Gregor I. McGregor, Esq., the founding partner of the environmental, land use, and real estate law firm of McGregor Legere & Stevens PC in Boston, will present his short treatise called “Boundaries” to the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE)
Firm senior partner Gregor I. McGregor and wetlands and open space expert Michele Grzenda have teamed up to present a Q&A workshop at the Annual Environmental Conference (AEC) of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC).
Tyler owned a condominium that accumulated about $15,000 in unpaid real estate taxes along with interest and penalties. The County seized and sold it for $40,000, keeping the $25,000 excess over Tyler's tax debt, as per a state statute.
An important Supreme Judicial Court decision, Carroll v. Select Board of Norwell (SJC-13410, January 5, 2024) upheld the Town of Norwell's designation of land for affordable housing purposes and rejected an attempt by residents to transfer the property to another purpose without the Select Board's determination under G.L. c. 40, Section 15A that the land was no longer needed for affordable housing purposes.
Annually the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly publication, the legal newspaper of record for practicing attorneys, selects leading lawyers to recognize in an important field of law. For 2023 the subject was Environmental/Energy and our firm founder and senior partner Gregor I. McGregor was so honored.
In January 2023 MassDEP proposed a comprehensive suite of new regulations to deal with climate change in the form of storms, flooding, and sea level rise. These are expected to be promulgated during 2024. They will affect three related regulatory and policy programs. The opportunity for the public to comment is open through February. Where and how to send your comments are specified by MassDEP.
The Takings Clause of the United States Constitution and court cases since Pennsylvania Coal v. Mahon (1922) are a check on governmental power which the Due Process and Contracts Clauses used to serve.
Gregor I. McGregor, Esq. of McGregor Legere Stevens PC on November 15 will present on Local Climate Action to the Massachusetts Society of Municipal Conservation Professionals (MSMCP).
Article 97 of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, approved by the voters in 1972, established a right to a clean environment including its natural, scenic, historical, and aesthetic qualities for the citizens of the Commonwealth.
Firm Senior Partner Gregor I. McGregor has updated his popular PowerPoint covering environmental law from "A to Z." This means it surveys Massachusetts state and local environmental laws, regulations, bylaws and ordinances, as well as related federal laws and legal doctrines, from Air Pollution to Zoning and everything in between!
Firm founder and senior partner Gregor I. McGregor will present at this year's American Bar Association (ABA) annual meeting in Denver, August 3-5, a survey of 100 years of the Regulatory Taking Doctrine since the seminal court case Pennsylvania Coal v. Mahon in 1922.
The Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection (“MassDEP”) has amended its Septic System (“Title 5”) Regulations (310 CMR 15.000) and its Watershed Permit Regulations (314 CMR 21.00).
On May 25 the United States Supreme Court, ruling in the case of Sackett v. EPA, sharply limited the scope of protection for the nation’s waters under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The Court redefined the CWA’s coverage of “waters of the United States” which had been hotly contested since the Court’s previous decision on point and EPA’s regulatory expansion of what adjacent wetlands are included.
Article 97 of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, approved by the voters in 1972, established a right to a clean environment including its natural, scenic, historical, and aesthetic qualities for the citizens of the Commonwealth.
For anyone contemplating using a right-of-way to reach a Great Pond in Massachusetts, two must-read Appeals Court decisions are Kubic v. Audette, 98 Mass. 289 (2020) (Kubic I) and Kubic v. Audette, 102 Mass. App. Ct. 228 (2023) (Kubic II). They explain the principle of ownership of accreted land bordering a Great Pond, the rights and limits of access to a Great Pond, the tests for overburdening of an easement, and the proper interpretation of easements.
Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) again will host its annual conference on Environmental, Land Use & Energy Law, once again co-chaired by the principal of our firm, Gregor I. McGregor, Esq. This is the 24th year of this gathering of the leading specialists in this field of law.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in its decision in the case of Haven Center, Inc. v. Town of Bourne, 490 Mass. 364 (2022), upheld as valid the Town of Bourne’s general bylaw ban on recreational marijuana establishments.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an important decision in the case of Valentin v. Town of Natick et al., 2022 WL 4481412 (D. Mass. Sept. 27, 2022). This federal court litigation arose from the denial of an application for a permit to develop a condominium project that included affordable housing in Natick, Massachusetts.
Live Webcast
Date: February 7, 2023
Time: 9:30 AM
Learn about the substantive laws that govern your client's applications, such as the: Wetlands Protection Act and municipal bylaws; Home Rule principles and preemption; Open Meeting Law rules (for live, remote, and hybrid); and related federal and state permits and licenses.
Firm founder and senior partner Gregor I. McGregor is honored to present as a webinar open to all REBA members his updated PowerPoint on the United State Supreme Court decisions on Regulatory Takings. He also is covering the leading cases from the high courts of states in the last couple of years.
Current and prospective property owners who may wish to be able to invoke certain legal defenses to liability under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) should be aware that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has amended its regulations governing such defenses.
In January 2021, the Zoning Act, G.L. c. 40A, was amended to give the trial court judge discretion to require a plaintiff appealing a special permit, variance, or site plan decision to post a bond of up to $50,000 “to secure the payment of costs if the court finds that the harm to the defendant or to the public interest resulting from delays caused by the appeal outweighs the financial burden of the surety or cash bond on the plaintiffs.”
Calculate When Your Permits Expire If Issued Before or During the Covid Emergency: 462 Extra Days?
What the Lifting of the COVID-19 State of Emergency in Massachusetts Will Mean for Boards and Commissions
Legislature Revises Local and Regional Permitting Deadlines as COVID-19 Pandemic Continues
MassDEP and EPA Guidance on Waste Site Cleanups and Compliance during COVID-19 Emergency: Some Flexibility but Important Deadlines and On-Site Obligations Still Apply
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