
Overview
Clare has experience in an array of regulatory matters related to transportation and energy industry project permitting, construction, recordkeeping and regulatory compliance. She has assisted a diverse set of clients—from pipeline developers to public transportation authorities—to understand the implications of regulatory, statutory, and permitting requirements for the delivery of infrastructure projects. She is well-versed in a broad spectrum of environmental and transportation regulatory programs and frequently works with clients in interfacing with federal oversight agencies, including PHMSA, FERC, EPA, FHWA, FTA, and their state counterparts.
Clare is a regular contributor to the firm’s Nickel Report blog.
Experience
- Broad experience in administrative and environmental law, including project construction, permitting, NEPA environmental review, and regulatory compliance counseling on air, water, endangered species, and waste issues.
- Advises on regulatory strategy for delivery of public-private partnership (P3) transportation, telecommunications and infrastructure projects.
- Assists in the defense of citizen suits brought under the Endangered Species Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Clean Water Act.
- Advises on mobile and stationary source Clean Air Act compliance.
- Rulemaking advocacy before EPA, including for the Risk Management Program requirements, as well as Title V and New Source Review permitting.
- Rulemaking advocacy and enforcement defense before PHMSA.
- Counsels pipeline companies on construction and expansion projects, including FERC Certificate process for natural gas pipelines, and other authorizations required under federal and state transportation, environmental, and natural resource laws.
- Advises clients on all phases of incident response--including proactive contingency planning, compliance with release reporting and other post-incident requirements, handling agency investigations, and addressing environmental liability and remediation obligations.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Recommended for Environment: Litigation (2020-2024) and Environment: Regulatory (2020-2024), Legal 500 United States
- Recognized as a Leader in Environment, California, Chambers USA, 2021-2024
- Named One to Watch in Environmental Law and Litigation - Environmental, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
- Recognized as 2021 Environmental Group of the Year, Law360, January 2022
- 2021 Chambers USA Environment Law Firm of the Year
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2020 Fellow
- Chair, Bar Association of San Francisco, Barristers Environmental, Land Use, and Real Estate Section, 2020
- Co-chair, American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Air Quality Committee, 2020-21
- Best Paper Award Recipient, American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources 27th Fall Conference, 2019
- Chambers USA Environment Law Firm of the Year, 2017
- E. Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2014-2015
Affiliations
Professional
- Member, American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
- Member, Bar Association of San Francisco
- Member, State Bar of Georgia, Environmental and Administrative Law Sections
Insights
Events & Speaking Engagements
- April 17, 2024Event
- April 14, 2023EventPanelist“Climate Change and Water Resources,” American Law Institute
- September 21-23, 2022EventModerator“Put Your Next Foot Forward: Next Generation Technologies and Innovations,” American Bar Association: Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, 30th Fall Conference
- April 7, 2022EventSpeakerEnergy infrastructure projects in the United States: Who decides and on what basis?, Tulane Center for Energy Law, 2022 Energy Law Conference
- January 19, 2021EventSpeakerWhat to Expect in a Biden-Harris Administration on Environmental, Health, and Safety Issues
- December 2020EventSpeakerThe Biden Administration: Environmental, Health and Safety Priorities, and Implications
- July 30, 2020EventModerator“Environmental Crisis Management and Incident Response,” Bar Association of San Francisco
- July 2020EventPanelist“Title V Implementation – Issues and Challenges,” Air & Waste Management Association 113th Annual Conference
- December 6, 2018EventModerator“Recent Developments in Climate Change Litigation,” Bar Association of San Francisco
- June 21, 2018EventPanelist“Careers and Trends in Environmental Law,” Hunton Andrews Kurth and Environmental Law Institute Summer Speaker Series, San Francisco, CA
- September 16, 2016EventSpeakerLegal Ethics: Emerging Issues for the Pipeline Industry, AOPL Annual Business Conference, Chicago, Illinois
Publications
- Winter 2025Newsletter
- Summer 2024Newsletter
- Publication
- Spring 2024Newsletter
- Fall 2023Newsletter
- April 22, 2022Publication
- September 23, 2021Publication
- February 15, 2021Publication
- October 5, 2020Publication
- September 11, 2020Publication
- September 2020Publication
- November 2019PublicationCo-authorThe Journey or the Destination?: Reconsidering the Proper Role of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impacts in NEPA Review of Natural Gas Pipeline Projects, Oil, Gas & Energy Law Intelligence Journal
- August 2019PublicationCo-authorCitizen Suits Trends in California: A Harbinger for the Future of Environmental Enforcement?, American Bar Association, Natural Resources and Environment magazine
- April 2019Publication
- September 19, 2018Publication
- October 18, 2017Publication
- July 3, 2017PublicationCo-authorState Air Board Plans New Mobile Source Regulations, Daily Journal
- June 28, 2017Publication
Blog Posts
- February 19, 2025The Nickel Report
- December 19, 2024The Nickel Report
- September 5, 2024The Nickel Report
- August 1, 2024The Nickel Report
- June 3, 2024The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel ReportCo-author
- Hunton Retail Law Resource
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel ReportCo-author
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel ReportCo-author
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
- The Nickel Report
News
- 17 Minute ReadNews
- 7 Minute ReadJune 12, 2024News
- 6 Minute ReadJune 6, 2024News
- 7 Minute ReadJune 8, 2023News
- 6 Minute ReadJune 1, 2023News
- 2 Minute ReadOctober 20, 2022News
- 16 Minute ReadAugust 18, 2022News
- 6 Minute ReadJune 9, 2022News
- 6 Minute ReadJune 1, 2022News
- June 1, 2022Media Mention
- 1 Minute ReadApril 7, 2022News
- July 9, 2021Media Mention
- 6 Minute ReadJune 10, 2021News
- 6 Minute ReadMay 25, 2021News
JD, University of Georgia School of Law, summa cum laude, Order of the Coif, Executive Symposium Editor, Georgia Law Review, 2013
MA, Literature, University of Georgia, 2004
BA, University of Virginia, 1996
Georgia
California
Areas of Focus
- Energy
- Energy and Infrastructure
- Energy Transition
- Environmental
- Environmental Release and Incident Response
- Air Quality
- Water
- Mobile Source and Fuels Regulation
- Environmental Compliance, Litigation and Defense
- Pipeline
- Public Lands
- Public-Private Partnerships and Infrastructure
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)