Jennifer is a bright, energetic thought-leader on environmental and emerging energy issues, greenhouse gas legislation, and related environmental issues, with a particular experience in Pennsylvania, the mid-Atlantic, Texas, California, and the European Union.
Jennifer represents clients in a broad range of environmental and energy issues, including environmental civil enforcement and litigation matters, as well as regulatory and transactional issues for energy and manufacturing companies. She draws upon her experience in business and engineering to incorporate regulatory compliance into sound business strategies. Jennifer is a “people person” who is devoted to her clients, prides herself on her responsiveness to their issues, and will make her clients’ problems her own until they are successfully resolved.
Jennifer is part of the firm’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) practice. She has a particular focus on the environmental and governance aspects of ESG. Jennifer is also one of the firms three sustainability partners tasked with driving progress toward the firm’s sustainability goals – focused on reducing carbon emissions, increasing recycling and fostering internal engagement. Whether in Pennsylvania or across the country, she dedicates herself to her clients, her profession, and her community, helping them understand the potential impact, strengths, weaknesses, and business opportunities of current and emerging energy issues, organizational risk management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. Jennifer’s experience in this area runs the gamut, including carbon footprint assessments, net zero plans, CSR and climate-related corporate reporting, ESG compliance, carbon offsetting and neutrality objectives, green energy, and renewables and alternative/sustainable fuels regulation. She has shared speaking engagements with the White House special assistant to the president for energy and climate change.
Additionally, Jennifer is an adjunct professor of law at her alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where she teaches Climate Change and the Law.
ESG Experience
Jennifer has lead clients through successful assessment, records review and policy drafting regarding issues associated with responsible supply chain management, including review and update of procurement contracts and purchase orders to reflect ESG issues. Jennifer is very familiar with the Responsible Business Alliance Code of Conduct and shepherding organizations through assessment and implementation of waste reduction and water reduction goals to be in line with such. Jennifer has additional experience “benchmarking” client ESG goals with peer organizations on ESG issues so the client can be assured of alliance with the market in connection with ESG changes.
Energy and Greenhouse Gas Experience
Jennifer has argued before administrative tribunals on emerging Clean Air Act issues involving greenhouse gases, developed standardized trading agreements for carbon projects in California and across the United States, and performed due diligence on major acquisitions in the Marcellus Shale play. As well as being a delegate at the Paris climate talks and other international climate negotiations, she has led or participated on teams in some of the most significant air appeals and hearings on air aggregation issues for the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania.
Environmental Litigation Experience
Jennifer also represents clients in a broad range of environmental issues, including environmental civil enforcement and litigation matters concerning the Clean Air Act, Superfund, RCRA, and the Clean Water Act, as well as various state law equivalents. She has been involved with groundbreaking air permitting aggregation litigation as well as several successful Title V permitting challenges for Pennsylvania clients, along with defending toxic tort and property damage claims based on the discharge of hazardous pollutants into the air, soil, surface and groundwater. She has researched and selected, retained and supervised numerous experts with regard to hydrology, fate and transport, and toxicology issues associated with third party property damage to sediment, groundwater and surface water for a major multinational manufacturing company. She is experienced in both defending and taking expert depositions with regard to hydrology, fate and transport, and toxicology issues.
Environmental Due Diligence Experience
Jennifer is a key player in due diligence on major domestic and international acquisitions that include real estate and/or environmental risk. From single property real estate transactions to multiple parcel mega-deals, she has reviewed and evaluated environmental assessments involving facilities at diverse locations around the world, and she helps clients understand the pros and cons of alternative provisions and different deal structures for doing business and purchasing real estate. Jennifer advises clients, including REITs, with the purchase of real estate, on qualifying as bona fide purchasers under CERCLA or meeting the test for innocent landowner and contiguous property owner defenses, and obtaining liability protection for buyers of contaminated property under various state programs.
