US EPA Integrated Planning

McMahon DeGulis works with cities and other public entities to realize the financial, economic and environmental benefits of the Integrated Planning framework under the Clean Water Act. US EPA’s Integrated Planning initiative enables cities to prioritize expenditures for Clean Water Act compliance and to integrate those capital investments with other community objectives such as economic development, brownfield redevelopment and utilization of green infrastructure.

The firm represent sewer districts serving two of Ohio’s largest cities in negotiations with US EPA and Ohio EPA. These districts, which have over $6 billion of Consent Decree commitments, have been recognized by US EPA as national models of integrated planning under the Clean Water Act.  MD attorneys have also consulted on teams performing Affordability Analysis, assisted with peer utility comparisons, and offered input on potential impacts of future regulation.

Our attorneys support municipal efforts to cost-effectively achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act. For a Northeast Ohio city, MD was able to achieve formal incorporation of integrated planning into the first-of-its-kind NPDES permit in Ohio, which avoided the need to layer additional obligations in a judicial Consent Order.

MD’s experience applying Integrated Planning and Financial Capability guidance with an eye towards the ultimate goals of achieving affordable, innovative solutions is unmatched. We work seamlessly with city team members, engineers and financial consultants to evaluate economic realities, community needs, planned investments, and litigation strategy to achieve success.

• Louis McMahon