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Biography

Greg has broad experience in environmental and administrative law and co-leads the firmโ€™s Renewables Energy Industry Team. His practice focuses on environmental compliance and litigation, utility regulation, and energy law. He has represented clients in federal and state litigation involving the Clean Water Act (CWA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Resource and Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Greg is particularly experienced in matters concerning wastewater discharge permitting, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (APCD) permitting and enforcement defense, and the cleanup/sale/purchase of contaminated/Brownfield sites.

Greg has practiced extensively before the Kentucky Electric Generation and Transmission Siting Board (Siting Board) and the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC). Gregโ€™s experience includes securing approval for Kentuckyโ€™s first project sited on a reclaimed coal mine, which was discussed at length in a New York Times cover story, and siting of Kentuckyโ€™s first two standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Greg now represents renewable energy projects in every corner of Kentucky and Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. Greg has developed particular expertise in developing sites on brownfield sites and reclaimed coal mine sites. Gregโ€™s PSC experience includes appearances on behalf of a local water utility, a local gas utility, a local sewer utility, a nationwide energy company, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the City of Louisville, and two state-wide business associations.

Greg also advises and represents the manufactured housing industry on a wide range of issues. This includes community and/or portfolio transactions, interactions with various Kentucky regulators, such as those from the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinetโ€™s Division of Housing, Buildings, and Codes; the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KDEP); the Kentucky Human Rights Commission; and various Planning and Zoning Commissions across the Commonwealth.

Greg's Relevant Experience

Landfills Permitting & Negotiations

Greg represents landfills throughout the Commonwealth. His experience includes:

  • Negotiation of host agreements with local 109 boards.
  • Oversees local and state negotiations and permitting processes for development of new special waste landfill.
  • Negotiates and processes local and state applications to modify applicable permits to allow for landfill expansion.
  • Environmental enforcement defense originating from governmental and third-party organizations related to odors, surface water discharge, and air emissions.
  • Negotiates with local governments regarding all variety of issues pertaining to development and operation of landfills.

KDEP Permitting Negotiation, Appeals & Enforcement Defense

Greg has represented clients in disputes with KDEP over a variety of issues, including:

  • Appeal of KDEP decision to require industrial facility to secure general stormwater permit coverage where the facility held an individual permit for many years.
  • Appeal of final stormwater permits containing arbitrary discharge limits and monitoring requirements.
  • Defense of enforcement action concerning lapse of permit effectiveness.
  • Negotiation of settlement and agreed order on wide variety of issues.
  • Negotiation of agreed order to allow flexible operations white facility comes into compliance with permit limits.
  • Termination of long-term Corrective Action Plans or Agreed Orders.

Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District

Greg has extensive experience dealing with APCD regulations, permitting, and enforcement defense. He is a regular attendee at the monthly APCD Board of Directors Meetings in order to stay abreast of any developments within the APCD. Examples of his experience with APCD include:

  • Revisions to Title V permits and Construction Permits.
  • Enforcement defense for issues related to odors, PSM, excess emissions, monitoring and recordkeeping violations, and a wide variety of other issues.
  • Administrative appeals against APCD concerning permitting and enforcement issues.
  • Negotiation of Agreed Board Orders on penalties and other issues.

Environmental Due Diligence & Kentucky Brownfields Program

Greg has assisted developers, buyers, sellers, public and private companies, and private equity groups on transactions involving properties, companies, or portfolios where environmental concerns are present. Representative experience includes:

  • Assist both sellers and buyers in transactions involving property historically utilized by heavy industry.
  • Negotiating contract provisions concerning environmental liability and indemnity.
  • Coordinating the transfer of environmental permits in both private and public company transactions.
  • Assist developers in investigating brownfield properties and securing all available environmental liability protections, including those available through the Kentucky Brownfields program.
  • Collaboration with other FBT attorneys to assist developers and investors in purchasing or refinancingย  and developing/renovating blighted properties in opportunity zones.

Other Representative Matters

  • Purchase of commercial plaza that formerly housed a dry cleaner. Successfully entered property into Brownfield program prior to closing, while also avoiding any requirement to conduct additional remediation of the site.
  • Successful appeal of Clean Water Act enforcement decision to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
  • Successful representation of superfund site owner in avoiding enforcement action while negotiating preferred remediation plan.
  • Representation of Kentucky League of Cities in numerous cases before the Kentucky PSC, resulting in millions of dollars in savings for Kentucky Municipalities and new city-centric cooperative programs with local energy utilities.
  • Representation of City of Louisville before Kentucky PSC in a challenge to the long-standing interpretation of Kentucky Constitution provisions dealing with municipal franchise fees.

Other Info About Greg

Work History

Prior Work Experience

Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Greg started the environmental and energy practice at a mid-size Louisville law firm. Before that, he held an appointed position within the Kentucky Attorney Generalโ€™s Office where he represented Kentucky in numerous federal lawsuits concerning environmental issues, and before the Kentucky PSC on a variety of utility matters. He has also worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington D.C., where he focused on water permitting and policy issues.

Education

Law School

Pace Law School, J.D., 2009, Certificate in Environmental Law

Undergraduate School

Miami University, B. Phil, Environmental Science, 2004

Bar Memberships

Greg is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Kentucky

New York

District of Columbia

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

Louisville Business First, “Forty Under 40” Honoree, 2018

Professional Affiliations

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Louisville Bar Foundation, Board of Directors, 2017-present

Grants Committee, Chair, 2022

Kentucky Bar Association, Section on Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Officer, 2016-2018; Chair, 2018-2019

Kentucky Bar Association, Energy and Environment Committee, Officer, 2015-2017; Chair, 2017

Louisville Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, Member

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

Civic Activities

Civic & Charitable Organizations

Frost Brown Todd Fund for the Arts Workplace Campaign, Chair, 2018-present

Fund for the Arts Workplace Campaign, Chair of the Year, 2021

Olmstead Parks Conservancy, External Relations Committee, 2019-2022

Leadership Louisville Ignite Program, Graduate, 2021

KMAC Museum, Board of Directors, 2017-2021

Fund for the Arts NeXt! Leadership Program, Graduate, 2017

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