the Energy Policy Act of 1992
• Defending the owners of an interstate crude oil pipeline system before FERC against protests of the inclusion in rates of repair and remediation costs, resulting in settlement prior to hearing and development of an innovative private dispute resolution mechanism for future claims
• Representing a refined petroleum products pipeline system in an application to charge market-based rates for a segment of its system
• Representing a major refined petroleum products pipeline system in implementing increased rates related to large expansion projects
• Negotiating a pipeline lease and related settlement to ensure continued movement of crude oil from an offshore project in the Gulf of Mexico

Case Citations

• MarkWest Michigan Pipeline, Docket No. IS06-41
• ARCO Products v. SFPP, Docket No. OR96-2, et al.
• SFPP, L.P., Docket No. OR98-11, et al., Docket No. IS05-230; Docket No. IS06-283
• ARCO Transp. Alaska, Docket No. IS94-34, et al.

Transactional
Charles has wide experience in assisting his clients with energy projects.

• Assisting a U.S. independent exploration and production company in negotiations leading to development of a major offshore gas production and processing platform
• Representing a Brazilian natural gas distributor in negotiating its upstream supply contract and downstream sales agreements with several gas-fired independent power projects
• Providing regulatory counsel to a crude oil gathering and transportation company in a large acquisition to expand its system, including coordination of regulatory approvals in 10 states
• Negotiating natural gas and condensate sale and transportation agreements for offshore projects in India
• Negotiating farm-in and natural gas and crude oil sales agreements for an offshore development in Brazil on behalf of an independent oil company 
• Representing an electric utility's power development subsidiary in the negotiation of natural gas transportation arrangements for a merchant power plant project in Florida

• Listed: Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers in energy regulation, 2005 and 2006; The Best Lawyers in America in natural resources law, 2005, energy law 2006
• Member: Administrative Law, Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy Sections, American Bar Association; Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Section, State Bar of Texas; Energy Bar Association (Past President, Houston Chapter); Houston Bar Association
• Regular speaker at continuing legal education and client regulatory compliance programs

• Rice University, B.A. magna cum laude, 1985 (Phi Beta Kappa)
• University of Virginia, J.D., 1990 (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Law & Politics)
• Law clerk to the Honorable George P. Kazen of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
• Admitted to practice: Texas, 1990; U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit