CSG Law Elevates New Leadership to Environmental Law Group
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (“CSG Law”) is pleased to announce that John G. Valeri, Jr. has been named Chair of the firm’s Environmental Law Group, joining his fellow chair, Dennis M. Toft, in the group’s leadership. Michael K. Plumb will serve as the group’s Practice Group Leader.
John, who was Practice Group Leader before his elevation to Chair, has more than 30 years of experience providing advice regarding state and federal environmental laws and regulations, including obtaining permits and approvals involving multiple environmental media for complex projects.
“I’m proud to join Dennis as Chair of the Environmental Law Group, and I congratulate Michael on his elevation to Practice Group Leader,” he 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.”
Before CSG Law, John served as Acting General Environmental Counsel in PSEG Services Corp.’s Office of Environmental Counsel. He previously served as Associate Deputy General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and also served as Counselor to the Administrator under former Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. John also served as Senior Assistant Counsel for Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, where he was responsible for advising the governor 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. He also 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. In addition, John has been a member of the New Jersey Clean Air Council since 2015, and he 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,” Dennis 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.”
Dennis has been practicing environmental law for more than 30 years and is highly regarded as one of New Jersey’s leading environmental attorneys. He is well known as a Brownfields redevelopment practitioner and for assisting clients in solving difficult regulatory issues. Gov. Whitman appointed Dennis 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 Dennis 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. Dennis was also appointed by Gov. Richard Codey and served on the New Jersey Solid Waste Advisory Council. He was also a member of Gov. McGreevey’s Transition Team – Environmental Committee.
Michael 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. Michael, who has previous experience working as an environmental consultant, primarily focuses on litigating environmental disputes. He represents a diverse array of clients in litigation related to environmental permitting and enforcement, and responsibility for discharges of hazardous substances, through all stages of litigation, including mediation, arbitration, trial and appeal.
“I appreciate the opportunity to help lead the Environmental Law Group,” Michael 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.”