CHRISTINE E. DIETER, a partner at the Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP law firm in Providence, was recently named chairperson of the Environmental Business Council of New England’s Rhode Island chapter. She has worked on some of the region’s most complex renewable energy projects, including offshore wind projects South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind. She regularly represents developers, utilities and businesses across New England in regulatory compliance, permitting, zoning and litigation matters involving energy infrastructure, land use and environmental regulations.
Why did you specialize your legal career in environmental and energy law?Environmental and energy law presents a constantly evolving and complicated legal landscape that can be daunting. I enjoy the challenge of unraveling complex issues and value the opportunity to guide my clients toward the successful achievement of their goals. This has become especially important as New England states, including Rhode Island, have adopted new climate and resiliency targets.
What are your goals for the local EBC chapter as its chairperson? I want to see EBC continue to serve as a gathering place for professionals to start and build a strong network and deep relationships. Another cornerstone of EBC has been its excellent programming on environmental and energy issues. These programs result from collaboration among EBC staff, members of our Rhode Island community, and the leaders and staff of the Rhode Island environmental agencies. I look forward to fostering these relationships to provide engaging and thought-provoking programs to the Rhode Island community.
What challenges do the energy and environmental sectors face, and how will the chapter respond to help those sectors? The energy and environmental sectors face a great deal of regulatory uncertainty. At the federal level, the current administration has different environmental and energy priorities than the prior administration, which has created challenges in advancing energy and infrastructure projects.
Our community will focus on tackling this uncertainty and misalignment in the years ahead. EBC is well-positioned to provide programming and opportunities for brainstorming and share thought leadership on important issues. We have strong ties with the regulatory community and will seek the valuable input and clarity they can provide regarding enforcement priorities and productive avenues for engagement.
How much will the chapter focus on Rhode Island’s blue economy, and what businesses/partnerships will it establish to help the sector flourish? We regularly feature union and other business leaders in our programming to ensure we capture a range of perspectives and highlight the critical work being done to build the blue economy.
We have collaborated with the University of Rhode Island and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management to help showcase some of their programming and internships to help develop the Rhode Island pipeline of environmental professionals as another way to support the blue economy.
