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
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Endangered Species Act
- National Historic Preservation Act
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
- Clean Water Act
- American Indian Law
Ms. VanBelleghem has in-depth knowledge of federal permitting and approvals for major infrastructure projects, including numerous renewable energy projects, working both to secure project approvals and to intervene and defend approvals in many federal court cases.
Ms. VanBelleghem also 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.
In addition to her environmental practice, Ms. VanBelleghem works on a variety of pro bono matters for the firm. She has previously served in management roles on the firm’s Diversity Leadership Committee, 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 successful defense of federal approvals for an energy project
- Regulatory counseling regarding National Environmental Policy Act review, National Historic Preservation Act compliance, and tribal consultation for Bureau of Ocean Energy Management offshore wind-related approvals
- Advising clients on Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requirements for bidder qualification process and other procedural requirements
- Representing on-shore wind project in defense of federal approvals in federal District Court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals litigation under the National Environmental Policy Act
- Regulatory counseling for solar projects on Bureau of Land Management and tribal lands
- Petitioning for D.C. Circuit review of EPA and NHTSA’s final actions in SAFE 1 and SAFE 2 on behalf of the National Coalition for Advanced Transportation
- Representing National Coalition for Advanced Transportation in developing comments to EPA and NHTSA on motor vehicle standards
- 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
- Regulatory comments and compliance counseling regarding EPA’s Coal Combustion Residuals Rule
- 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, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act
- Litigation related to the treatment of pesticide applications under the Clean Water Act, as well as pesticide-related Endangered Species Act litigation