Sarah Lobe is an associate attorney in Nixon Peabody’s Environmental and Energy practice group. She represents clients in environmental regulatory, enforcement, and permitting matters.
My practice focuses on environmental and energy work under state and federal laws. I represent clients on brownfields and superfunds matters including site investigation, remediation, and closure. I also counsel clients on energy matters before regulatory bodies, such as the New York Public Service Commission, as well as on a wide variety of water permitting issues. Additionally, I provide environmental due diligence analysis to advise clients on environmental risks and considerations in transactions, particularly for renewable energy projects. On behalf of my clients, I work with regulatory agencies, and partner with technical experts to efficiently develop thoughtful, practical legal solutions.
My background includes environmental litigation, environment-related legal work with the U.S. federal government and United Nations, and domestic and international work on water access. I have also taught contracts, torts, legal writing, and international business transactions as a law professor, and currently teach as an adjunct professor of environmental law. My experience in both the public and private sectors provides me with a well-rounded perspective and comprehensive understanding of issues.
Emerging contaminants, such as PFAS, have become a regulatory focus with far reaching effects for drinking water considerations, wastewater treatment efforts, and brownfields and superfund sites. I’m tracking the new technical and legal developments that present challenges in regulation, remediation, and compliance, as well as opportunities for advanced technological solutions, legal guidance, and innovative, cross-sector partnerships.
I also see great opportunity for land redevelopment, particularly with renewable energy growth. This is continually being shaped by recent and proposed legislation, administrative processes, regulations, and incentives across the local, state, and federal levels. I anticipate rapid progress in this area and look forward to helping advance our alternative energy sector and site redevelopment.
Rochester Business Journal | April 09, 2021
Rochester Affordable Housing & Real Estate associate Sarah Lobe and senior environmental health engineer Libby Ford contributed this article on the proposed environmental rights amendment to the Bill of Rights of the New York State Constitution, on which New Yorkers will vote in November.
Engineering News-Record | November 02, 2020
This story about boosting U.S. transmission capacity to integrate a growing backlog of renewable power projects into the grid quotes a recent Bloomberg Law article written by Albany partner Pete Trimarchi and associate Dana Stanton, and Rochester associate Sarah Lobe, all of the Environmental and Land Use team.
Bloomberg Law | October 26, 2020
The following Bloomberg Law article comprises a two-part, contributed series on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s transformative regulatory changes on climate change, renewable energy, and emerging contaminants. The articles are written by Albany partner Pete Trimarchi and associate Dana Stanton, and Rochester associate Sarah Lobe, all of the Environmental and Land Use team.
Bloomberg Law | October 23, 2020
The following Bloomberg Law article comprises a two-part, contributed series on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s transformative regulatory changes on climate change, renewable energy, and emerging contaminants. The articles are written by Albany partner Pete Trimarchi and associate Dana Stanton, and Rochester associate Sarah Lobe, all of the Environmental and Land Use team.
American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., cum laude
Boston University, M.A., Public Policy, magna cum laude
Boston University, B.A., Political Science, magna cum laude
New York
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Western District of New York
Sarah Lobe is an active member of the New York State Bar Association’s Environmental and Energy Law Section, serving as the co-chair of the Diversity Committee and as a member of both the Cabinet & Executive Committee and the Future of Federal Environmental Policy Task Force. Sarah is also a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, where she is a member of the Environmental Law Committee and the Young Lawyers Section. She is part of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York and its Environmental Law Committee as well as the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, where she serves as co-chair of the Programs Committee.
