Benjamin Barron
Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002
Benji advises private equity firms, portfolio companies and a variety of public and private businesses in connection with a range of strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, structured financings, leveraged buyouts and joint ventures. His work focuses on identifying practical solutions to complex legal issues and spans a variety of industries, including infrastructure, renewables, energy and technology.
Benji is regularly recognized in legal publications, including, Legal 500 U.S., M&A/Corporate & Commercial: Private Equity Buyouts, 2022; M&A/Corporate & Commercial: M&A – Large Deals ($1 Billion-Plus), 2023 and 2024. He has also been selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Experience Highlights
Stonepeak in its approximately $3 billion acquisition of a 50% interest in the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which at 2.6 GW is expected to be the largest offshore wind project in the U.S. and one of the largest offshore wind projects globally upon completion
Targa Resources Corp. in connection with its entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Lucid Energy, a company that natural gas gathering, treating and processing services in the Delaware Basin, from Riverstone Holdings and Goldman Sachs Asset Management for $3.55 billion
Infinium in the development of a power-to-liquids eFuels facility in Texas that will convert waste carbon dioxide and green hydrogen into SAF and other low carbon fuels, and in its $75 million project equity investment commitment from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst
Kimmeridge Energy Management Company in the acquisition of Commonwealth LNG, a project company developing an LNG liquefaction and export facility near Cameron, Louisiana
Stonepeak Partners in connection with its investment in Maas Energy Works, a leading renewable natural gas developer in the United States
Brookfield Infrastructure in its sale of a 12.5% interest in NGPL to ArcLight
Targa Resources Corporation in its establishment of a joint venture with WPC Parent, LLC in respect of the 2.5 Bcf/d Blackcomb Pipeline in Texas
Long Ridge Energy Terminal, a portfolio company of Fortress Investment Group, in the execution of a definitive agreement for the investment in and development of a low carbon, biodegradable plastics production facility in Hannibal, Ohio with Newlight Technologies
Oasis Petroleum Inc. in a $6 billion merger of equals with Whiting Petroleum Corporation creating Chord Energy in 2022
ARM Energy Holdings, a premier infrastructure and energy marketing services firm, in its acquisition of Monument Pipeline from NextEra Energy Partners
AltaGas in the $6.4 billion acquisition of WGL Holdings, owner of a regulated natural gas utility, a midstream franchise and non-regulated contracted power and energy marketing businesses
Voyager Midstream, a portfolio company of Pearl Energy, in connection with its acquisition of East Texas gathering and processing assets from Phillips 66
A portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners in the $500 million cash commitment from I Squared Capital in connection with the contribution of its Permian midstream portfolio company
EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners, in a joint venture with Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline, to construct and own the approximately $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline Project
BioMethane Partners in its joint venture with Vitol to form Vitol BioMethane, a landfill-gas-to-energy company
Targa Resources Corp. in the $1.1 billion development joint venture with Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners for ownership of a 25% interest in the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline, a 20% interest in the Grand Prix Pipeline, and a 100% interest in Targa’s next fractionation train
Targa Resources in its $1.6 billion sale of a minority interest in Targa Badlands to GSO Capital Partners and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities
Deep Gulf Energy Companies, a deepwater oil and gas exploration and development business operating in the Gulf of Mexico and a portfolio company of First Reserve, in its $1.225 billion sale to Kosmos Energy
U.S. Oil & Refining Co.’s private equity sponsor in its $358 million divestiture of U.S. Oil & Refining Co. and certain affiliated entities, including a refinery, marine terminal, a rail loading terminal and refined product and crude oil storage, to Par Pacific Holdings
Targa Resources in the $857 million sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary that holds a 25% equity interest in the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline
AMP Capital Investors (US) Limited in the out-of-court financial restructuring of Ocean Point Terminals (fka Limetree Bay Terminals) and certain affiliates under which AMP Capital will provide up to $100 million in new capital to Ocean Point Terminals
Desert Peak Minerals in an agreement to combine with Falcon Minerals Corporation in a $1.9 billion transaction
Goodrich Petroleum Corporation in its $480 million sale to Paloma Partners, an EnCap affiliate, in an all cash tender offer
Oasis Petroleum and its affiliate companies in the $1.8 billion merger of Oasis Midstream Partners LP with Crestwood Equity Partners LP
PVS Chemicals in its acquisition of DX Holding Company
Targa Resources Partners and Targa Resources Corp. in the $7.7 billion acquisition of Atlas Pipeline Partners and Atlas Energy
Targa Resources Corp. in its $6.7 billion acquisition of Targa Resources Partners in an all stock-for-unit transaction
Memorial Resource Development in its $4.4 billion merger with Range Resources
NorthStar Realty Finance in its approximately $16 billion combination with NorthStar Asset Management Group and Colony Capital in an all-stock merger of equals
The Conflicts Committee of the Board of Directors of El Paso Pipeline Partners in the $76 billion acquisition by Kinder Morgan Inc. of El Paso Pipeline Partners, Kinder Morgan Pipeline Partners and Kinder Morgan Management
Oil States International in the $2.6 billion spin-off of its accommodations business, Civeo Corporation, into an independent, publicly traded company
Venator Materials PLC in its separation from Huntsman Corporation
Credentials
- Columbia Law School, J.D., 2012 (James Kent Scholar; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar)
- Georgetown University, A.B., History (Honors) and Classics magna cum laude, 2009
- Legal 500 U.S., M&A/Corporate & Commercial: Private Equity Buyouts, 2022; M&A/Corporate & Commercial: M&A – Large Deals ($1 Billion-Plus), 2023 and 2024
- Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2019, 2022, and 2023
- Texas
- Deals & CasesOctober 23, 2024
- Deals & CasesSeptember 3, 2024
- Deals & CasesAugust 7, 2024
- Deals & CasesAugust 1, 2024
- Deals & CasesJune 26, 2024
- Rankings & AwardsJune 12, 2024
- Deals & CasesMay 21, 2024
- Deals & CasesFebruary 22, 2024
- Deals & CasesFebruary 21, 2024
- Deals & CasesJanuary 10, 2024
- Deals & CasesDecember 13, 2023
- Deals & CasesNovember 29, 2023
- Deals & CasesNovember 8, 2023
- Rankings & AwardsJune 12, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 4, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 3, 2023
- Deals & CasesJune 27, 2022
- Deals & CasesJune 17, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 16, 2022
- Deals & CasesMay 20, 2022
- Deals & CasesApril 4, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 29, 2022
- Deals & CasesMarch 7, 2022
- Deals & CasesJanuary 12, 2022
- Deals & CasesOctober 26, 2021