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Graham Noyes
Partner
Sacramento, CA
(916) 319-4675 Direct
(916) 447-4781 Fax

Seattle, WA
(206) 386-7615 Direct
(206) 386-7500 Fax

jgnoyes@stoel.com

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Graham Noyes

Experience

Graham Noyes is a partner in the Energy Development practice group. Graham focuses his practice on the bioenergy industry including conventional and advanced biofuels; forestry, agricultural, and solid waste to energy projects; and biogas projects involving anaerobic digestion, thermo chemical gasification, and other advanced technologies. Graham also works on a wide range of innovative projects involving carbon off-sets, methane capture, nutrient recovery, water efficiency, zero waste, or other innovative components. Graham's practice spans regulatory, transactional, and project development work. Representative clients run the gamut from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies in the computer, agricultural, forestry, and petroleum industries.

Prior to joining Stoel Rives, Graham was a leading executive in the biodiesel industry and a pioneer in the commercialization of advanced biofuels. Graham leverages his business experience to minimize risks, capture revenue streams, and deliver cost-effective legal solutions to his clients. Graham leads Stoel Rives' advanced biofuels practice team. He regularly drafts and negotiates commercial agreements involving fuels and chemicals, environmental attributes such as Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), raw materials, and off-take products. Graham also assists his clients pursuing private and public financing, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions.

Graham is a licensed attorney in Washington, D.C., and regularly travels to D.C. to meet with executive agency officials, members of Congress and their staff, and trade association representatives. He has significant experience with policy matters on both the state and federal level, and works with trade associations, lobbyists and policy makers on renewable energy and clean technology issues. Graham is familiar with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE), Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank), and Department of Agricultural (USDA) personnel and programs in the renewable energy, greenhouse gas (GHG), and energy efficiency sectors.

Graham has extensive experience with the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), and is a well-known speaker and writer on RFS and LCFS issues. He assists clients in establishing new pathways, interpreting complex regulatory issues, obtaining guidance from the EPA; as well negotiating commercial agreements and resolving disputes involving RINs and LCFS credits. Graham represents multiple clients who have received Requests for Information (RFIs) and Notices of Violation (NOVs) from the EPA in administrative and civil proceedings. For this work, Graham draws on his prior experience as a litigator. As a trial attorney, Graham oversaw the preparation of hundreds of cases for trial, tried dozens of criminal cases to verdict and served as lead counsel to plaintiffs in several federal civil rights actions.

Graham formerly held the following positions: Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Imperium Renewables Inc., 2007-2008; Vice President, Sales, World Energy Alternatives LLC, 2003-2006; Director of Operations, Western U.S., World Energy Alternatives LLC, 200-2003; sole practitioner, Law Offices of Graham Noyes, 1995-2000; and Associate Public Defender, Sacramento County, 1992-1995.

Representative Clients

  • Southern California Gas Company
  • Tetra Tech Inc.
  • Solazyme Inc.
  • Genifuel
  • Montauk Energy

Representative Work

  • Negotiating and developing the transactional agreements for a joint venture between a biofuel company and a well-known international agribusiness company.
  • Developing legal agreements for the production, sale, and distribution for multiple biofuels companies including producers of conventional ethanol and biodiesel; and advanced biofuel producers utilizing algae, and cellulosic materials.
  • Assisting clients in the development of business models to commercialize biomethane as a vehicle fuel.
  • Developing agreements for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of advanced biorefineries.
  • Leading the legal team for a series of large scale anaerobic digester projects, and developing the related feedstock and off-take agreements.
  • Drafting and negotiating the transactional agreements related to the development of a regional water treatment plant for a cluster of computer data centers and industrial users.
  • Assisting multiple pulp and paper companies developing energy islands to produce qualified renewable biomass energy under western state Renewable Portfolio Standards.
  • Representing biofuel, geothermal, wind and solar projects obtaining DOE and USDA loan guarantees and grant funding, developing compliance programs, and negotiating modifications to existing federal loans and grants.
  • Drafting contracts for clients receiving Stimulus Bill grants to conform with federal requirements including Davis-Bacon, Buy America ,and record-keeping requirements.
  • Representing clients in RFS pathways, rulemakings, enforcement proceedings, and informal guidance negotiations before EPA.
  • Prior business experience includes developing master distributor agreements, negotiating large volume biodiesel sales with major petroleum companies and utilities, and transnational sales of biofuel.

Representative Presentations

Link to Complete List
  • Gaseous Advanced Biofuel: Biomethane for Vehicles, American Biogas Council Workshop, San Francisco, California, May 15, 2013
  • California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Key Market Impacts, 4th Annual OPIS RFS2, RINs and Biodiesel Forum, Chicago, Illinois, October 19, 2012
  • Renewable Natural Gas Contracting and Regulatory Issues, Biogas USA West Workshop Green Power Conferences, San Francisco, California, October 9, 2012
  • "Aviation Biofuel Projects Viewed through a Project Finance Lens," FC Business Intelligence Aviation Biofuels Development Conference, Washington, D.C., Oct. 2, 2012
  • Feedstock, Financing and Incentives for MSW Energy and Fuel Projects, Solid Waste Association of North America, Seattle, Washington, March 2, 2012
  • "DOE's Loan Guarantee Program: Crucial Financing Mechanism or a Costly Distraction?," Projects & Money 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan. 11, 2011
  • "Carbon: the Wild Card in Fossil Fuel Economics," Streamlining Global Supply Chain Operations Conference, Chicago, Illinois, May 3-4, 2010
  • "American Ingenuity in Biofuels," Next Generation Biofuels Conference, Amsterdam, Holland, March 2007

Representative Publications

Link to Complete List

  • The Carbon Rush: America's Path to Fire and Gold, a history of US energy development and innovation, published by Blake Island Media, 2012, received 2012 "Book of the Year Award" from Biofuels Digest
  • Fortifying the RPS: EPA's Proposed RIN Quality Assurance Program, White Paper published by Stoel Rives LLP, March 2013
  • How Feedstock Influences Valuation of a California Low Carbon Fuel Standard Credit for Biodiesel Producers, Biodiesel Magazine, May 2013
  • Lead Editor and Contributing Author, The Law of Biorefineries and Advanced Biofuels, Stoel Rives LLP, 2012 Edition
  • "What's Your Game Plan? Targeting Federal Renewable Energy Incentives," Renewable Energy World, Aug. 24, 2010

Professional Honors & Activities

  • Board Member, Bioenergy Association of California.
  • Named one of the "Top 100 People in Bioenergy for 2012-13" by Biofuels Digest Magazine
  • Secretary (former), Governing Board, National Biodiesel Board
  • Adjunct Professor, St. Thomas Law School, Miami, Florida
  • Stakeholder Representative, Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest
  • Member, Northwest Energy Angels
  • Member, Legislative Committee, Washington Clean Tech Alliance

Education

  • University of California, Davis, J.D., 1991
    Staff editor, U.C. Davis Law Review
    Order of the Coif
  • University of Virginia, B.A., 1987, with distinction

Admissions

  • Washington
  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, Northern California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

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2013