The Babst Calland Women’s Initiative strives to increase the retention and advancement of women attorneys at our Firm and in the broader legal community by promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities.
The Women’s Initiative meets regularly to facilitate open discussions about workplace challenges historically faced by women in professional settings and encourages the exchange of advice and experiences to aid others in navigating those challenges.
The Women’s Initiative further supports the Firm’s women attorneys in developing and promoting their practices by acknowledging and celebrating successes and encouraging mentorship among all of the Firm’s attorneys. A key goal of the Women’s Initiative is to connect women attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups and offices, allowing for organic support systems to develop and prosper. This blending of practice groups and offices encourages collaboration and cross-marketing opportunities that benefit our attorneys and clients. By encouraging these relationships, the Women’s Initiative’s work advances the professional and business development of women attorneys at the Firm and within the legal community at large.
The following celebrates the initiatives of the women attorneys at Babst Calland.
On October 2, 2025, the EPA published a Proposed Rule and a companion Direct Final Rule to extend certain compliance deadlines for effluent limitations guidelines for the Steam-Electric Power Generating point source category in the Federal Register. EPA states that the proposal seeks to advance the goals of the Trump administration’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Orders and provide reliable energy as demand increases due to the rise of AI and data centers. …
Municipal Attorneys Betsy Dupuis and Morgan Madden will present “Who, What, When, and Why of Authority Rules and Regulations” to the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Most municipal authorities in the Commonwealth have some iteration of rules and regulations to govern and guide the use of equipment, services provided, and authority-owned facilities. Sometimes these regulations simply cover the basics including fees for tapping, services, etc., and yet other municipalities have more robust regulations that dictate, for example, how repairs are to be completed and who is responsible for costs associated with the same. …
Recent activity from the FTC indicates yet another shift in the Commission’s view on non-compete agreements, the latest in a turbulent 16-month period for this topic that began with the FTC’s May 2024 publication of a final rule banning most non-competes throughout the country. In their article, FTC Withdraws Non-Compete Appeal, Previews a More Focused Approach, Steve Antonelli and Alex Farone discuss the rule and its implications, encouraging employers to continue to monitor the latest developments involving non-compete agreements. …
On September 17, 2025, EPA announced that it will retain the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) hazardous substance designation for PFOA and PFOS, two PFAS compounds. To read the full alert authored by Sloane Wildman and Alex Graf, click here.
EPA’s rescission of the Title V defense was based on a legal interpretation of the Clean Air Act that the D.C. Circuit has since rejected, rendering the agency’s action arbitrary and capricious. As a result, the Title V affirmative defense for emergencies remains a liability shield for operators. For details on the ruling in this case, view the recent alert by Joseph Schaeffer, Gina Buchman and Ryan McCann. …
Jordan N. Brown recently joined Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. office as an associate in the Environmental Group.
Ms. Brown counsels clients in a broad range of environmental matters arising under federal and state environmental programs, with a primary focus on regulatory compliance and permitting. She regularly advises companies on day-to-day operational compliance and represents clients in enforcement defense actions brought by federal and state regulators. …
The White House released “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” a sweeping federal initiative setting forth the administration’s strategy to secure U.S. global leadership in artificial intelligence. The Action Plan outlines more than 90 federal policy actions across three strategic pillars. Susanna Bagdasarova and Justine Kasznica provides details on what to know. To view the article, click here.
On August 21, 2025, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection published its proposed Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification package proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite permitting of energy related projects as a means of implementing several Executive Orders issued by President Trump aimed at expediting regulatory approval of such projects. In finalizing its decision on the proposed Certifications, the WVDEP will consider the impact of activities that would be authorized using these mechanisms on water resources, fish and wildlife, recreation, critical habitats, wetlands, and other natural resources. …
In accordance with the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, a municipal zoning hearing board possesses exclusive jurisdiction to hear and render final adjudications over a number of land use matters. In their recent article Commonwealth Court Finds Objectors May Have Standing to Intervene in Appeals of Zoning Enforcement Notices, Anna Skipper Jewart and Blaine Lucas address case situations when objectors may intervene in appeals of zoning enforcement cases. …
Two Babst Calland women lawyers were selected as 2026 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year”. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant.
Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. …
On July 31, 2025, EPA published its highly anticipated Interim Final Rule to extend several deadlines in 40 C.F.R. Part 60, Subparts OOOO, OOOOa, OOOOb and OOOOc that were promulgated in EPA’s 2024 Methane Rule. That same day, environmental groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Interim Final Rule. Absent a stay by the court, which the environmental groups are currently not seeking, the Interim Final Rule and the various extended deadlines are effective. …
Melanie S. Lampton recently joined law firm Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. office as a shareholder in the Pipeline and HazMat Safety practice group.
Ms. Lampton comes to Babst Calland after nearly a decade of working on energy-related matters for the Federal government. She most recently worked as an attorney advisor in the Office of General Counsel at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where she provided counsel on legislative issues and rulemakings across the department. …
This is the seventh in a series of profiles featuring the women attorneys of Babst Calland to acknowledge and celebrate their success and to connect women attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups, offices and clients. This attorney spotlight features Brianne Kurdock.
To view the profile on Brianne, click here.
Babst Calland announced the lateral move of veteran attorney Priscilla (Polly) E. Hampton, who has joined the Firm as a Shareholder in its Environmental practice, and opened a new Babst Calland office in New York State.
Ms. Hampton’s practice focuses primarily on contaminated site cleanups, brownfield redevelopment, and environmental diligence and risk management in mergers and acquisitions. She counsels a range of businesses—from mining, manufacturing, and energy to real estate and project developers—on remediation, permitting, compliance, and enforcement matters under federal and state environmental laws. …
Over the past several years, developers have targeted the vast rural and undeveloped lands of Pennsylvania for renewable energy development. Yet, Pennsylvania lags behind the rest of the country in terms of renewable energy deployment. Beyond well-reported issues involving grid-interconnection and permitting backlogs, those seeking to develop renewable energy in the Keystone State often experience deal-killing roadblocks early on during local land use permitting. Read the full article, Navigating Local Permitting Roadblocks to Renewable Energy Deployment in Pennsylvania, by Anna Jewart, here.
