Lawyers Who Lead, a podcast produced by Lawline, recently featured Washington D.C. Principal Parker Moore in its September 19 episode titled “Leading with Creative Lawyering with Parker Moore.”

Parker co-chairs B&D’s Natural Resources and Project Development practice groups and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species, Wildlife Protection groups. In the episode, he talks about making the career switch from being a wetlands ecologist to becoming a lawyer and how his ecology experience has helped him and firm clients in legal practice and developing and defending sound permitting strategies for projects.

He recounted the firm’s support, early in his career, for his suggestion that the firm file a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief in a “generational” wetlands case (Rapanos v. United States). The firm helped gather interested parties and Justice Antonin Scalia cited the brief in his plurality opinion in the case (which is still being adjudicated – a related case is before the court this fall).

Parker also underscores the need for creative, tailored, strategic approaches to project development versus simply “checking the boxes” to obtain permits. This perspective not only helps clients mitigate risk of adverse permitting outcomes and increase the likelihood of success in any legal challenges to project approvals, but also saves time and money and demonstrates commitment to sound environmental practices.

One example of Parker’s applying creative approaches is his work on behalf of North Texas Municipal Water District to advise on federal NEPA and Clean Water Act Section 404 issues in conjunction with the District’s successful application for a permit to develop a 16,000-acre drinking water reservoir. The permit is one of the largest issued in the past 30 years and was Texas' first new reservoir construction in nearly 30 years.

Beveridge & Diamond offers a full range of counseling, permitting, and litigation services for developers of energy, water, transportation, municipal, and other infrastructure, including significant experience and capabilities in support of NEPA and equivalent state law reviews, wetlands, and species permitting.