Profile
Gray Taylor 's practice focuses on environmental, climate change, cleantech and sustainability issues affecting businesses on Canada and abroad.
Gray acted on commercial arrangements and transactions in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere in the world for two decades before turning to climate change and environmental issues. As a result, he brings an understanding of business realities, practices and goals to his practice.
Gray has a particular expertise in emissions trading transactions involving Emission Reduction Purchase Agreements and related financing and transactional documents, developed through Kyoto Protocol (CDM and JI,) deals but applied in Alberta, the Western Climate Initiative and other Canadian deals as well as North American and international voluntary carbon transactions. He also advises on corporate governance and climate change business planning issues.
Gray has acted on a number of complex transactions, such as representing the largest private sector participants in the World Bank US$ one billion Umbrella Carbon Fund transaction, and creating unique structures to facilitate participation by diverse entities in emission trading markets, including Natsource's Greenhouse Gas Credit Aggregation (Buyers) Pool and innovative arrangements related to voluntary environmental credit creation and trading:
Gray has been part of the development of climate change transactional law from the inception. He was one of six lawyers in the world listed as a climate change Band 1 practitioner by Chambers Global with the statement in 2013 that he is "active on climate change matters across Canada, but also internationally, working on issues in jurisdictions as varied as China and Ecuador. Clients underscore his 'great insight and innovations and his lengthy history in carbon transactions around the world" that he "is universally acknowledged as the 'godfather of Canadian climate change law." Today Gray is identified by Chambers as a Senior Statesperson in Global Climate Change Law.
Gray is also identified by Chambers as a Senior Statesperson in Canada for his environmental law practice. Gray has been the Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Environment at the University of Toronto's School of the Environment where he is now an Adjunct Professor, a past chair of the National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), a former director of IETA, former co-Chair of IETA's Canadian Working Group, a member of the Environmental Finance Advisory Committee of the School of the Environment, University of Toronto and is recognized in Canadian Best Lawyers and Canadian Who's Who Legal. He is qualified to practice in Ontario and New York.
Gray acted on commercial arrangements and transactions in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere in the world for two decades before turning to climate change and environmental issues. As a result, he brings an understanding of business realities, practices and goals to his practice.
Gray has a particular expertise in emissions trading transactions involving Emission Reduction Purchase Agreements and related financing and transactional documents, developed through Kyoto Protocol (CDM and JI,) deals but applied in Alberta, the Western Climate Initiative and other Canadian deals as well as North American and international voluntary carbon transactions. He also advises on corporate governance and climate change business planning issues.
Gray has acted on a number of complex transactions, such as representing the largest private sector participants in the World Bank US$ one billion Umbrella Carbon Fund transaction, and creating unique structures to facilitate participation by diverse entities in emission trading markets, including Natsource's Greenhouse Gas Credit Aggregation (Buyers) Pool and innovative arrangements related to voluntary environmental credit creation and trading:
Gray has been part of the development of climate change transactional law from the inception. He was one of six lawyers in the world listed as a climate change Band 1 practitioner by Chambers Global with the statement in 2013 that he is "active on climate change matters across Canada, but also internationally, working on issues in jurisdictions as varied as China and Ecuador. Clients underscore his 'great insight and innovations and his lengthy history in carbon transactions around the world" that he "is universally acknowledged as the 'godfather of Canadian climate change law." Today Gray is identified by Chambers as a Senior Statesperson in Global Climate Change Law.
Gray is also identified by Chambers as a Senior Statesperson in Canada for his environmental law practice. Gray has been the Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Environment at the University of Toronto's School of the Environment where he is now an Adjunct Professor, a past chair of the National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), a former director of IETA, former co-Chair of IETA's Canadian Working Group, a member of the Environmental Finance Advisory Committee of the School of the Environment, University of Toronto and is recognized in Canadian Best Lawyers and Canadian Who's Who Legal. He is qualified to practice in Ontario and New York.
- Projects -
- A tidal energy start-up on Canada's west coast, including shareholders agreements and corporate reorganizations
- A purchasing "pool" capitalized at up to US 800 million permitting 26 entities in Japan, Europe, Canada and the US to aggregate their requirements for primary Kyoto Protocol units and advising on the pool management and the purchase, custody and escrow contracts required to effect the acquisitions of those units in a number of transactions
- A TSXV-listed bio-fuel company in connection with greenhouse gas reduction reduction marketing efforts.
- Natsource CF Corporation, in connection with the completion of a series of transactions involving the forward purchase and syndicated onward sale of approximately 44 million Kyoto Protocol certified emission reductions created by a nitrous oxide decomposition project in China
- Two large oil producers in connection with separate proposed acquisitions of carbon dioxide to use for enhanced oil recovery (EOR)
- An entity in the carbon dioxide pipeline sectpr in connection with its acquisition of carbon dioxide to transport to customers intending to implement EOR
- An international company in connection with the disposition of a contaminated site in Ontario, subsequent to earlier use property as loan collateral
- An international company in connection with a former contaminated cite, including negotiations with lenders, subsequent owners and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
- A joint venture involving a forest management company and a greenhouse gas offset trading company in connection with the creation of afforestation and reforestation ghg offset credits in Canada
- A large Ontario Pension fund in connection with its real property environmental and sustainability management systems, including a detailed consideration of ISO 14001 and the allocation of an Ongoing implementation responsibility between owners, tenants and property managers
- A Canadian bio-energy developer in connection with the acquisition of waste-to-energy technology intellectual property and the deployment of that technology in proposed projects in Ontario and other parts of Canada and at various international locations
- A private family holding Company in connection with numerous equity investments in a broad range of businesses, including lottery ticket sales, agriculture and entertainment.
- A cement manufacturer in connection with the proposed creation of NOx and SO2 offset credits in the Province of Ontario