Cascadia Law Group congratulates Valerie Fairwell in being named a co-editor for the Washington State Bar Association Environmental and Land Use newsletter. If you are interested in publishing an article in the newsletter, please contact Ms. Fairwell at vfairwell [at] cascadialaw.com.
Cascadia is delighted to announce Jeff Goltz has returned to the practice of law, becoming Of Counsel in our Olympia office, after serving six years on the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Jeff will focus his practice on energy, telecommunications, and state and regional regulatory matters.
Governor Chris Gregoire appointed Jeff to the UTC in 2009, where he served as chairman until 2013.
Chambers USA continues to recognize Cascadia Law Group as a Band 1 (top tier) environmental law firm in the state of Washington. In its newly released 2015 rankings Chambers also recognizes three of the firm’s partners as notable practitioners:
And Rod Brown continues to be Chambers USA's only Star Individual among West Coast environmental practitioners. The full Chambers rankings can be viewed at http://tw.gs/15S9A1.
Membership in The Fellows is highly selective, and is limited to the top one-third of 1% of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Rod and Tisha were nominated by Fellows in their jurisdiction, and were elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation.
Congratulations, Rod and Tisha.
Introduced by the Governor at his press event announcing the Taskforce, Rod said, "I volunteered for this job not because I thought it was challenging, but because I think we can actually do this, and do it relatively quickly, and without too much trouble ... I see that there are solutions that we can use in Washington, but that eventually will spread to other parts of the country and the rest of the world."
Video of Press Event:
Governor Inslee Climate Change Announcement, Apr. 29, 2014
Governor Inslee's Executive Order 14-04: Washington Carbon Pollution Reduction and Clean Energy Action, Apr. 29, 2014
Seattle Times:
Inslee Orders a Move Toward Limits on Carbon Emissions, Apr. 29, 2014
Crosscut:
Meet the Governor's new climate change attack plan, Apr. 30, 2014
Jay Manning, a Cascadia Partner, was instrumental in helping the four jurisdictions reach this historic agreement. Jay has been supporting the four jurisdictions in the development of the Pacific Coast Climate and Energy agenda since joining Cascadia two years ago. With his exceptional experience in climate and energy issues, his deep understanding of intergovernmental agreements generally and the Pacific Coast Collaborative and his own relationships with key state and provincial leaders, Jay has been uniquely able to assist the states and Province as they worked together and develop this aggressive agenda.
Jay will continue assisting the jurisdictions as they move from plan development to implementation. Jay and the Cascadia team are available to assist businesses, local governments and other organizations that are facing the challenge of addressing climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions or otherwise preparing for climate impacts.
News coverage:
King 5 Seattle: (video link)
West Coast leaders sign pact to combat climate change, Oct. 28, 2013
Northwest Public Radio:
Oregon And Washington Governors Agree To New Controls On Carbon Emissions, Oct. 28, 2013
For over 20 years, the conservation community has been trying to acquire a 50,000 acre parcel of land in the Teanaway Valley. The beautiful Teanaway property includes critically important terrestrial and riparian habitat, free flowing streams and incredible recreational opportunities. A combination of tremendous environmental value and vulnerability to development has made the Teanaway the highest priority environmental acquisition in the state. Acquiring the property has eluded us, however, because of high cost, lack of support amongst a few key policy makers and development interests intent on preserving the property's development potential.
Jay Manning, a partner with Cascadia Law Group, has been a critical part of a team that changed all that. In June, the legislature directed the Department of Natural Resources to acquire the Teanaway property and appropriated nearly $100 M for this purpose. Jay led the legislative team that secured legislative authorization and funding for the acquisition. He was also a key member of the negotiation team that put the deal together with the seller, our client, Forterra, and DNR.
News coverage:
Yakima Herald:
Water plan money called 'a home run'
KUOW:
Washington’s $100 Million Land Purchase In Upper Kittitas County
Yakima Herald:
Yakima River Basin work among Inslee’s highlights in first session
