Environmental Law
Quiñones, Arbona & Candelario’s Environmental Practice Group conducts regulatory compliance, litigation, toxic tort, health and safety, and land use. Our practice includes agency negotiation and advocacy for our clients at federal, state and local levels. The firm counsels, advices and negotiates for private and public clients in connection with business and asset acquisitions, financing and dispositions. Our experience and background enables to offer substantive experience and practical insight in resolving a broad array of environmental, health and safety issues faced by our clients.
Our team, led by attorney Víctor Candelario, has experience dealing with numerous issues related to Environmental Law, including:
- Federal Clean Air Act and state air emissions controls and permitting;
- Real estate development, including both projects privately financed in entirety, and in partnership with public authorities;
- Surface and ground water supply and regulation;
- Freshwater and coastal wetlands controls;
- Solid waste management, procurement and regulation;
- Toxic use and Community Right to Know laws;
- Hazardous waste compliance and permitting;
- Environmental impact assessment
- Site investigation and remediation in risk-based cleanups;
- Litigation and resolving claims for natural resources damages;
- Special use permits, variances, zone changes and other approvals necessary to achieve desired yield, density or to otherwise implement unique design features of the project at hand;
- Drafting of reports and legal determinations regarding all matters related to Administrative Law and, particularly, regarding its application within Environmental Law;
- Preparation of drafts for resolutions, memoranda, letters or reports for processing and continuation of the proceedings held before the relevant agencies;
- Legal representation before state and federal agencies for alleged violations to the laws and regulations enforced by each agency;
- Legal representation in informal proceedings (public hearings, enactment and amendment of regulations) related to the development of projects
Quiñones, Arbona & Candelario offers a proactive approach to environmental law, offering preventive counseling and management of environmental permit processes. Our Environmental Practice offers the resources to handle a wide variety of large and complex environmental matters. Our attorneys help developers, municipalities, private citizens and public agencies navigate the complexities of local zoning, land use control laws, regulations and ordinances involving special use permits, site plan and subdivision approval, variance applications, “non-conforming use” determinations and requests for interpretations of zoning laws.
Integrated technical-legal advice regarding the achievement of projects and activities related with natural resources and environmental matters. Technical-legal advice about substantive and procedural matters related to the environmental assessment of the projects submitted for the consideration and approval of the different government agencies.
- Revision and scrutiny of environmental documents (Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements) and permit requests before the corresponding agencies, to insure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Drafting of environmental documents for projects in the areas of infrastructure, housing, tourism, commerce, mitigation and others.
- Coordination with designated officials and key personnel dealing with environmental and planning procedures, to address all matters relevant to the projects presented for their consideration.
- Follow-up of the procedural status, evaluation, analysis and final determination in the cases before the agencies.
- Processing of environmental authorizations and environmental permits.
- Assistance in supporting the efforts in legal actions of public domain (determination of legal easements, limits of the terrestrial-maritime zone and the buffer zone).
- Advice in the development of Projects for Landfills of Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Waste, Expansions, Recycling Plants and of Transshipment.
- Development of Projects of Environmental Restoration.
- Assistance in Projects of Soil Decontamination.
- Assistance in the drafting of Environmental Impact Studies, Environmental Sustainability Reports, Acoustics Studies, Access Studies, Transit Studies, Hydrological Studies, Archeological Studies.
- Assistance in Environmental Audits.