Profile
Myles Culhane is an energy and environmental lawyer with deep experience across the evolving energy transition. With both legal experience and engineering expertise, he translates complex technical systems into practical regulatory and transactional strategies to help clients manage long‑term liability, secure financing, meet compliance obligations and advance stakeholder support.
During his tenure as Occidental Petroleum’s (Oxy) senior climate, environmental, sustainability and regulatory practice, Myles advised on major multi-party transactions, expansion of anthropogenic carbon dioxide use in enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR), and strategies to maintain eligibility for federal 45Q tax credits. He has significant experience addressing novel legal issues related to UIC Class VI CO2 injection permitting and supported the development, authorization, and verification of the first commercial scale direct air capture (DAC) facility.
His climate practice includes advising clients on the implications of international climate agreements, carbon pricing and cross border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM), and compliance with California’s climate disclosure laws, EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. He also advocates policy and regulatory reforms that support clean fuel standards and deployment of engineered and nature based decarbonization projects.
In his land use practice, Myles counsels’ energy and infrastructure developers on landscape-scale conservation strategies that reduce permitting risks and improve project resilience. He works closely with federal and state agencies, industry, and local stakeholders to develop durable species and landscape level conservation agreements. His approach aligns corporate objective with community priorities, supporting clean air and water, recreational access, and economic development.
Concentrations
- Transitional Energy and Decarbonization Project Development, including engineered and nature based decarbonization strategies and projects such as direct air capture (DAC)
- Acquisition of pore space, surface use agreements and rights-of-way covering the CCS value chain
- Understanding long-tail liabilities and financial requirements associated with sequestration projects
- Greenhouse gas and emission reduction strategies
- Seeking and maximizing value of federal 45Q tax credits and state low carbon and clean fuel credits
- Seeking and maximizing carbon dioxide removal credit revenues
- Domestic and international oil and gas mergers and acquisitions and related legal agreements
- California and EU Climate Disclosure Implications
主要执业方向
主要执业经验
Myles helps his clients identify CCUS market opportunities, authored and advocates for policies to incentivize project development, and contributes to business strategy development, providing legal support for a wide variety of decarbonization projects, including:
- Represented a global energy company before CARB in multiyear negotiations for two large climate solutions designed to reduce imbedded carbon emissions in transportation fuels.°
- Helping his client navigate federal and state UIC Class VI permitting and authorizations for the permanent geologic storage of carbon dioxide sources from the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) project. This multi-faceted project includes capture, transportation, sequestration, pressure management, and related infrastructure, as well as standing up programs, processes, and procedures to monitor, measure, verify, certify, and report on carbon dioxide storage and generation of carbon dioxide removal credits.°
- Permitting and authorization of a site dedicated to the durable, safe, and secure geological storage of carbon dioxide captured from a power plant thereby providing low carbon firm dispatchable energy to consumers, homes, and businesses.°
- Legal lead securing U.S. Department of Energy awards and funding for multiple decarbonization projects. His representation ran the gamut from the preparation, submittal and selection for award, subsequent contract negotiations and development of guidance and procedures on the management of each selected project in accordance with federal laws, including the False Claims Act.°
- Preparation, submittal, and agency review of the first Permanence Certification application (and related and approved provisional fuel pathways) submitted pursuant to the CCS Protocol under California’s low carbon fuel standard.°
- Lead legal counsel advising landmen on securing mineral and pore space rights and related surface use agreements in Texas, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arkansas.°
- Counsel supporting the acquisition of geothermal resources and regulatory approvals for the deployment of lithium extraction technologies, including leasing, land use, unitization, royalties, and, where applicable, CEQA. °
- In-depth analyses of novel legal issues related to the potential long-term liabilities and prospective mitigation measures associated with the subsurface injection and storage of carbon dioxide and the conversion of depleted and gas fields to sequestration.°
- Providing legal perspectives as a member of a multi-stakeholder international working group that includes the Geneva Association and Clean Energy Ministerial, of financial assurance needs and selection of appropriate financial instruments for CCUS projects.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Culhane prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
- Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy), 2011-2026
- Deputy General Counsel – Climate, 2022-2026
- Associate General Counsel, 2022-2023
- Assistant General Counsel, 2016-2022
- Managing Counsel, 2011-2016
- Corporate Manager of Environmental, Health & Safety, National Oilwell Varco (Ameron International Corporation), 1995-2006
- Division Environmental Manager, Process Engineer, Baxter, 1990-1995
- Wastewater Treatment Engineer, Shell Oil Company, 1989-1990
资历
- J.D., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
- 加利福尼亚州