
Jennifer Cornejo






Jennifer’s practice focuses on complex environmental transactional matters, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, capital markets, bankruptcies, real estate investments, and financing transactions, as well as regulatory counseling, remedial issues, enforcement defense, and navigating the energy transition. She routinely counsels private equity clients, financial institutions, and public and private companies on environmental liabilities across an array of industries, including all segments of the oil and gas sector, renewable power and fuels, waste management, recycling and disposal, manufacturing, and the mining and chemical sectors.
Jennifer has extensive experience advising clients on the resolution of environmental liabilities identified in the course of transactions, primarily in the context of corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, bankruptcies, financing transactions, and real estate investments, having successfully negotiated the environmental terms of hundreds of transactions over the past decade. Jennifer routinely identifies, evaluates, and mitigates environmental, health and safety risks and liabilities, coordinates due diligence, manages consultants and technical experts, drafts and negotiates contracts and agreements, addresses lender issues, negotiates environmental insurance coverage, engages with regulatory agencies, navigates environmental permitting processes, and pursues resolution of regulatory and compliance issues.
Jennifer frequently advises private equity funds and financial institutions on environmental liability management, providing risk-counseling and developing mitigation strategies in the context of assessing investment opportunities and entering new markets. She also routinely advises clients on matters related to infrastructure development, including environmental permitting issues and compliance with pipeline safety regulations, and regularly defends and pursues environmental defect and indemnification claims on behalf of clients.
Experience Highlights
Advised Colgate Energy Partners III, LLC on its combination with Centennial Resource Development
Advised Diamondback Energy, Inc. on acquisition of certain subsidiaries of Double Eagle
Advised Cureton Front Range on sale to Williams Field Services Group for $560 million
Advised LM Energy on carveout sale of Touchdown crude oil gathering business
Advised Crescent Energy on its $600 million acquisition of Western Eagle Ford assets from Mesquite Energy
Advised Quantum Energy Partners on formation of Bison Oil & Gas Partners IV and closing of multiple DJ Basin acquisitions
Advised Sundance Energy on sale of its assets to SilverBow for $354 million and up to $15 million in contingent payments
Advised Diamondback Energy on $4.5 billion drop-down transaction to sell certain mineral and royalty interests to Viper Energy, Inc.
Advised Diamondback Energy on its $1.4 billion Midland Basin acquisition
Advised Diversified Energy Company PLC on its conditional agreements to acquire certain upstream assets from Tapstone Energy Holdings, LLC and KL CHK SPV, LLC
Advised Cureton Front Range in acquisition of midstream assets from Aka Energy Group
Advised Northern on $406.5 million Permian Basin expansion
Advised Civitas Resources on $400 million inaugural offering of senior notes
Advised National Fuel Gas on sale of Seneca’s California oil and gas assets to Sentinel Peak Resources
Advised Northern Oil and Gas on $110 million acquisition of Midland Basin properties
Advised Diamondback Energy on its Northern Midland Basin acquisition
Advised IOG Resources II on decision to acquire non-operated assets in Appalachia
Advised Southwestern Energy on amended and restated credit agreement
Advised Freehold on $180 million purchase of U.S. royalty assets in the Eagle Ford Basin
Advised Bedrock Industries in $150 million combination of a senior secured term loan facility and structured equity financing to Aymium
Counseled a major global investment banking firm regarding potential environmental risks associated with the ownership, storage and transportation of natural resource commodities at the parent and subsidiary levels
Advised one of the largest investment banks in the world on management of environmental risks in connection with potential conversion of idled oil refinery to biodiesel production facility
Assisted one of the largest investment banks in the world in drafting comments to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Complementary Activities, Merchant Banking Activities, and Other Activities of Financial Holding Companies Related to Physical Commodities
Assisted in advising a shipping company on managing potential environmental risks associated with spills of oil, petcoke, and various other commodities to federal and state waters
Represented leading private markets asset management firm on environmental matters in connection with its acquisition of a refinery, terminal, and related railcar fleet in the Pacific Northwest
Advised leading private markets asset management firm on several complex environmental permitting matters associated with the $9.5 billion formation of one of the largest independent power producers in the U.S., through a spin-off and concurrent combination with a merchant power generation business and associated debt financings, including New Jersey Industrial Site Recovery Act requirements
Advised on complex environmental permitting issues and other environmental matters involved in a leading private markets asset management firm’s $400 million acquisition of three coal-fired generating plants located in Maryland
Represented midstream natural gas company in its $614 million acquisition by an independent oil and gas company
Represented a large international energy company in the spin-off of its California oil and gas business into an independent and separately traded company
Advised various purchasers on air compliance, water procurement, and potential remedial liabilities in connection with acquisitions of power generating facilities in the U.S.
Advise former paper mill operator on management of potential CERCLA and Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act liability related to third-party owned waste disposal site
Advised various upstream and midstream companies on compliance with requirements under RCRA, the RCRA exemption for exploration and production wastes, and state beneficial use requirements
Counseled upstream and midstream entities on environmental requirements for treatment and disposal of waste water from shale operations, and negotiated agreements regarding the treatment, transportation, and disposal of produced water
Negotiated access agreements on behalf of several clients for site investigation work and counseled on management of potential remedial liabilities identified during investigations
Negotiated agreements on behalf of a wetlands mitigation bank related to permittee-responsible mitigation and the purchase and sale of wetlands mitigation credits
Advised energy, industrial, and commercial clients on environmental matters related to acquisitions, divestitures, financing, equity and debt offerings, and development projects
Represented securities underwriting firms and issuers on environmental matters in connection with tens of billions of dollars of securities offerings
Advised produced water and flow back treatment facility on compliance with requirements under the RCRA, the RCRA exemption for exploration and production wastes, and state beneficial reuse regulations in the Marcellus region
Advised exploration and production company in connection with permitting strategy for disposal of drill cuttings and other oilfield wastes
Represented former owner of midstream company following sale in the defense of environmental indemnification claims related to air permitting and compliance matters, state remediation standards, and Process Safety Management requirements
Counseled power plant purchaser on New Jersey Industrial Site Recovery Act requirements, including scope of site investigation and site closure criteria
Advised a midstream company in its $180 million acquisition of gas-related midstream assets
Advised a private equity firm in its $3.5 billion takeover agreement for a major oil and natural gas pipeline company
Advised a large independent oil and natural gas exploration and development company in its $5 billion sale ($13 billion total enterprise value) to a major multinational oil and gas company
Advised a midstream company in the acquisition of a solar development project in Hill County, Texas
Advised midstream and utilities infrastructure company in its sale of two biomass plants to a power generation and infrastructure company
Advised midstream corporation in connection with agreements to sell its refined products and crude oil storage and terminaling facilities for approximately $160 million
Advised leading national distributor of aftermarket parts for the U.S. heavy-duty truck industry in its sale to private equity firm
Advised leading offshore energy company in connection with a series of definitive agreements to acquire a broad portfolio of U.S. Gulf of Mexico producing assets, exploration prospects and acreage for $640 million
Advised the conflicts committee of the board of directors of the general partner of a transportation and midstream company in connection with the company’s agreement to acquire a 50% interest in a pipeline project for approximately $75 million
Represented private investment firm and its portfolio company in the acquisition of a global distributor of shower related products
Advised a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company in connection with a definitive agreement for a business combination with a premier U.S. residential solar financing platform that will become a publicly listed company
Advised independent oil and gas producer in its $465 million acquisition of an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, a new $400 million term loan, and a concurrent $115 million equity financing
Advised independent oil and gas company in connection with the formation of a $500 to $550 million drilling partnership with an investment fund
Represented a residential home developer in a citizen suit involving allegations of wetlands destruction without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act
Advised on environmental aspects of preparing, filing, and prosecuting certificate applications at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission involving new and expansion projects for major interstate natural gas pipelines, including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act
Represented an oil and gas producer in civil litigation involving allegations of soil and groundwater contamination, and claims of trespass, nuisance, and breach of contract resulting from oil and gas exploration activities
Represented a residential home developer in a citizen suit involving allegations of wetlands destruction without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act
Represented an oil and gas producer in a civil lawsuit involving allegations of soil and groundwater contamination from oil and gas activities and seeking enforcement by the state environmental regulatory agency
Defended an oil and gas operator in the Gulf of Mexico against criminal prosecution related to oil spills and NPDES compliance reporting
Represented an oil and gas company in negotiating an Administrative Order by Consent with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to resolve alleged violations of final site reclamation rules at three former well sites in Colorado
Represented an energy company regarding a governmental inquiry relating to an explosion at an offshore facility
Routinely counsel upstream, midstream, and a variety of other industries on the performance of environmental, health and safety compliance audits under federal and state audit statutes, regulations, and policies, with particular experience in Colorado, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas
Credentials
- University of Houston Law Center, J.D., cum laude, 2012 (Chief Notes & Comments Editor, Houston Law Review Order of the Barons)
- Texas A&M University, B.S., Environmental Studies, cum laude, 2007
- Environmental Consultant, 2007–2010
- Lawdragon, Leading Environmental Lawyer, 2023-2025
- Rising Stars, 2022 Americas, Environment, 2022
- Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch, Environmental Law, 2022-2025
- Managing Intellectual Property, Rising Stars, Environment, 2022
- Environment: Transactional, The Legal 500 U.S., 2020
- Member, American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy & Resources
- Colorado
- Texas
- Press ReleaseMarch 17, 2025
- “Environmental Risks Persist No Matter the Asset: Considerations for Financing Renewable Power Projects,” Parts 1 & 2, Renewable Energy World, October 2020