Skip to Main Content
SubPractice_Hero_Environmental

Overview

More than ever, regulatory and citizen-initiated actions regarding environmental law are demanding decisive responses and measured legal counsel. Our experienced team represents private and public clients on a broad range of environmental issues at the federal, state, and local levels. Clients include publicly traded and privately held companies, public utilities, alternative energy companies and power producers, real estate developers, banks and other lenders, manufacturers, construction companies, and municipalities.

Harnessing big power—in the environment and in the courtroom.

Our attorneys have participated in some of the Northeast’s largest and most significant environmental permitting, compliance, and litigation cases-including Deepwater Wind (the first off-shore wind project in the U.S.), the Rhode Island Attorney General’s lead paint suit, and a mass tort case involving over 3,000 plaintiffs.

We represent energy companies and utilities in project development, renewable energy matters, regulatory matters, permitting and approval, and a wide range of litigation and environmental issues. We have become leaders in the field of renewable energy. We represent several of the country’s foremost developers of wind and solar energy and counsel traditional energy distribution companies to meet renewable energy requirements.

Services

We provide guidance in insurance coverage, including cost cap and pollution liability issues. And, have successfully litigated toxic tort, hazardous waste, and state and federal Superfund cases.

We provide representation in EPA and other regulatory enforcement actions, including:

  • Superfund
  • Clean Air Act
  • Clean Water Act
  • Brownfields (under state or federal programs)
  • Title V permit provisions
  • Community Right-to-Know Act
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Due diligence for corporate and real estate transactions

We counsel clients on environmental permitting issues, such as:

  • Securing permits related to environmental media
  • Pollutant discharges (including air emissions and programs under the Federal Clean Air Act’s new source review and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System)
  • Work in or near freshwater and coastal wetlands
  • Pollution control technology
  • Complex emissions calculations (e.g. opacity and odor concerns)

Case Studies

Overcoming Zoning Hurdles for Renewable, Clean Energy

Hinckley Allen represented a commercial-scale solar energy provider as it sought to build a solar farm in Rhode Island.Town regulations required the energy provider to obtain a zoning special use permit. Hinckley Allen helped the client manage the zoning p…

Building for the Better: Amazon's new Facility in Johnston, RI

Hinckley Allen client Bluewater Property Group (“BPG”) is a dynamic investment, development and operating platform serving customers across the Northeastern United States, with a deliberate focus on identifying and capitalizing on unique investment opp…

See All Case Studies

Newsroom

Publication

The Impact of Rhode Island’s New Land Use Laws on Property Owners

March 15, 2024

During the 2023 legislative session, the Rhode Island legislature enacted a package of sweeping changes to Rhode Island’s zoning and land use laws. The goal: streamline housing development permitting in Rhode Island, resulting in increased production. Ma…

Publication

The Next Big Area of Environmental Regulation: PFAS

March 5, 2024

This is Part I of the three part series.  Stay tuned for Part II, where our attorneys delve further into the federal regulations on PFAS.Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) are everywhere in our environment, including in our water, air, food,…

See All Publications
Firm News

Hinckley Allen Named a Best Law Firm by Best Lawyers Since 2010

November 2, 2023

Best Lawyers has recognized Hinckley Allen as a Best Law Firm for the 14th year in a row. Firms included in the 2024 Best Law Firms list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tie…

Firm News

57 Hinckley Allen Lawyers Included in 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

October 12, 2023

A total of 57 Hinckley Allen attorneys were named to the Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars lists in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Upstate New York for 2023, including those newly recognized as well as featured in Top Lists.Ger…

See All Firm News