Overview

Seth Belzley is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group based in the firm's Denver and Houston offices. Mr. Belzley represents private equity sponsors, public and private companies, and management teams on acquisitions and divestitures as well as issues arising in the day-to-day operation of their companies. He emphasizes the development of close, long-term, value-added relationships with his clients, who often turn to him first for advice relating to a wide range of issues and ask him to coordinate a team of specialists within the firm to handle their most complex matters.

Mr. Belzley has experience in a variety of industries including energy and natural resources, healthcare, aviation and aerospace, software, manufacturing and logistics. Mr. Belzley has significant experience in the energy industry that includes representing clients in the oil & gas, midstream, refining and downstream, renewable fuels, and renewable energy industries, including on carbon sequestration, wind and solar projects. He has served as lead counsel on the development of several significant energy infrastructure projects in the most important energy hubs in the country.

In connection with his practice, Mr. Belzley often advises clients at the intersection of business, law and governmental affairs, whether in connection with matters before federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and others, before similar state agencies or in matters requiring the approval of local authorities.

Mr. Belzley has been recognized by Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers Guide in Corporate/M&A as well as Energy & Natural Resources. He has also been included in the Best Lawyers in America Guide in the categories of Corporate Law as well as Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity.

Mr. Belzley has had a longstanding commitment, both personally and as part of his legal practice, to helping business interests, government leaders and nonprofits navigate regulatory, policy and political issues on the local, state and national levels. He has served on the boards of several nonprofits, including The Denver Foundation, Teach for America Colorado, the Denver Scholarship Foundation, Mental Health Colorado and others.

Representative Experience

  • Represented CLEAResult, North America’s largest energy efficiency and energy sustainability services provider and a portfolio company of TPG Growth Partners, in its add-on acquisition of Energetics, a leading energy sustainability consultancy serving government, utility, institutional and commercial clients across the U.S.
  • Represented Neste Oyj in its acquisition of Crimson Renewable Energy Holdings' used cooking oil (UCO) collection and aggregation business
  • Represented Neste Oy in connection with the acquisition of Agri-Trading, one of the largest traders of feedstocks for renewable fuels in the United States
  • Represented Alliance Ground International (a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity and Greenbriar Equity Group) in the acquisition of Airport Terminal Services
  • Represented Boyne Capital and its portfolio company Pilot Power Group in connection with an acquisition of a company focused on energy consultation
  • Represented Audax Private Equity and its portfolio company FDH Aero in the acquisition of Calco Industries, LLC
  • Represented Alliance Ground International (a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity and Greenbriar Equity Group) in the acquisition of Maestro Ground Handling
  • Represent Mahoney Environmental in the acquisition of Green Star Energy
  • Represent Mahoney Environmental in the acquisition of Newport Biodiesel
  • Represent Howard Midstream Energy Partners in sale of a terminal asset in Brownsville
  • Represented Neste Oyj in its investment in Alterra Energy and the related license to Neste of Alterra's proprietary thermochemical liquefaction technology
  • Represented Neste Oyj in the acquisition of the Mahoney Environmental group of companies
  • Represented a privately held bank in its acquisition of an investment adviser
  • Represented a publicly traded bank with operations in Colorado in its acquisition by one of the largest publicly traded banks in the United States
  • Represented a strategic buyer in the structuring of a stalking horse bid and debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing transaction to acquire a refiner asset located on the Gulf Coast
  • Represented Caliber Midstream Partners on the acquisition of two salt water disposal wells from Slawson Exploration
  • Represented TransMontaigne Inc. in the sale of its petroleum tug and barge fleet to Teppco Marine Services LLC (now Kirby Marine)
  • Represented a late-stage technology company in its acquisition by one of the world's largest communications and technology companies

  • Represented a large nonprofit healthcare membership organization in the formation of a joint venture to pursue a new digital membership platform venture
  • Represented a large developer of utility-scale solar projects in a joint venture with a large infrastructure bank to jointly pursue the development of projects around the country
  • Represented a midstream company in its sale of pipeline assets to a commodities trader and a related commercial joint venture
  • Represented midstream company in a joint venture with a large producer for the development and operation of a water gathering and disposal system
  • Represented TransMontaigne Partners L.P. in a joint venture with Kinder Morgan to build and operate Battleground Oil Specialty Terminal Company, an export terminal located on the Houston Ship Channel
  • Represented a large health insurer in a strategic partnership with a membership organization to create a new health insurance product and model

  • Represented Howard Midstream Energy Partners on several development projects at the GT Logistics facility in Port Arthur, including the Sabine Bayou Pipeline project and related facilities
  • Represented Howard Midstream Energy Partners in the development of the Dos Águilas project, a system of storage facility and pipelines that will transport refined petroleum products from Corpus Christi, Texas, into northern Mexico
  • Represented TransMontaigne Partners L.P. in a lease, operating agreement and development agreement for the construction and operation of a 1 million-barrel crude oil storage facility in Cushing, Okla.
  • Represented Battleground Oil Specialty Terminal Company LLC in the greenfield development of a 7 million-barrel storage and export facility located on the Houston Ship Channel

  • Represented a midstream company in its effort to form a consortium to jointly seek funding from the Department of Energy to jointly develop a carbon sequestration project
  • Represented Lenders to the Desert Sunlight Solar project in the consent being sought by NextEra for the addition of a 230 MW, 4 hour duration battery, which required the consent of Department of Energy as the guarantor on a portion of debt, and the consent of the unguaranteed lenders
  • Represented Lenders to Shepherds Flat wind farm in consents required in connection with the acquisition of the project by Brookfield and associated repowering project
  • Represented a privately held oil and gas company in the sale of an overriding royalty interest in gas-producing wells to a regulated utility
  • Represented an early stage software company in its formation and seed round financing

  • Represented a large distributor of renewable fuels on day-to-day commercial and regulatory issues including compliance with the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act
  • Represented several oil and gas companies on long-term sales agreements, processing agreements and marketing agreements
  • Represented a large integrated oil company on offtake agreements for the purchase of renewable fuels from a new refinery
  • Represented client on agreements for the conversion of several waste-gas to energy projects into renewable natural gas projects.
  • Represented several terminal operators and commodities owners on storage agreements for crude oil and refined products
  • Represented water disposal companies on agreements with oil and gas producers on the gathering and disposal of produced water

Credentials

Education
  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., high honors
  • Colorado College, B.A., cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Colorado
  • Texas
Honors & Awards
  • The Legal 500 USA, Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas, 2023
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Corporate/M&A, Up & Coming, 2022, 2023; Energy & Natural Resources, Up & Coming, 2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Corporate Law, 2018-2024; Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, 2024
  • Rising Star, Colorado Super Lawyer magazine, 2017, 2018
  • Who's Who in Energy, Denver Business Journal, 2016-2019
  • 40 Under 40, Denver Business Journal, 2017
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Texas Law Review, Managing Editor
  • Chancellors, The University of Texas School of Law
  • Order of the Coif, The University of Texas School of Law
Spoken Languages
  • English
  • German

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News