Bernstein, Shur Lawyers Author Environmental Law Handbook for Maine

Environmental treatise is an invaluable resource for lawyers, municipal officials, businesses, regulators and landowners

Two lawyers at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson have co-authored a new edition of the Maine Environmental Law Handbook, the only detailed, comprehensive and well-indexed guide to state law and regulations governing environmental and land use issues in Maine.

The treatise is invaluable as a resource for lawyers, municipal officials, businesspeople, students, regulators and landowners. Maine has an ever-expanding body of laws, regulations and court decisions relating to the protection of the environment. In the 12 years since the first edition, there have been sweeping changes in virtually all areas of Maine environmental law.

Bernstein, Shur lawyers Jeffrey A. Thaler and Gregory M. Cunningham have pulled together all the relevant information - more than 360 pages worth - under one cover.

"We intend this treatise to be a very practical and useful document for anyone who needs to understand Maine environmental laws and regulations," Thaler said. "A business or developer seeking a permit from the DEP, a citizen who wants to build an addition and needs local zoning board approval, and anyone looking for the standards governing the environmental aspects of their project, all can benefit from the information contained in one place."

- The treatise analyzes all important state regulatory programs with regard to environmental review of land, air, water, natural resources protection and waste issues.
- Asbestos, pesticides, nuclear waste, transport and storage of oil and petroleum products, emergency planning and community right-to-know matters also are examined.
- Internet addresses are provided for rapid access to environmental information.
- Specific areas of Maine that have undergone significant changes in recent years are dealt with in detail, including:
- Underground oil storage tank siting.
- Clean Water Act permitting and regulation.
- Projects impacting freshwater wetlands.
- Endangered or threatened species.
- The new Forest Practices Act.
- Proposed developments generating certain high traffic volumes.
- New air programs like NOx control.
- Stormwater discharge regulation.

Thaler, who has been listed since 1988 in every edition of the Best Lawyers in America for environmental law, is chair of Bernstein, Shur's environmental practice group and has been involved with many of Maine's most complex or controversial land, air and water issues of the past two decades. He handles environmental permitting, compliance and litigation matters. Last week, Thaler was selected by the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island to monitor the environmental permitting process for the siting of a highly controversial container terminal on Narragansett Bay.

A resident of Yarmouth, Thaler has been an adjunct professor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, teaching courses on environmental law, and is a frequent lecturer to legal and citizen groups. He is a 1974 magna cum laude graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. Thaler received his law degree in 1977 from Yale Law School in New Haven, Conn.

Cunningham, of North Yarmouth, focuses his practice on environmental and land use issues, including environmental compliance and permitting, litigation of enforcement actions and administrative and judicial appeals. He represents businesses, individuals, schools and governmental entities. A 1988 graduate of Colby College, Cunningham received his law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center and a master's degree in environmental and land use law from the Vermont Law School, where he co-wrote publications on Vermont environmental laws, on the Federal Clean Air Act, and a thesis on the Endangered Species Act.

Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson is one of northern New England's largest law firms, with more than 70 attorneys in offices in Portland and Augusta. The firm provides legal services in all major subject areas, including corporate and commercial law, litigation and trials, municipal and governmental affairs, and tax and estate planning. For more information, visit the firm's web site at http://www.bernsteinshur.com.

The publisher, ABS Consulting/Government Institutes, has been a leading information provider for professionals in the fields of government, environmental management, occupational safety and health, quality, risk and marine management for over 25 years. The Maine Environmental Law Handbook, Second Edition ($115) is available by contacting ABS Consulting/Government Institutes at (301) 921-2323. Order online at http://www.govinst.com.

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