Reed Smith LLP

Partner

About

Peter counsels clients in all aspects of environmental law, particularly in transactional matters, including financing and development of renewable energy projects. He helps clients manage environmental risks and permitting challenges in the most efficient manner possible, and helps them take advantage of opportunities in a complex and ever evolving regulatory landscape. If the need arises, Peter also represents clients in enforcement proceedings and environmental litigation matters.

A large part of Peter’s practice is in the project development space. He helps project developers obtain environmental and land use permits for solar and wind projects, natural gas facilities, and other energy and infrastructure projects. He also assists lenders with the detailed environmental and permitting due diligence required for complex project finance transactions. With the recent boom in solar PV systems in New York, Peter has gained significant experience assisting clients in the development and financing of those systems. He helps clients understand and comply with relevant orders of the New York Public Service Commission and the NY-Sun incentive program, identify and obtain required state and local permits, and purchase and sell individual projects or portfolios of projects throughout the state and beyond. He also has extensive experience in the New York community solar market, representing companies soliciting and managing both anchor customers and mass market customers to be assigned to a community solar project.

Peter also helps clients manage environmental risks in transactions involving the acquisition and divestiture of real estate, renewable and conventional energy projects and businesses of every variety. He has conducted the environmental due diligence on facilities ranging from high-rise commercial buildings to major industrial facilities. His experience representing clients in a wide variety of transactions allows him to quickly recognize the risks that are relevant to each deal (whether they may be “traditional” environmental risks such as soil/groundwater contamination, or new and emerging risks such as ESG, climate change, or PFAS) and then tailor his analysis to those risks for a focused and efficient diligence process.

Peter is also a member of the firm’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) practice group, with a particular focus on the environmental aspects of ESG.