Attorney Blog

New Developments in Environmental Law

Mcgregor Legere & Stevens is Open for Business and Connected with Clients and Others

Written by / Published Friday, 10 April 2020 16:15

McGregor & Legere is fully operational and ready to help you with any and all of your environmental, land use, energy, litigation, and now Covid-19 related governmental matters. Attorneys and staff are hard at work-at-home, in touch and in sync.

Firm's Civil Rights Victory and Jury Verdict Upheld, Now Over $1.5M

Written by / Published Monday, 06 April 2020 11:51

We had won a judgment of $433,000 in 2015 in our client’s long-running and ultimately successful case, Scotty Thyng v. City of Quincy et al, Norfolk Superior Court, Civil Action No. 2010-01449. That was after a two-week jury trial for violation of civil rights against five City of Quincy public officials for delaying and blocking our client’s attempts to build a house for more than 10 years. With interest and attorneys’ fees, that judgment came to more than $1.3 million.

Massachusetts Assocation of Conservation Commissions (MACC) Honors McGregor With Long-Time Service Award

Written by / Published Saturday, 29 February 2020 16:30

At its Annual Environmental Conference (AEC) at Holy Cross College in Worcester on February 29, 2020, attended by 800 people, the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) gave our founding partner Gregor McGregor recognition for his long service to environmental law in general, conservation law especially, and wetlands protection law most particularly.

Stockbridge Bowl Case: Where the Law Meets Science in Court

Written by / Published Friday, 28 February 2020 14:30

In the case of Stockbridge Bowl Association, Inc. v. Town of Stockbridge Conservation Commission & others (Doc. No. 19-0032, December 3, 2019), the Berkshire County Superior Court reviewed the record behind the Stockbridge Conservation Commission’s Order of Conditions denying a lake management project, found the Commission’s justification based on error and lacking in science, and ordered the Commission to approve the Project.

Attorney Gregor McGregor to Co-Chair the 21st Annual Environmental Law Conference for Massachusetts Attorneys

Written by / Published Thursday, 09 January 2020 11:50

Attorney Gregor I. McGregor will again will Co-chair the MCLE annual conference on Environmental Law, set for February 6, 2020, with a simulcast that same day and then a recorded podcast February 20. Mr. McGregor and his Co-chair Pamela Harvey, Esq. have led this seminal event for over two decades.

Boston Enacts Wetlands Protection Ordinance to Address Climate Change

Written by / Published Tuesday, 24 December 2019 11:15

On December 23, 2019, the City of Boston joined the almost two-thirds of the Commonwealth’s 351 municipalities in having more stringent requirements for work in and near wetlands, waterbodies, and floodplains. Unlike many of those other municipalities, the explicit purpose of Boston’s wetlands ordinance is to address climate change, through adaptation and building resiliency.

Emissions Offsets from Brayton Point Station Issued by MassDEP

Written by / Published Monday, 23 December 2019 10:56

On December 23, 2019, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced it has finalized the credits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions offsets based on the emissions reductions that resulted from the permanent shut-down of the former Brayton Point Station power plant in Somerset, MA.

Nathaniel Stevens Recognized by the Town of Arlington with its Prestigious Award of Excellence

Written by / Published Tuesday, 17 December 2019 10:58

The Town presented our Senior Associate Nathaniel Stevens with its Award of Excellence "in recognition of 18 years of exemplary leadership and vision as Chair of the Arlington Conservation Commission, protecting wetlands and conservation lands in the Town of Arlington, MA,  2001 - 2019.

Massachusetts Announces Waste Site Clean Up as well as Drinking Water Standards for Six PFAS “Forever” Chemical Compounds

Written by / Published Friday, 13 December 2019 10:36

On December 13, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“MassDEP”) announced final as well as proposed regulations to address Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or “PFAS”, a family of man-made chemicals known as the “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment. Only a handful of other states are regulating PFAS.

Federal District Court Rejects Argument That Discharges To Groundwater Require Permits Under The Clean Water Act

Written by / Published Thursday, 12 December 2019 16:51

The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) does not require a permit for the discharge of pollutants to groundwater that is hydrologically connected to navigable waters of the United States. That is the upshot of the federal District Court’s recent ruling upholding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) interpretation of the CWA as conferring no authority to regulate discharges to groundwater, regardless whether pollutants therein reach navigable waters of the United States. Judge William G. Young determined this to be a “permissible construction” of the statute.

Across the spectrum of environmental law we offer advice and representation
with practical, results-oriented lawyering.

CONTACT US

Contact Information

Resources