Permitting and Litigation for Government-Sponsored Developments
New York State and City Pension Funds Will Divest from Fossil Fuel Companies
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio have both recently made significant climate change-related announcements: the State’s and City’s pension funds will divest billions of dollars from fossil fuel companies. These actions support state and local goals of reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 and meeting the Paris Agreement…
Breaking: Payment of BCP, solar, low-income housing and other tax credits may be delayed
Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled the details this week of a $168 billion proposed budget for FY 2019. In light of a potential budget deficit that could approach $4 billion, certain tax law changes are proposed. In recent years the proposed budget has been acted on by the Legislature and Governor before April 1st. Among the…
Appellate Court Upholds Dismissal of Suit Against Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation
By: Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz On December 27, 2017, a New York appellate court unanimously upheld the dismissal of a challenge to the mixed-use Pierhouse development bordering Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, ruling that the suit was barred by the governing four-month statute of limitations. Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. represented Empire State Development; the Brooklyn…
New Jersey Establishes Stringent Drinking Water Standards for Emerging Contaminants
New Jersey recently announced the nation’s first binding limits for certain perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFASs”) in drinking water, establishing stringent standards for the treatment of those emerging contaminants. While seldom used today, PFASs were historically used in a diverse array of processes and products, including coatings for textiles, stain and grease repellants, electroplating and…
SPR to Host Workshop and Free Webinar on New York E-Waste Law
By: Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz On Wednesday, November 15 at 9:00 a.m., Sive, Paget & Riesel will host Manufacturer Obligations Under New York’s E-Waste Law, a live workshop. The event, which will also be webcast by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), will feature presentations by SPR associate Maggie Macdonald as well as by representatives of ELI and…
DEC Challenges FERC’s Decision to Undercut Its Water Quality Certification Denial for Millennium Pipeline Project
In an October 13, 2017 letter, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC”) decision that, by failing to act, DEC had waived its authority to issue a Clean Water Act water quality certification for Millennium Pipeline Company LLC’s (“Millennium”) proposed Valley Lateral Project, a 7.8-mile natural…
Thirteen SPR Environmental Attorneys Recognized as “Super Lawyers”
SPR is proud that thirteen of its environmental lawyers have been recognized as “Super Lawyers” by the eponymous ratings service. Michael S. Bogin, Mark A. Chertok, Dan Chorost, John-Patrick Curran, Scott E. Furman, Jeffrey B. Gracer, Elizabeth Knauer, and David Yudelson were recognized as Super Lawyers in the environmental field. David Paget , Daniel Riesel and Kathy Robb were recognized…
New York State Submits Area Off Long Island to Federal Government for Potential Wind Leasing
This week, the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (“NYSERDA”) officially submitted an area off the coast of Long Island, referred to as an Area for Consideration for the Potential Locating of Offshore Wind Energy Areas, to the federal government’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”). NYSERDA is proposing that BOEM consider identifying…
New York Court of Appeals Denies Exxon Mobil’s Motion to Appeal in Ongoing Climate Change Investigation by New York Attorney General
On September 12, 2017, the New York Court of Appeals denied Exxon Mobil’s motion for leave to appeal a decision of the Appellate Division, First Department, which had held that the accountant-client privilege is not recognized in New York and therefore does not protect documents held by PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”), Exxon’s auditor, from subpoena by New…
David Paget’s Life and Career Featured in Super Lawyers Article
Super Lawyers magazine’s October 2017 issue features an in-depth profile of SPR founding partner David Paget. The article traces David’s steps from his childhood days growing up in the Lillian Wald Houses on the Lower East Side, to his first meeting with his wife Fay (when they were 16 and 14 years old), through his…