Ahlia
Bethea
Associate
Ahlia
Bethea
Associate
Ahlia’s practice focuses on environmental and land use litigation, renewable energy development, and DEC enforcement matters.
Ahlia has experience representing communities affected by PFAS water contamination and is deeply dedicated to the connection between human health and the environment. Ahlia’s general experience includes supporting renewable energy development projects through the permitting process, advising on environmental regulatory compliance, navigating environmental reviews under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), assisting in Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) litigation, and facilitating applications for environmental permits, including the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program.
In 2023, Ahlia received her J.D. and MPH from Columbia Law School and Columbia’s Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, respectively. At Columbia Law, Ahlia served as Managing Editor of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, interned for the Environmental Law Clinic, served on the board of the Environmental Law Society, and was twice elected to the Student Senate.
Before joining SPR, Ahlia worked for a Michigan-based law firm to support plaintiffs in the Flint Water Class Action. She previously served as a summer clerk for Earthjustice, an environmental organizer for the Sierra Club, and a judicial intern for the Honorable Harold W. Fullilove, Jr. of the Superior Court of New Jersey.
Long Island Power Authority – Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center
New York City Housing Authority – PACT Conversion
PFAS Multi-District Litigation
MTA Congestion Pricing
Thor Equities Industrial Logistics Development
Indian Point Energy Center Relicensing/Decommissioning
Nine Dot Energy – NY Green Bank
GSI – NY Green Bank
Sun Rocket Capital – Donato Solar (Decatur Brush)
SunRocket Capital – Donato Solar (Decatur Brush 2)
SunRocket Capital – WCP Financials
“The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law”
For: Law360
“Environmental Law: Developments in the Law of SEQRA”
For: Syracuse Law Review
“Issues in Environmental Justice: Systems, Strategies, and Diversity”
For: St. John's University School of Law
“Environmental Law: Developments in the Law of SEQRA”
For: Syracuse Law Review Vol. 73, No. 717
Article Title: Developments in the Law of SEQRA
PFAS Environmental Regulatory Developments (So Far) in 2024
CERCLA
On April 19, 2024, the EPA issued a Read MoreNYSDEC Publishes Proposed Guidance Incorporating Environmental Justice Considerations into Existing Permit Processes
Developments in Regulation of PFAS
SCOTUS Invokes Major Questions Doctrine to Restrict EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases
Columbia Law School, J.D., 2023
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, M.P.H., 2023
University of Southern California, B.A., 2017, Order of the Laurel and Palm
New York, 2023
New Jersey, 2023
Sierra Club, Member and Volunteer
Green Guerillas, Board Member