Stacey VanBelleghem is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office and Global Co-Chair of the Project Siting & Approvals Practice. She represents clients in a variety of industry sectors on major project infrastructure and development, administrative petitions and rulemaking, and litigation under federal environmental law.
Ms. VanBelleghem has particular experience advising clients on federal environmental laws, including:
- Clean Air Act
- Clean Water Act
- Endangered Species Act
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
- National Environmental Policy Act
- National Historic Preservation Act
- American Indian Law
Ms. VanBelleghem represents numerous clients in air quality and climate change issues, with an emphasis on the regulation of criteria pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions from major stationary sources. She is also a frequent speaker and writer on these issues.
Ms. VanBelleghem has in-depth knowledge of federal permitting and approvals for major infrastructure projects, working both to secure project approvals and to intervene and defend approvals in numerous federal court cases.
Ms. VanBelleghem was named a Washington D.C. Rising Star by The National Law Journal in 2017 and named to the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Washington, D.C. Rising Stars lists by Super Lawyers.
In addition to her environmental practice, Ms. VanBelleghem works on a variety of pro bono matters for the firm. She currently serves on the firm’s Diversity Leadership Committee and previously served in a management role as a member of the firm’s Global Associates Committee and Global Pro Bono Committee.
Before becoming an attorney, Ms. VanBelleghem worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in its Public Policy Department and also at the National Park Service.
Ms. VanBelleghem’s experience includes:
- Briefing and oral argument in Ninth Circuit appeal in defense of federal approvals for an energy project
- Legal analysis and strategy regarding greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act for the National Climate Coalition
- Regulatory comments and litigation involving EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, including a successful challenge of the rule in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
- Comments and litigation involving certain of EPA’s hazardous air pollutant technology (MACT) rules under the Clean Air Act
- Regulatory comments and compliance counseling regarding EPA’s Coal Combustion Residuals Rule
- Diligence and counseling on acquisition or divestiture of various coal-fired power plants
- Advising on carbon offset transactions with tribal counterparties
- Representing the State of Florida in its Original Action before the Supreme Court challenging the State of Georgia’s water consumption and its effects on the Apalachicola ecosystem
- Regulatory comments on the impact of proposed thermal discharge and entrainment/impingement requirements for power plant cooling water intake structures and on proposed effluent limitations guidelines for steam electric power plants under the Clean Water Act
- Regulatory and compliance counseling for large energy project and transmission lines on tribal lands, requiring numerous federal approvals, including Bureau of Indian Affairs approval for a lease and rights-of-way renewals, and environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act
- Representing intervenors defending federal approvals in litigation under the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act
- Negotiating and drafting a compliance agreement under the National Historic Preservation Act for linear facilities that cross lands of three distinct Tribes
- Regulatory counseling for energy project regarding tribal issues
- Regulatory counseling for solar project on Bureau of Land Management lands
- Regulatory and compliance counseling for high voltage transmission line project requiring National Park Service approval under the National Environmental Policy Act
- Litigation related to the treatment of pesticide applications under the Clean Water Act, as well as pesticide-related Endangered Species Act litigation