Overview Experience Case Studies Insights Events News Outside the Office Community Leadership

Kevin D. Johnson

Partner

Minneapolis
phone: 612.852.2711
fax: 612.852.2701

email: [email protected]

Overview Experience Case Studies

Insights Events News

Outside the Office Community Leadership

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Overview

Kevin works with clients to resolve environmental, energy and natural resource legal issues in project development, transactions, and regulatory compliance matters.

For nearly three decades, Kevin has helped clients resolve environmental, energy and natural resource legal issues. He has a particular focus on renewable energy projects and businesses -- including those involving bioenergy (waste-to-energy) and biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) -- as well as waste management projects and redevelopment of contaminated sites.

His practice is comprehensive in scope, and he is routinely called on by clients to develop solutions to address:

Siting and development of major facilities
Regulatory compliance and response to enforcement actions
Federal, state, and local permitting
Due diligence in transactions
Property contamination issues

Kevin is a frequent author and speaker on the legal and regulatory landscape for the energy, agribusiness, brownfields redevelopment, and waste management industries. He is a longtime member of the environmental law sections of both local and national bar associations and is active in several industry trade associations.

Industry

Energy & Natural Resources

Services

Biofuels, Biomass, & Landfill Gas

Environmental

Solar Energy

Wind Energy

Education

J.D., Mitchell Hamline School of Law
- Environmental Law focus
M.A., Hamline University
- Public Administration
B.A., University of Minnesota
- Journalism

Admissions

Minnesota
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota

Professional Memberships and Certifications

Member; Environment, Energy and Resources Section; American Bar Association
Member; Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Sections; Minnesota, Hennepin and Ramsey State/County Bar Associations
Member, Environmental Initiative, a Minnesota non-profit environmental and energy issues organization
Member, Minnesota Brownfields, a non-profit brownfields redevelopment organization
Member, Recycling Association of Minnesota
Member, Solid Waste Association of North America
Member, Minnesota Resource Recovery Association
Member, Air & Waste Management Association

Experience

Represented Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Board in negotiation of $200 million organic waste feedstock supply agreement for 70,000 ton per year anaerobic digestion facility to be developed by Dem-Con/Hitachi Zosen joint venture in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Represented Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Board in negotiation of major amendment to biomass feedstock supply agreement with Xcel Energy to address new PFAS regulations at Xcel's facilities in Red Wing and Mankato, Minnesota.
Represented First District Association dairy/cheese facility in resolving wastewater treatment issues and construction of new treatment facility with City of Litchfield, MN and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Represented TransLine 49 Environmental Services, a US subsidiary of White Owl Family Office Group, in negotiation of service agreements with U.S. customers for management of hazardous waste at facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Represented Koch Companies in resolving environmental contamination issues in sale transaction of warehouse property in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Assisted Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Board in participating in Minnesota Public Utilities Commission dockets related to Xcel Energy waste-to-energy facilities in Red Wing and Mankato, Minnesota.
Assisted St. Louis County, Minnesota Environmental Services Department on environmental issues related to County landfill and overall solid waste management programs.
Represented St. Louis County, Minnesota in leasing closed landfill owned by the County and managed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for development of a 10MW solar project.
Represented Standard Solar in resolving environmental issues related to acquisition of 6 MW solar project to be developed on closed landfill owned by Pennsville Township.
Represented O'Day Equipment in resolving above-ground petroleum storage tank environmental enforcement action brought by the Wisconsin Department of Justice on behalf of state regulatory agency.
Works with clients to address legal issues associated with new and existing energy generation and production facilities, with a particular focus on facilities designed to recover energy and resources from municipal solid waste. For example, he assisted the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board in acquiring a privately-owned refuse-derived fuel facility in Newport, MN, including assistance in negotiating multiple agreements and addressing permitting and other transactional issues. He also advises many other local governments on solid waste management legal issues.
Assists clients in overcoming permitting and other regulatory challenges. Kevin assisted one of the largest egg production operations in the U.S. in overcoming state and federal regulatory and permitting issues in the siting and development of their largest facility in Iowa.
Helps clients to resolve soil and groundwater contamination issues. He has assisted some of the largest agribusiness companies in the U.S. in addressing past environmental contamination at multiple sites around the country. He also assisted a Twin Cities district energy project in expanding its underground piping infrastructure through a former Superfund site with multiple owners.
Helps clients in resolving enforcement actions brought by federal, state and local regulators. Kevin has handled major environmental enforcement cases brought against clients by the U.S. EPA as well as state agencies, such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He helps clients negotiate resolutions to enforcement actions that meet their needs and are acceptable to regulators.
Provides guidance on environmental due diligence matters in mergers and acquisition transactions.

Blog | December 26, 2024

Evolving Regulatory Status of PFAS Substances

Articles | Ongoing Publication

Minnesota Chapter of Brownfields Law and Practice, "The Cleanup and Redevelopment of Contaminated Land"

Articles | April 06, 2020

Bloomberg Law Environment & Energy Report: "INSIGHT: Waste-to-Energy Projects Not Immune from Covid-19"

Speaking Engagements | November 12, 2018

Presenter, "Minnesota Brightfields: Solar Opportunities on Closed Landfills Legal Considerations," MnSEIA Gateway to Solar Conference

Speaking Engagements | May 16, 2018

Presenter, "Energy Generation and the Role of Bioenergy"

Media Mentions | May 15, 2023

Minnesota Lawyer: Husch Blackwell names Kukuljan managing partner

News | May 12, 2023

Law360: Husch Blackwell Launches Minneapolis Office (log-in required)

News Releases | March 03, 2023

Minneapolis-Based Kevin Johnson Joins Husch Blackwell

Media Mentions | February 27, 2023

Minnesota Lawyer: Minneapolis-based Kevin Johnson joins Husch Blackwell

Community Leadership

Past board member, Great River Greening, a Minnesota non-profit habitat restoration organization
Past president, Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota