Daniel F. Allison

DANIEL ALLISON’s practice focuses on debt financings, including sponsor-backed acquisition financings, securitizations, and other complex commercial finance structures in the energy industry. Daniel’s practice is at the forefront of the energy and infrastructure financing, advising clients on the complex financing of innovative structures and transactions, including transactions named first-of-their-kind or deals-of-the-year. He is a member of the team recognized in Band 1 in Energy Transition in the 2023 edition of Chambers USA.

Daniel’s primary focus is representing private equity sponsors in acquisition financings in energy transactions and infrastructure projects in a variety of infrastructure sectors including rail, midstream, hydrogen, waste gathering, renewable natural gas, wind, solar, battery storage, terminal facilities, data centers, fiber, and other digital infrastructure. He has extensive experience with term loan A, term loan B, revolvers, bridge to high-yield, and multi-tranche financings for such acquisitions. In connection with these sponsor representations, Daniel has also worked on facility expansions and accordions with committed financing for add-on acquisition transactions.

Daniel has extensive experience in energy and infrastructure related esoteric securitizations, having worked on many of the initial oil and gas securitization transactions and having developed the first multi-tranche oil and gas securitization. This work has been recognized by Law360’s inclusion of such deal in awarding Sidley Structured Finance “Practice Group of the Year.” Daniel has represented issuers, placement agents and hedge providers in more than a dozen oil and gas securitization transactions. Daniel also has extensive experience in other structured finance transactions related to infrastructure, including rail car, rail leases, billboards, cell tower, municipal gas prepay arrangement, and other derivative asset-backed financings.

Daniel also regularly represents corporate clients on both investment-grade and leveraged finance matters, in a variety of industries and sectors, with extensive experience in infrastructure, oil and gas, midstream companies, and consumer goods.

Daniel has consistently been recognized as a “Texas Rising Star” by Texas Super Lawyers.

Before becoming a lawyer, Daniel worked, while attending university, for the exploration and production subsidiary of an international “oil major” as a reservoir engineer. As a reservoir engineer, he used his chemical engineering knowledge to model reservoirs in order to analyze and project production levels for a field of producing natural gas wells. Based on his reservoir models, he also identified wells for fracture treatment and determined which wells could efficiently augment production by perforating and completing a new sand in a producing well.

Daniel also worked in Brazil as a design engineer at a cotton-seed oil production facility. His primary task was developing and testing a computerized analysis of production and efficiency based on measurable variables and input levels. By analyzing trends from the computer analysis, he was able to recommend adjustments to set values that increased efficiency.

A sampling of Daniel’s recent representations include:

• Ares Management Corporation in an acquisition financing in connection with its US$1.1 billion acquisition of Meade Pipeline Co LLC.
• Oil and gas operator Presidio Investment Holdings in committed financing arrangements in connection with its estimated US$660 million business combination with EQV Ventures Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: EQV), a special purpose acquisition company, to form Presidio Production Company (pending).
• A subsidiary of a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management, as borrower in a new revolving and term loan credit facility, with Mizuho Bank as the administrative and collateral agent, in the acquisition financing of a 40% equity stake in select U.S. Gulf Coast infrastructure assets from Dow Inc., with an option to increase the term loan if the borrower opts to increase its equity stake to 49% within six months after closing.
• Fundamental Renewables, as agent and lead lender in creation of, structuring and negotiation of US$500 million holdco-style credit facility for portfolio of solar projects of a transition energy-focused private equity fund.
• Macquarie Asset Management in revolving and term loan acquisition financing for equity investment in Diamond Infrastructure Solutions.
• Ares credit funds in asset-backed financing secured by billboard and other digital outdoor advertising assets.
• Macquarie Asset Management in acquisition financing in connection with acquisition of full-service waste gathering company.
• A full-service waste gathering company in US$860 million combined term loan B and revolving credit facility.
• Capital One in super senior revolving facility to offshore oil and gas E&P company.
• A private equity backed ethanol company in crossing-lien term loan and revolving credit facilities.
• A private credit fund in senior secured credit facility with fiber development company.
• A private equity backed data center developer and GPUaaS company in senior secured credit facility.
• A placement agent in asset-backed financing of GPUs for data center company.
• A private credit fund in acquisition of portfolio of solar loans.
• Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners in its equity commitment with Longview Infrastructure, a newly formed electric transmission development and investment platform.
• Durango Permian LLC, a portfolio company majority owned by funds managed by Morgan Stanley Energy Partners, in a senior secured credit facility valued at US$325 million.
• J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, co-lead structuring advisor, placement agent, and secured hedge provider, in a US$640 million private offering of notes in an asset-backed securitization issued by Maverick Natural Resources, LLC.
• Senior secured lenders in ABL-style aggregator credit facility for development company owning dozens of solar projects, wind projects and hydrogen projects.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing for fully integrated renewable natural gas energy company.
• Stonepeak in acquisition financing for Canal power facilities and subsequent integration refinancing to upsize and include new facility exiting project financing.
• Stonepeak in acquisition financing for KAPS pipeline purchase.
• A wind power portfolio company of transition energy infrastructure fund in senior secured credit facility.
• A major debt fund in loan to battery recycling company and related marketing agreements.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing for a service provider with a fleet of titled vehicles and the subsequent refinancing into tranched term loans and convertible notes.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing for natural gas storage facilities.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing in connection with acquisition of short-line regional rail carrier and numerous tack-on financing transactions.
• A major private equity fund in working capital facility for renewable portfolio company owning dozens of wind projects.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition ABL financing for titled vehicles used in long-term leases.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition of downstream terminals infrastructure business.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition of helium gathering and processing facilities.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition of food processing company.
• A major private equity fund in working capital facility for renewable portfolio company owning dozens of solar projects.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing for Permian midstream company, multiple tack-on acquisition financings and refinancing to allow for major project expansions funded by debt.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing for water treatment and services company.
• A major energy company in acquisition of terminals facilities.
• A solar company in an aggregative refinancing facility to replace various project facilities and interconnection security agreements with broad devco facility.
• Denham Capital in midstream joint venture project and acquisition financing in connection with formation of joint venture.
• A major private equity firm in acquisition financing in connection with pre-pack bankruptcy filing for a renewable natural gas company.
• Truist as lead lender and administrative agent in connection with holdco financing facility for infrastructure fund sponsor telecommunication portfolio company.
• Truist as lead lender and administrative agent in connection with acquisition financing facility for infrastructure fund sponsor for carbon-neutral waste processing company.
• Denham Capital in financing opportunities for Brazilian renewable energy company.
• The borrower company group, a private midstream pipeline company, in a US$900 million syndicated secured revolving and term loan, including tack-on acquisition facilities and sidecar debt.
• Capital One in senior secured loan to Cureton Midstream in connection with add-on acquisition.
• NuStar Energy L.P. in its US$750 million term loan agreement with funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
• Citizen Energy in acquisition financing for the take-private acquisition of Roan Resources.
• Amcor plc in US$4.5 billion multi-tranche senior revolving and term loan credit facilities in connection with acquisition of Bemis Company Inc. and a US$1.05 billion 364-day revolving credit facility.
• CITGO Holding, Inc. in a US$500 million senior secured term loan.
• CITGO Petroleum in a US$1.2 billion senior secured term loan B.
• Ursa Piceance Holdings and affiliates on finance and security interest matters in preparation for and through Chapter 11 proceedings, including negotiations with first lien, second lien, and DIP lender groups.
• SAS Capital and its principal Susie A. Smith in connection with the sale of their one-third interest in KSA Industries, Inc., the indirect owner of the Tennessee Titans NFL franchise, and other related entities.
• The borrower company group, a private midstream pipeline company, in a US$900 million syndicated secured revolving and term loan.
• A public company borrower, a midstream transportation and refining company, in a US$1.5 billion syndicated revolving and term loan.
• An administrative agent in a US$1.25 billion syndicated secured revolving and term loan to a pipeline MLP company group.
• Apergy Corporation in a US$665 million senior secured term loan B and revolving credit facilities in connection with a spinoff from Dover Corporation.
• An administrative agent in a US$500 million investment grade-syndicated revolving credit agreement to an international industrial services company group.

• Houston Bar Association
• Houston Young Lawyers Association
• Texas Bar Foundation

Daniel is involved in the firm’s Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program, which provides free legal support to eligible small and medium-sized for-profit enterprises and market-focused NGOs and non-profits that have a clear social impact in developing countries across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. 

Daniel has also represented various 501(c)(3) organizations in Texas in connection with corporate matters and contract review and negotiation.