Edward (Ted) Boling
- Washington, D.C.
Ted advises clients on renewable energy and transmission projects, resource development, transportation, and related infrastructure development, building on more than 30 years of high-level public service.
Ted Boling’s experience includes deep involvement in the environmental review and authorization of federal infrastructure projects, environmental mitigation and conservation programs, and leadership of the comprehensive revision of CEQ’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. He served on the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Ted counsels companies, agencies, and nongovernmental organizations that must navigate regulatory and funding programs to advance renewable energy, transmission, transportation, critical minerals, and manufacturing projects. His work includes:
- Offshore wind development projects and policy advocacy for industry and conservation organizations.
- Transmission projects planned and designed to bring renewable energy to market.
- Water resource projects that are necessary to meet the demands of a changing climate.
- Semiconductor manufacturing facilities that are eligible for funding under the CHIPS and Science Act.
- Critical minerals projects that advance domestic production goals.
Ted’s work at CEQ included the development of the National Ocean Policy, CEQ’s climate change guidance, and the use of environmental management systems in environmental impact assessment. He drafted NEPA guidance on mitigation and monitoring, cumulative impacts analysis, and the development of categorical exclusions from detailed NEPA documentation. Ted advised on the establishment of numerous national monuments, including the first marine national monuments in the United States and the largest marine protected areas in the world. He represented CEQ as a member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the board of directors of the Udall Foundation, and the U.S. delegation to negotiations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. He also assisted in briefing three cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
At DOI, Ted served as a deputy solicitor and counselor to the assistant secretaries for land and minerals management and for fish and wildlife and parks. Ted handled matters involving energy development on the outer continental shelf, including offshore wind power development, and the fast-track process for solar and wind energy projects on public lands. He has provided legal and policy advice on environmental issues concerning the Federal Columbia River Power System and the California Central Valley Project.
At DOJ, Ted was a senior trial attorney and litigated significant cases involving NEPA, endangered species, marine mammals, wetland protections, and management of public lands. He was involved in litigation concerning the Northwest Forest Plan, National Forest management decisions, and Federal Transit Administration decisions and U.S. Coast Guard activity in New England.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- Washington University School of Law, J.D., Editor-in-Chief, Washington University Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law (now Journal of Law and Policy), 1990
- Mary Washington College, B.A., 1986
Bar and Court Admissions
-
District of Columbia
-
Virginia
Related Employment
- Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President Associate Director for the National Environmental Policy Act, 2016- 2020
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Deputy Solicitor for Parks and Wildlife, 2013-2016
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources, 2011-2013
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, 2010-2011
- Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President, Senior Counsel for Environmental Policy and Public Involvement, 2009-2010; General Counsel, 2008-2009; Deputy General Counsel, 2000-2007
- U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Senior Trial Attorney, Natural Resources Section, 1998-2000
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, 1996-1998
- U.S. Department of Justice, Trial Attorney, 1990-1996
Professional Recognition
Listed in Chambers USA “America’s Leading Lawyers” for Offshore Energy, 2023-2024
Named to the Pro Bono Service Honor Roll, Virginia Access to Justice Commission, 2023
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Environmental Law, 2023-2025
Listed in Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Environmental Lawyers, 2023-2024
Impact
Professional Leadership
- George Washington University School of Law (adjunct faculty), Professorial Lecturer
- Transportation Research Board, Standing Committee on Environmental Issues in Transportation Law (AJL50), Co-Chair, 2023-present; Member, 2022-present
- Transportation Research Board, Standing Committee on Environmental Issues in Transportation Law (AJL50)
Insights
News
Professional Experience
Energy and Infrastructure Projects
Offshore Wind
Provide regulatory and policy counsel to leading nongovernmental organizations regarding measures to improve the environmental review and authorization of wind and transmission developments in U.S. waters.
Offshore Wind Project in the New York Bight
Serve as environmental and permitting counsel on a proposed offshore wind project in the New York Bight. Provide policy advice, counsel on approvals required from all federal agencies, and opportunities for stakeholder and tribal engagement and advocacy before federal agencies.
Offshore Wind Project in California
Serve as environmental and permitting counsel on a proposed offshore wind project in central California. Provide policy advice, counsel on approvals required from all federal agencies, and opportunities for stakeholder and tribal engagement and advocacy before federal agencies.
Offshore Wind Project in California
Represented the developer of a proposed offshore wind project near Morro Bay, California, providing counsel on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) leasing process and recognition of the value of stakeholder agreements in support of offshore wind development.
Transmission Developers
Represent an independent transmission developer on federal regulatory issues and the environmental review of funding decisions by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Serve as outside regulatory and litigation counsel to major interstate electric transmission projects.
Semiconductor Project Developers
Represent major semiconductor manufacturers in the environmental review and authorization of funding proposals under the CHIPS and Science Act.
Transportation Developers
Represent high-speed rail, transit, and highway projects and the state agencies that are delegated authority to manage the environmental review processes for their proposed agency actions.
Federal Environmental and Land Use Permitting and Compliance
Serve as counsel to energy companies and municipal corporations on land use, permitting, environmental, consultation, and regulatory issues arising from developing or investing in projects on and across federal, state, and tribal lands. Work with clients to review NEPA documents and other reports for legal sufficiency and to build a strong administrative record.
Federal Grants and Loans
Inflation Reduction Act Tax Credits and U.S. Department of Energy Funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
Provide strategic advice to companies assessing various funding opportunities emerging from the IRA and IIJA, including DOE clean energy grants and financing from DOE’s Loan Program Office. Advise companies on requirements of DOE funding and work with applicants to ensure compliance with NEPA requirements.