Timothy A. Wilkins

Tim’s environmental practice spans enforcement defense, the environmental aspects of major transactions, and project development matters, including siting and permitting. He works across environmental media, with particular depth in hazardous waste issues. His experience also includes overseeing environmental compliance audits involving thousands of locations and handling hundreds of environmental audit disclosures. Tim pioneered the development and use of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s audit policy for new owners.

That combination of enforcement, transactional and compliance work has drawn attention from clients quoted in Chambers USA. They have described his ability to explain the law “in a way that anyone can understand” (2019) and noted his blend of scientific knowledge and legal acumen in navigating challenging regulatory issues (2021). In 2023, clients cited his subject-matter expertise and commercial judgment. Law360 named Tim a 2023 Environmental MVP.

Alongside his work at Bracewell, Tim has periodically taught Corporate Environmental Law at The University of Texas School of Law. Earlier in his career, he served as a research assistant to Professor Laurence H. Tribe of Harvard Law School, was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Environmental Law Review, and clerked for the Honorable Henry A. Politz, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Rockland Power Partners II, LP, Rockland Power Partners III, LP and Rockland GridFlex Partners, LP

• environmental aspects of the sale of the Lee County Generating Station, a 676 MW natural gas-fired simple cycle power generation facility located in Illinois, and the Tait Electric Generating Station, a 586 MW natural gas and fuel oil-fired simple cycle power generation facility located in Ohio to Hull Street Energy

Kinder Morgan, Inc.

• environmental aspects of the $505 million acquisition of Monument Pipeline, a natural gas system serving Houston and the surrounding metropolitan area

Apache Corporation

• environmental aspects of the $950 million sale of non-core oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin, including complex Clean Air Act Consent Decree matters

Rockland Power Partners II, LP and Rockland Power Partners III, LP

• environmental aspects of the sale of a portfolio of six gas-fired power generation facilities, including one combined-cycle unit and five peaker units, in ERCOT to NRG Texas, LLC

Rockland Capital, LLC

• environmental aspects of the acquisition of the Chalk Point Power Facility, a 1,613 MW natural gas and diesel fuel oil-fired electric power facility located near Aquasco, Maryland, and the Dickerson Power Facility, a 294 MW natural gas and diesel fuel oil-fired electric power facility located near Dickerson, Maryland, from an affiliate of Olympus Power, LLC

Par Pacific

• environmental aspects of Par’s $310 million acquisition of ExxonMobil’s Billings, Montana petroleum refinery

Phillips 66

• environmental aspects of the $1.4 billion acquisition of the remaining 50 percent ownership interest in WRB Refining LP from Cenovus Energy Inc.
• environmental aspects of agreement to sell the Belle Chasse Terminal, formerly the Alliance Refinery, to Harvest Midstream

• Harvard University, Master of Public Policy, 1993
• Harvard Law School, J.D., 1993, cum laude
• Trinity University, B.A., 1988, magna cum laude

Chambers USA

• Texas Environment, 2006 – 2026 (Band 1, 2019 – 2026)

Legal 500 United States

• Environment: Regulatory, 2017 – 2026 (Leading Partner, 2022 – 2026)
• Environment: Transactional, 2016 – 2026 (Leading Partner, 2024 – 2026)
• Environment: Litigation, 2011 – 2016, 2018 – 2019, 2023, 2026
• Energy: Transactions, 2014

Law360

• Environmental MVP of the Year, 2023

Best Lawyers in America®

• 2009 – 2010, 2012 – 2027
• Austin Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Law, 2019
• Austin Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Environmental, 2020, 2027

IFLR1000

• United States: Project Development, 2019, 2021 – 2025

• American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
• State Bar of Texas, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section
• Austin Bar Association, Environmental Law Section

• “The Green Meets the Black Letter,” UT Law CLE’s 39th Annual Technology Law Conference, May 21, 2026.
• “The ESG Movement and Its Impacts,” State Bar of Texas Business Law and Corporate Counsel Section Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas, June 9, 2022.
• “Environment, Social, and Governance – The Three Letters (ESG) Transforming Business,” APFM international Petrochemical Conference, March 27-29, 2022.
• “More Focus on ESG Means More Scrutiny, Litigation and Enforcement, Too,” Corporate Compliance Insights, March 1, 2022.
• “Environmental Considerations for Real Estate Lawyers,” Dallas Bar Association Real Estate Section, November 8, 2021.
• “New EPA Compliance Audit Guidance: New Owner, Voluntary Disclosure, Admission of Liability, Penalty Mitigation,” Strafford Seminar, October 26, 2021.
• “Working with Lawyers: The Intersection of EHS Auditing Professionals and Legal Counsel,” The Auditing Alliance, September 14, 2021.
• “State Regulators Panel,” with Denise Brimley of Pennsylvania and Jim Wright of Texas, Institute for Energy Law, Environmental Conference, March 24, 2021.
• “Auditing in the New Decade: Creating Value by Reducing Environmental Liabilities and Risks,” 4C Conference, Austin, Texas, February 20, 2020.