Margaret Stolfa has been immersed in environmental law for much of her career. She spent the last eight years as general counsel at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, where she was on the ground floor of creating the Brownfields Act for the state, which incentivizes investors to clean up and redevelop contaminated land. A graduate of the Vermont Law School, Stolfa worked on everything from hazardous waste site cleanups to wetlands management. Then, when a new commissioner was appointed early last year, she realized it was time to move on. It was kismet that Bernkopf Goodman was looking to create a full environmental law practice. The firm came a knockin’ and Stolfa has been there since September.
Margaret Stolfa
Title: Partner, Bernkopf Goodman; Boston
Age: 48
Experience: 18 years
Q: What’s your expertise as an environmental lawyer?
A: My experience with contaminated brownfields sites goes back to the beginning in Massachusetts. I was with the department when it was working on the state’s Brownfields Act, so I worked from the bottom up on what is in the statute now and implementing the programs. I know those inside and out … Right now, we’re working to provide support to clients that include developers, property owners, lenders … And my expertise is that I really know the environmental programs, both regulatory issues and policy interpretations and compliance, and I know how to negotiate in the context of those at the state and local levels.
Q: So, if I’m James the Investor, and I see an old gas station or fueling station that I want to buy and redevelop, what are my first considerations?
A: We would look at the property history and figure out if [the site was] cleaned up. If not, we’d establish what needed to be done. We would help you use the tools available, including cleaning up the site to the point needed for the use planned at the site and not more than that. If you have an old gas station and want to put a residential project there, you really need to clean it up to be safe enough so there’s no significant risk to someone living there all the time. That has a very high cleanup standard as opposed to an industrial park, which might be used for storage or as a warehouse where people aren’t living around the clock, so it doesn’t have to be as clean as the residential project. Then you’re spending less money on the cleanup and it’s a more economical choice as a business decision.
Q: Can you talk about the projects you’re working on now?
A: I can tell you that generally, the kinds of projects that I’m getting involved in are the bigger developments that are usually mixed-use with commercial and residential and retail. Some are big mall facilities, some are hotels, and some are just regular properties that you might not know the environmental issues about, and some are distressed properties. Those can range from brownfields that are perceived as or actually are contaminated with oil or other hazardous materials. And there are a lot of properties like that that are moving right now.
