From left: John G. Valeri Jr., Dennis M. Toft. and Michael K. Plumb
By Joshua Burd
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC has tapped John G. Valeri Jr. as the newest chair of its environmental law group, placing him at the helm of the practice alongside Dennis M. Toft.
Valeri, who was a practice group leader before his elevation to chair, has more than 30 years of experience advising on state and federal environmental laws and regulations, including obtaining permits and approvals involving multiple environmental media for complex projects, CSG Law said. Before joining the Roseland-based firm, he was the acting general environmental counsel in PSEG Services Corp.’s Office of Environmental Counsel.
CSG, meantime, announced that Michael K. Plumb will serve as the environmental team’s new practice group leader.
“I’m proud to join Dennis as chair of the environmental law group, and I congratulate Michael on his elevation to practice group leader,” Valeri said. “The CSG Law environmental group does a lot of great work in the state of New Jersey and regionally, and I’m looking forward to continuing our work with this outstanding group.”
Valeri’s former posts also include associate deputy general counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and counselor to the administrator under former Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. Additionally, he was senior assistant counsel during Whitman’s time as New Jersey governor, advising her on significant environmental and public utility legislation and regulations, including negotiating the passage of the Brownfield and Contaminated Sites Act and the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act.
CSG added that Valeri served as chief of staff to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, where he had responsibility for overseeing the implementation of energy deregulation, as well as aspects of the transition of the telephone and cable television industries into competition. He has been a member of the New Jersey Clean Air Council since 2015 and served as its chair from 2018 to 2021.
“I had the opportunity to work with John in many of his prior positions and was thrilled when he joined our environmental team,” Toft said. “John’s abilities are well known throughout the state and having him serve with me as chair of our group further strengthens our ability to serve our clients while ensuring our group’s future.”
Toft, also an industry veteran of more than 30 years, is regarded as one of New Jersey’s top environmental attorneys, according to a news release. He is well known as a brownfields redevelopment practitioner and for assisting clients in solving difficult regulatory issues, having been appointed by Whitman to serve on the New Jersey Brownfields and Contaminated Site Remediation Task Force, a group created by state law to identify and market brownfields sites.
In 2002, Gov. James McGreevey appointed Toft as chairman of the task force. He was a member of Gov. Chris Christie’s transition team, where he was a member of the environmental protection committee, and was appointed by Gov. Richard Codey and served on the New Jersey Solid Waste Advisory Council.
He was also a member of McGreevey’s transition team.
Plumb, for his part, is the former chair of the Environmental Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and is an active member of both the American Bar Association Natural Resources & Environment Editorial Board and the Justice Stewart G. Pollock Environmental Inn of Court, the news release said. With previous experience working as an environmental consultant, he primarily focuses on litigating environmental disputes and represents a diverse array of clients in litigation related to environmental permitting and enforcement and responsibility for discharges of hazardous substances.
That practice spans all stages of litigation, including mediation, arbitration, trial and appeal.
“I appreciate the opportunity to help lead the environmental law group,” Plumb said. “John, Dennis and I have worked together for years, and I’m looking forward to growing our group strategically to meet clients’ needs, mitigate risks and seize opportunities.”
