Brian assists clients in navigating complex permitting and compliance issues that arise under a host of federal environmental statutes and regulations. He also advocates for clients during related litigation and administrative rulemakings, including at the US Supreme Court.

Brian advises clients on matters that arise under the Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental statutes. He assists applicants in obtaining and defending federal permits for complicated energy and development projects. He has assisted on various permitting, regulatory, and litigation projects including supporting the Hunton environmental team in securing a Supreme Court victory with respect to Nationwide Permit 12, a general CWA permit; as well as assisting in several matters regarding Clean Water Act section 404 dredge and fill permits. Brian also has experience advising oil and gas companies with respect to compliance with ESA consultation and permitting obligations and related NEPA compliance issues. Additionally, Brian has experience advocating for clients by drafting comments on administrative rulemakings and engaging with federal agencies on the development of key policies.

He represents a diverse set of clients, including companies and trade associations from a wide variety of industry sectors, including electric utilities, oil and gas, renewables, agriculture, mining, consumer products, housing and commercial development.

Prior to joining the firm, Brian was a law clerk in the Office of General Counsel of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. He also has experience in two government agencies, as a law clerk at the US Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Enforcement & Compliance Assurance, and in the Office of the Secretary at the US Department of Energy, where he was the Deputy Director of the Office of Scheduling and Advance, as well as a special assistant to the Secretary of Energy.

Brian is a contributor to the firm’s Nickel Report blog.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, The George Washington University Law School, with honors, Associate, George Washington Law Review, 2015

BA, The George Washington University, magna cum laude, 2007

• Member, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, American Bar Association
• Member, Energy Bar Association

• 2017 Chambers USA Environment Law Firm of the Year

• Supreme Court Decision in Hawkes: A Shot Across the Bow, Natural Resources & Environment, ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, Vol. 30, No. 6
• Watch for New Substantial Pesticide Restrictions From EPA, Growing Produce
• Unreviewable Authority Breeds Extravagant Claims of Clean Water Act Jurisdiction, Supreme Court Preview: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies
• When States Assume – Fulfilling Congress’s Objectives Under the Clean Water Act’s Wetlands Program, Natural Resources & Environment magazine
• Chapter 8, “Emerging Regulatory Frameworks for Hydraulic Fracturing and Shale Gas Development in the United States,” The Law of Energy Underground