Environmental & Energy Law Section

Environmental & Energy Law Section

EELS 40th Anniversary

WHO WE ARE

The Environmental & Energy Law Section’s mission is to bring together members of the New York State Bar Association interested in environmental, land use, energy, health and safety, and related issues and topics, to further the education of the legal community, the public, and governmental and elected officials on legal, administrative and policy matters.

The Section also works to facilitate the making of public policy, and to provide networking opportunities between and among attorneys in private practice, government, corporations and consulting firms.

SECTION BENEFITS

PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR YOU
We offer New York – and federal based MCLE and informational programs that address complex issues and timely topics in environmental and energy law. Each year the Section holds an in-person Annual Meeting, Fall Meeting, Oil Spill Symposium and Legislative Forum as well as virtual programs on relevant updates related to your practice.

EXCLUSIVE PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE RESOURCES
Benefit from an online subscription to the New York Environmental Lawyer featuring peer-written substantive articles relating to the practice of environmental law on various topics, including climate change, brownfields, pollution, air quality, wetlands, and superfunds.

ONLINE COMMUNITY
Gain access to the Section’s online community where members can post queries and requests to their colleagues around the state and receive immediate responses. The community also provides access to the Section’s Global Climate Change blog.

PARTICIPATE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY LAW SECTION’S WORK
Join any of the Section’s 20+ substantive Committees to gain additional knowledge in specific areas of interest and influence the laws that can directly impact your practice. We offer Committees on topics including: climate change, air quality, risk management, environmental justice, land use, hazardous site remediation, brownfields, water quality, and many more.

CONTACT US

To learn more about this Section, please contact Amy Jasiewicz
[email protected]
(518) 487-5682

The Environmental & Energy Law Section has been at the forefront of introducing, monitoring, and evaluating legal and policy developments at both federal and New York State levels. Section members have the opportunity to contribute to these efforts through the work of Section Committees.

Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.

Mike Hecker

Michael J. Hecker

Partner, Hodgson Russ

Mike is the Leader of Hodgson Russ’ Real Estate, Environment, Energy, and Finance Practice Area, and co-leader of the Brownfield Redevelopment Practice.

Mike has a broad-based environmental and energy-based practice, with a focus on addressing environmental issues in business transactions, regulatory compliance counseling and permitting, renewable project development, administrative, civil, and criminal environmental defense, and remediation-based project oversight and assistance.

A large part of Mike’s practice focuses on assisting regional, national, and international clients with regulatory compliance and remedial matters. His experience includes counseling corporate and facility-based management on operational compliance programs and permitting pursuant to local, State and Federal requirements and disclosure obligations, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, and other environmental statutes and regulations.

Mike also has substantial experience in overseeing small to large-scale, multi-faceted remedial projects, including those pursuant to RCRA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), the New York State (“NYS”) Spills Program, the NYS Brownfields Program, and the NYS Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site Remedial Program. As part of these representations, Mike has negotiated a number of State and Federal Orders and Decrees with various agencies, including the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Department of Justice.

New Environmental and Energy Law Chair Michael Hecker: NYSBA Is a Value-Add to My Practice

Online Community

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Section Publications

NY Environmental Lawyer- Vol 44 No 2

View Latest Issue

New York Environmental Lawyer Archive

The New York Environmental Lawyer

The New York Environmental Lawyer features peer-written substantive articles relating to the practice of environmental law on various topics including climate change, brownfields, pollution, air quality, wetlands, and superfund. Regular columns include recent administrative and judicial cases, ethics issues, EPA and DEC updates, and Section news. Edited by James L. Simpson, Esq. (Co-Editor-in-Chief), Margaret Barry, Esq. (Co-Editor-in-Chief), Alicia G. Artessa, Esq. (Issue Editor), Prof. Keith Hirokawa (Issue Editor), and Aaron Gershonowitz, Esq. (Issue Editor), The New York Environmental Lawyer is published by the Environmental & Energy Law Section and distributed to Section Members free of charge.

The New York Environmental Lawyer is published as a benefit for members of the Environmental & Energy Law Section and is copyrighted by the New York State Bar Association.

The New York Environmental Lawyer encourages article submissions on topics of interest to members of the Section. Writing an article for a NYSBA Section publication is a great way to get your name out to the legal community and advertise your knowledge. Our authors are respected state-wide for their legal expertise in such areas as climate change, brownfields, pollution, air quality, wetlands, and superfund.

Submit an article for future publication

Author Guidelines

NYSBA has created comprehensive author guidelines, with information regarding our reprint policy, style guidelines, and obtaining MCLE Author Credits.

View the author guidelines

Section Bylaws

Executive Committee Meeting Agendas and Materials

Section and Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

Section Business

Legislative/Regulatory Policy Submissions, Reports and Letters