PORTLAND, Maine (September 18, 2009) – Preti Flaherty announced today it has created a Climate Strategy Group to take on the growing concerns that climate change presents to businesses in Maine, New Hampshire and throughout the region.

"We believe we have a duty to help our civilization meet the challenge of climate change, the most pressing issue of our time. So we have founded the Climate Strategy Group to help businesses, government and NGO's reduce society's greenhouse gas emissions quickly, effectively and at the lowest reasonable cost," said attorney Tony Buxton, chair of the new group.

With offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine, Concord, N.H., Boston and Washington D.C., Preti Flaherty attorneys serves businesses, organizations and individual clients throughout the region and world.

Buxton said climate change will significantly affect the environment and have far-reaching impacts on businesses – and the business climate. The international community is vigorously seeking comprehensive action to address the issue, and the U.S. government has become markedly more aggressive in establishing related policies.

"As governments accept the reality of climate change, businesses and other institutions face two complex risks: climate change itself, and the reactions of many levels of government to the threat of climate change," he added. "Both risks have serious implications. We believe these risks can and should be mitigated by sound strategies."

Specifically, the Climate Strategy Group will help Preti clients deal with both the risks and the opportunities presented by climate change:

• Providing clients with information on the scientific aspects of climate change, as well as public and political opinion about climate change.
• Helping clients understand, affect and benefit from greenhouse gas regulation laws and policies, such as imminent legislation.
• Offering changes in both proposed government actions and existing policies and clients' business operations to reduce costs and maximize potential revenue streams.
• Utilizing the legal system, legislation and policy making to bring those changes to fruition.
• Forming multi-faceted teams of environmental, energy, legislative, corporate and international attorneys and experts to anticipate and meet complex challenges for clients.
• Access State and Federal grant, loan and guarantee approvals for energy generation or conservation technologies, including SmartGrid technologies.
• Restructure your energy consumption so less fuel is burned and you are paid for the benefit your restructured consumption confers on the electric grid.
• Develop, permit and finance renewable energy and micro-cogeneration projects to reduce your energy costs and your carbon footprint.
• Design projects eligible for energy conservation funding from and negotiate contracts with Efficiency Maine Trust, Efficiency Vermont, Mass Renewable Energy Trust and other State and Federal entities.

Members of the Climate Strategy Group at Preti have been involved in a number of climate change issues, including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap and trade carbon reduction program; "demand response" programs to reduce peak power needs in New England; SmartGrid technologies, such as Gridsolar's revolutionary use of solar power arrays to "intercept" peak air conditioner-driven demand before it hits and hurts the transmission grid; and a number of wind projects.

For more information, contact Tony Buxton at [email protected] or visit the group online at http://preti.com/Preti-Flaherty-Climate-Strategy-Group.

Preti Flaherty has offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine, Concord, N.H., Boston and Washington, D.C. With more than 85 attorneys, the firm counsels clients in the areas of business law, energy, environmental, estate planning, health care, intellectual property, labor and employment, legislative and regulatory, litigation, technology and telecommunications.

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