Environmental - Land Use and Permitting

Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla's Environmental Practice Group is led by several of New Jersey's leading authorities on environmental law who have in-depth experience with and knowledge of the network of local, state, and federal statutes and regulations. Our attorneys provide environmental counsel to residential and commercial builders and developers, including numerous Fortune 500 companies. We also represent real estate lenders, industrial and manufacturing facility owners including fossil fuel and renewable energy companies, operators and developers, utilities, and telecommunications companies. We serve as environmental counsel to the New Jersey Builders Association and general counsel to the Shore Builders Association of Central New Jersey.

Our attorneys provide assistance to clients throughout the entire development process from initial site viability review to sale and leasing to end users. Our experience includes conducting due diligence; coordinating with consultants and technical professionals; securing development approvals from municipalities, and federal and state agencies, such as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; perfecting approvals through condition compliance; and defending objector lawsuits.

Our attorneys are actively involved in important industry associations, including the New Jersey Builders Association, the Shore Builders Association of Central New Jersey, the New Jersey State Bar Association Environmental Sections, the National Association of Home Builders Legal Action Committee and Legal Action Network for Development Strategies (LANDS), and the National Brownfield Association. Our attorneys are routinely recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA and Super Lawyers.

We help clients obtain development approvals from state and federal agencies and defend against enforcement actions across the full breadth of environmental land use issues:

CAFRA
Freshwater wetlands
Flood hazard/riparian areas
Wastewater management planning/sewage disposal
Threatened and endangered species
Cultural and archaeological resources
Highlands
Pinelands
Tidelands and riparian rights
Waterfront development
Beach and dune development and public access rights
Green Acres
Air and water pollution control
Water supply

We also counsel clients in the following areas:

Coordination with environmental management consultants, engineers and other specialists
Defense of enforcement actions brought by state and federal agencies
Defense of citizen suits brought under environmental statutes
Creation of new environmental legislation in coordination with trade associations and lawmakers
Formulation of responses to proposed regulations

To conveniently serve our clients, we maintain an office in Trenton, located steps from the office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.