Peter Alpert has practiced environmental and land use law for nearly thirty years. Peter’s clients include large industrial, corporate and institutional entities, municipalities, financial and strategic investors in real estate, real estate developers, and individuals. The matters he handles are as broad and diverse as the client types. His primary focus is on the remediation of contaminated land under state and federal superfund programs, the entitlement and permitting of complex development projects in Massachusetts, and advising private equity, hedge fund, and strategic clients on the environmental issues that arise in the context of merger and acquisition transactions. His permitting experience spans the full range of entitlement programs, including zoning, wetlands and waterways, historic preservation, transportation, endangered species, water management and water supply and federal and state environmental impact review. His regulatory knowledge spans the full range of federal and state environmental programs, including air, water, wetlands, hazardous waste, waste site cleanup and the regulation of toxic substances and pesticides.
Peter’s environmental practice is generalized, but a substantial part is devoted to federal and state superfund matters, including the negotiation and administration of CERCLA consent decrees, and the oversight of privatized response actions under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. He has represented the principal PRPs at two of the largest MCP cleanups ever performed. He has represented numerous industrial and institutional clients in defense of federal and state environmental enforcement actions initiated pursuant to federal and state air, water, wastewater, hazardous waste management and wetlands laws.
Experience
- Bain Capital Double Impact - Advised Bain Capital Double Impact in the remediation of contaminated land in connection with its acquisition of Penn Foster, a Pennsylvania-based provider of skills development and digital credentialing solutions.
- A prominent Boston developer - Advised the client’s challenge of the landmark designation of Boston’s famous Citgo sign, which sits atop the client’s building in Kenmore Square, on a variety of constitutional, statutory and regulatory grounds and obtained a mayoral veto of the landmarking.
- Squibnocket Farm Homeowners Association - Represented a group of homeowners whose sole means of vehicular and utility access was at imminent risk of being lost to climate change-induced sea level rise. Successfully led the design and consulting team in the permitting process and defended administrative and legal challenges to the project.
- A multinational electricity and gas utility company - Advice on the investigation and cleanup of one of the world’s largest former coking, MGP and coal tar processing facilities in Everett, MA, including settlement of Natural Resource Damage claims.
- Wellesley College - Advice on all aspects of the investigation and remediation of the former Henry Wood’s Sons Paint Factory site, as well as advice on a broad range of environmental compliance and land-use matters affecting campus operations.
- Stauffer Management Company - Represent this affiliate of a major pharmaceutical company in connection with all aspects of the investigation and cleanup of the Industriplex Superfund Site, including settlement of one of the largest NRD claims ever asserted in Massachusetts, and exploration of opportunities to develop solar generating facilities on unmarketable portions of the site.
- The TJX Companies. - Advice on the permitting and development of expansions to headquarters facilities, the development of distribution centers, and acquisition of new real estate assets.