Peggy Strand concentrates on counseling, government relations and litigation in environmental programs. She is well known for her work in federal wetlands law and environmental compliance for infrastructure projects. Ms. Strand has substantial experience advising on the regulatory requirements of federal and state law, including natural resources, endangered species, climate change and pollution control.

Ms. Strand was Chief of the Environmental Defense Section in the U.S. Justice Department, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, from 1984 to 1991, having served as a Justice Department attorney since 1976. There, she supervised attorneys conducting litigation involving the regulatory programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

She worked on federal environmental policy issues involving Congress and the Executive branch, including the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Council on Environmental Quality. She works regularly with federal agencies and Congressional offices on matters of environmental policy.

Representative Clients

Ms. Strand represents a wide range of public and private entities, including several private land development companies. She has represented auto and engine manufacturers, resource development companies (oil and gas, timber, hard mineral extraction) and transportation planning authorities.

Her clients generally are subject to multiple environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and various permit requirements, that require integrated strategies. She has worked with credit trading in wetlands, water quality, species habitat and other natural resources; this includes carbon credits, a key element of greenhouse gas management and regulation.

Significant Matters

Ms. Strand assisted a private land developer with a range of permitting and compliance issues concerning endangered species associated with what became a highly successful multiple-use land development. The matter involved potential litigation, permits and ongoing compliance issues.

She has counseled a utility on NEPA and federal permitting for upgrades of transmission lines involving multiple federal and state agencies.

She counseled a client presenting Congressional testimony on carbon sequestration and wetland mitigation banking in House hearings on the use of natural resources to address greenhouse gases and climate change.

Ms. Strand represented the State of Utah Department of Transportation to obtain permits and defend litigation concerning the Legacy Parkway, which faced claims of multiple violations of wetlands, environmental planning and clean air laws. Her work lead to a comprehensive resolution, and the new road opened in 2008.

Activities

Ms. Strand chairs the Environmental Law Committee of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences, and has served on the Academy’s Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology. She has also participated in various Academy study committees evaluating environmental topics.

She is past chair of the American Bar Association’s Water Quality and Wetlands Committee, Section on Environment, Energy and Resources Law (SEER) and serves on the ALI-ABA Advisory Committee on Environmental Law. In 2009, she was named to the advisory board for the Journal of Women and the Law.

She has also served on the board of directors of the Environmental Law Institute, the Editorial Board of the Environmental Law Reporter and the Advisory Board for the National Wetlands News.