Andrew J. Turner

Andrew is recognized as a leader in environmental, natural resource, marine, and land use law by publications like Chambers and Legal 500 and is trusted by clients to resolve their most challenging regulatory, permitting, and litigation matters. With a career encompassing both private practice and high-level government service, Andrew brings a rare combination of legal knowledge and practical insight to environmental and infrastructure projects.

Andrew works closely with regulatory authorities at the federal, state, and local levels, including the EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, Fish & Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and Coast Guard. He crafts innovative strategies that drive successful outcomes in complex permitting, compliance, and litigation settings—often navigating clients through multi-agency regulatory frameworks involving wetlands, endangered species, federal lands, and offshore resources.

• Co-lead counsel for a mining company in litigation over a Clean Water Act permit; developed key arguments that led to a ruling in company’s favor by the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and a decision affirming that ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
• Provides advice to one of the largest private landowners in the State of Florida regarding Clean Water Act section 404 permitting and associated environmental reviews and agency actions affecting real estate development projects.
• Advising a mining client on MBTA and BGEPA issues relating to the client's national operations.
• Provides long-term daily representation of an association of electric utilities on US water regulation developments, including development of extensive technical and legal comments on US EPA regulatory proposals.
• Lead counsel for Florida land-owning companies in litigation over designation of critical habitat for the Florida panther, developing and presenting the arguments that led to successful dismissal of the suit by the US District Court for Middle District of Florida, and a decision affirming the dismissal by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
• Represented a major global food products company in the successful renewal of a federal permit, environmental and land use issues related to the collection and transport of spring water, and associated litigation.
• Assisted in the representation of the utility industry before the US Supreme Court in critical CWA litigation associated with the scope of federally regulated "waters of the United States."
• Advises on CWA section 404 permitting and related ESA and NEPA issues for residential and commercial development projects.
• Advised on the response to a grand jury subpoena and internal investigation associated with CWA compliance.
• Represents the energy and utility industry, waterfront facilities, vessel interests, developers, and state and local agencies in regulatory matters and litigation under the CWA, ESA, NEPA, MMPA, and other environmental, maritime, and security laws.
• Significant experience with federal environmental and maritime regulatory agencies, military departments, and Department of Justice.
• Successfully represented a coalition of electric utilities in interventions challenging ELG amendments on ESA grounds, anticipating and responding promptly to ELG rulemakings and litigation.

• Recognized as a Leader in Environment, District of Columbia (2023-2025), Chambers USA
• Recommended for Environment: Litigation (2019-2024) and Environment: Regulatory (2020, 2023), Legal 500 United States
• Selected as a Best Lawyer for Environmental Law (2024-2025), The Best Lawyers in America
• Selected for The Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law (2023, 2024), Lawdragon