Josh Bledsoe advises clients on complex infrastructure and development projects, particularly those utilizing renewable or low-carbon technologies. He has broad experience in the permitting, entitlement, environmental review, and financing of cleantech projects; and also handles related administrative and judicial challenges.

Mr. Bledsoe has deep experience with climate change law, including California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (commonly known as “AB 32”) and associated Air Resources Board regulations such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the Cap-and-Trade Program. He guides clients to monetize the low-carbon attributes of their products or services under various carbon pricing and regulatory regimes. He also possesses in-depth knowledge of the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act (and its state and local counterparts throughout California), the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act and the Warren-Alquist Act (including the siting procedures of the California Energy Commission).

Mr. Bledsoe also has experience in the permitting and development of energy projects, both fossil fuel fired and renewable. He has obtained federal, state, and local approvals for such projects, crafting innovative solutions to environmental and resource problems. He also possesses extensive transactional experience, having represented buyers, sellers, and lenders in matters involving environmental liabilities related to real estate and business transactions, complicated mergers and acquisitions, and access to capital markets.

Mr. Bledsoe currently serves both on Latham’s Sustainability Steering Committee and the Advisory Council for Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy.

Mr. Bledsoe’s speaking engagements include the following:

Mr. Bledsoe’s experience includes advising:

  • A large multinational company on the development, permitting, and structuring of a CCS project in California
  • An energy trade association in connection with carbon capture and sequestration policy and strategy
  • Monolith Materials on the monetization of the climate benefits attributable to its production of carbon-free hydrogen and carbon black in Nebraska
  • Newhall Land and Farming Company on the first-ever large “net zero GHG” master-planned community in California, including developing an anaerobic digester to mitigate climate impacts via dairy biogas capture and beneficial use
  • SoCalGas in connection with the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility methane leak and renewable natural gas
  • Occidental Petroleum in connection with a proposed Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) project that would utilize CO2 generated by ethanol refineries for enhanced oil recovery to generate 45Q tax credits and LCFS credits
  • A natural gas production company utilizing CCS technology to generate LCFS credits
  • Element Markets in connection with the LCFS, the California Cap-and-Trade Program, and commercial aspects of renewable natural gas
  • A alternative fuels developer in connection with proposed gas-to-liquid production facilities
  • California American Water Company in connection with a desalination and water supply project in Monterey County that would achieve net zero GHG emissions
  • Poseidon Resources in connection with multiple desalination projects in Southern California Monterey County that would achieve net zero GHG emissions
  • Accordant Energy, LLC in connection with a waste-derived, engineered fuel production facility to supply cement production facilities
  • SCS Energy, LLC in the development of an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) poly-generation facility with CCS, known as the Hydrogen Energy California Project, in Kern County, California
  • Citigroup Global Markets Inc. in the US$1 billion bond financing of the 579-megawatt Solar Star 1 and 2 Projects, awarded as Americas Power Deal of the Year for 2013 by Project Finance International
  • A leading international investment bank in the bond financing of the US$2.4 billion, 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm, awarded as North American Solar Deal of the Year for 2012 by Project Finance
  • AES Solar in the project financing of the 200-megawatt Mount Signal Solar Project, located in Imperial County, California
  • Goldman Sachs to secure US$1.46 billion US Department of Energy Loan Guarantee to support the 550-megawatt solar photovoltaic Desert Sunlight Project
  • CPV Sentinel, LLC, a joint venture of Competitive Power Ventures and GE Energy in the development of the CPV Sentinel Project, an 850-megawatt, natural gas fired, peaking plant located in Riverside County, California
  • Summit Midstream Partners, LLC in its US$590 million acquisition of natural gas midstream assets, including 260 miles of pipeline and 90,000 horsepower of compression facilities, from Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Encana Corporation
  • Edison Mission Group in the development of the Walnut Creek Energy Park, a 500-megawatt, natural gas fired peaking power plant to be located in the City of Industry, California
  • Rentech, Inc. in the development of the Rialto Renewable Energy Center, which would use gasification technology to convert urban woody green waste into drop-in fuels and electricity
  • Pacific Ethanol, Inc. in the development of major corn-based ethanol production facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho
  • GWF Energy, LLC conversion of the existing Henrietta Peaker Project and Hanford Peaker Project into combined cycle generating facilities
  • LS Power Equity Partnership in the acquisition of Duke Energy North America and Mirant generation assets and in the Dynegy Inc. merger
  • Chevron Products Company in the modernization of its El Segundo Refinery and in the development of its “Heavy Crude Project”
  • Energy Capital Partners in its US$450 million acquisition of three power plants from BG Group

Bar Qualification

  • California

Education

  • JD, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, 2004
  • BA, Duke University, 1999
General Recognition Thumbnail
March 26, 2018Recognition

2018 CLAY Awards: Net Zero Newhall

A Latham environmental team advising the Newhall Ranch community is honored as Attorneys of the Year for innovative work in advancing one of the largest master-planned communities ever proposed in California.