A former US Department of the Interior and American Wind Energy Association lawyer, Lauren draws on her diverse experience to navigate clients through complex permitting and compliance issues that arise under a host of federal environmental statutes and regulations. She also advocates for clients during related administrative rulemakings and litigation.
Lauren has extensive experience with permitting and litigation under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Mineral Leasing Act (MLA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). She also has significant experience representing clients on Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and hazardous waste matters.
She has represented energy industry coalitions on various regulatory and administrative matters before the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Lauren has deep experience drafting comments on administrative rulemakings, advising clients on policy and regulatory clarifications and negotiating proposed legislative bills as well as with federal permitting and litigation. She also has advocated on behalf of energy clients regarding carbon policies and the repeal and replacement of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.
As an Attorney-Advisor for DOI’s Office of the Solicitor, Lauren worked with BLM, FWS and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on rulemakings, administrative actions and litigation that impacted the oil and gas and coal industries. That experience includes working on the oil and gas venting and flaring rules, the coal leasing moratorium and its associated programmatic environmental impact statement, and instruction memoranda implementing the agencies’ regulations. Along with assisting with DOI regulation implementation, Lauren also worked with BLM and DOJ on the environmental review and associated litigation for high-profile coal leasing matters throughout the country and counseled agencies on matters concerning the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), CERCLA, OCSLA, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Bankruptcy code.
