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Overview

With more than 40 years of experience, Kevin is an environmental, energy, and natural resources attorney who assists clients in resolving project development, regulatory compliance, and other transactional issues.

Kevin assists clients with the siting and development of major facilities; facility contract negotiations; federal, state, and local permitting; enforcement actions; property contamination issues; brownfields redevelopment; and due diligence in transactions.

He is particularly focused on renewable energy, including projects involving bioenergy (waste-to-energy) and biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), as well as wastewater and waste management projects, and redevelopment of contaminated sites—such as solar energy projects on former landfills. Kevin is first and foremost a negotiator: with decades of experience, he readily anticipates what the other side is likely to seek and efficiently reaches the best deal possible.

Early in his career, Kevin worked for state environmental agencies before shifting to private practice. His years in the public sector taught him how to handle regulatory compliance matters, and his longstanding relationships with key players in the environmental and energy spheres help him resolve client matters quickly so that projects can move forward.

Kevin enjoys resolving complex legal issues to add value in helping clients achieve their goals. He is a regular author and speaker on the legal and regulatory landscape for the environmental, energy, agribusiness, brownfields redevelopment, and waste management industries. He is a longtime member of the environmental law sections of both local and state bar associations and is active in several industry trade associations.

Industry

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law, 2026

Education

  • J.D., Mitchell Hamline School of Law
    • Environmental Law focus
  • M.A., Hamline University
    • Public Administration
  • B.A., University of Minnesota
    • Journalism

Admissions

  • Minnesota
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations; Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Sections
  • Environmental Initiative (Minnesota non-profit environmental and energy issues organization)
  • Minnesota Brownfields (non-profit brownfields redevelopment organization)
  • Recycling Association of Minnesota
  • Minnesota Resource Recovery Association
  • Solid Waste Association of North America
  • Air & Waste Management Association
Experience
  • Represented Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Board in negotiation of $200 million organic waste feedstock supply agreement for 70,000 ton per year anaerobic digestion facility to be developed by Dem-Con/Hitachi Zosen joint venture in Shakopee, Minnesota.
  • Represented Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Board in negotiation of major amendment to biomass feedstock supply agreement to address new PFAS regulations.
  • Represented major dairy/cheese processing facility in resolving wastewater treatment issues and plans for construction of new treatment facility with municipal and state regulatory officials.
  • Represented hazardous waste management company in negotiation of service agreements with customers for management of their hazardous waste.
  • Represented owner of distribution company in resolving environmental contamination issues in sale transaction of warehouse property in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Assisted client in participating in Minnesota Public Utilities Commission dockets related to waste biomass used to generate renewable electricity.
  • Assisted St. Louis County, Minnesota on environmental and contractual issues related to county landfill and overall solid waste management programs, as well in leasing closed landfill owned by the county for development of a solar project.
  • Represented Standard Solar in resolving environmental issues related to acquisition of solar project to be developed on closed landfill.
  • Represented equipment company in resolving above-ground petroleum storage tank environmental enforcement action brought by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
  • Works with clients to address legal issues associated with new and existing energy generation and production facilities, with a particular focus on facilities designed to recover energy and resources from municipal solid waste. For example, he assisted the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board in acquiring a privately-owned refuse-derived fuel facility in Newport, MN, including assistance in negotiating multiple agreements and addressing permitting and other transactional issues. He also advises many other local governments on solid waste management legal issues.
  • Assists clients in overcoming permitting and other regulatory challenges. Kevin assisted one of the largest egg production operations in the U.S. in overcoming state and federal regulatory and permitting issues in the siting and development of their largest facility in Iowa.
  • Helps clients to resolve soil and groundwater contamination issues. He has assisted some of the largest agribusiness companies in the U.S. in addressing past environmental contamination at multiple sites around the country. He also assisted a Twin Cities district energy project in expanding its underground piping infrastructure through a former Superfund site with multiple owners.
  • Helps clients in resolving enforcement actions brought by federal, state and local regulators. Kevin has handled major environmental enforcement cases brought against clients by the U.S. EPA as well as state agencies, such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He helps clients negotiate resolutions to enforcement actions that meet their needs and are acceptable to regulators.
  • Provides guidance on environmental due diligence matters in mergers and acquisition transactions.
Outside the Office

Kevin enjoys playing tennis and hockey, among other sports, as well as fishing. He also enjoys traveling with his wife to warm destinations in the winter, to Minnesota’s North Shore in the summer, and to visit their children in Wisconsin and New York.

Community Leadership
  • Past board member, Great River Greening, a Minnesota non-profit habitat restoration organization
  • Past president, Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota