John Louis Parker is the Environmental, Energy, and Resources Practice Group Partner with Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano PLLC.
John has been an environmental attorney for over twenty-five years. He brings a wealth of experience and specialized environmental expertise in matters involving the Environmental Conservation Law and regulations, Clean Water Act enforcement, the Navigation Law, including contaminated site remediation, Superfund litigation, and brownfield redevelopment. John represents clients in environmental litigation matters in State and Federal court, as well as administrative compliance and enforcement matters and permitting proceedings. John also represents clients in SEQRA review process and in Article 78 proceedings challenging government actions and decisionmaking.
In June 2026, John accepted the nomination to become Second Vice Chair of the Environmental and Energy Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. In this role, John will expand his statewide leadership role as a member of Section’s Cabinet. John previously served as the Secretary of the Section. He also serves as the Chair of the Legislation Committee and he is a member of the Executive Committee. Each Spring, John leads the Annual Legislative Forum in Albany. In 2017, he received the prestigious Section Council award.
In June 2026, John’s efforts led to the creation of the new Environment and Energy Law Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association, where he serves as the inaugural Chair. The expansion of the Environmental Committee to include Energy Law issues reflects the growing needs of Long Island regarding renewable energy and the regulatory environment regarding review and approval of a variety of energy projects, including expanding battery energy storage systems.
In June 2025, John accepted the nomination to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Nassau County Bar Association, and currently serves in that role.
In 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, he was selected to the list of New York Metro Super Lawyers.
Mr. Parker served as the Regional Attorney at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for the Lower Hudson Valley, Catskill Region. His role as general counsel and chief legal representative was expansive, leading enforcement and compliance efforts in numerous regulatory programs. Some examples of these programs were clean water, clean air, solid waste, petroleum, pesticides, and the superfund and brownfields remedial programs. He also worked extensively on many environmental permitting matters and on significant SEQRA reviews.
He began his legal career as Counsel to the Chairman of the State Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. While serving in that role, he worked on complex investigations including a review of the efforts to clean the Hudson River under the Superfund program and he developed policy and legislative proposals on a variety of environmental topics. These efforts led to the drafting and negotiating of the first comprehensive brownfields legislation in New York State, the predecessor to legislation creating the state’s brownfield redevelopment law.
Mr. Parker’s leadership roles in significant environmental initiatives in the New York City Metropolitan Region and the Hudson River Valley involve clean water and climate change issues. He has also served as Director of Legal Programs at Riverkeeper.
Mr. Parker has written articles for The New York Environmental Lawyer of the Environmental and Energy Section of the New York State Bar Association. Previously, he published a quarterly column on regulatory and compliance issues at the NYSDEC during his tenure there.
He has authored numerous publications in professional journals, law reviews, including the Environmental Law Practice Series. These articles have focused on emerging contaminants, corporate disclosure, hazardous waste and hazardous substances, environmental remediation, climate change, energy law, and environmental governance in New York.
John’s public speaking engagements routinely address developing environmental and energy law issues – from PFAS forever chemical contamination to the siting of battery energy storage systems as part of the renewable energy system.
Mr. Parker’s Professional Articles include:
- Water and Our Common Heritage: Facing the Challenge of Forever Chemicals, The Disruptive Quarterly, Guest Editor, Q1/Q2, July 2026.
- Report on the 2026 Annual Meeting, Environmental and Energy Law Section, New York State Bar Association, The New York Environmental Lawyer, Vol. 46, No. 1, May 1, 2026.
- Artificial Intelligence Regulating Government: The Next Step?, Nassau Lawyer, March 1, 2026.
- Extreme Weather Events Are Changing Communities, and the Insurance Industry, as They Respond to the Ongoing and Costly Climate of Change, The New York Environmental Lawyer, September 22, 2025
- New York’s New View of Freshwater Wetlands Regulation: Legal and Regulatory Authority Substantially Increases, Nassau Lawyer, September 1, 2025
- Rechargeable Batteries Required for Renewable Energy Success, Nassau Lawyer, February 1, 2025.
- Taking Stock: Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, The New York Environmental Lawyer, October 1, 2024.
- Back to the Future: SCOTUS Undoes 40-year Precedent, Nassau Lawyer, September 1, 2024.
- Meeting the Challenges of New York’s Energy Future, The New York Environmental Lawyer, October 26, 2023.
- Uncertainty of the Administrative State after West Virginia v. EPA, Nassau Lawyer, Sept 1, 2022.
- New York State Climate Leadership, Fall 2022.
- Environmental Law and Regulation in NY, 2022–2024 Supplement (Thomson Reuters).
- Lessons from the NY Waterfront, Environmental Claims Journal, July 28, 2017.
- Implementing Environmental Law, IUCN, 2015.
- Assessing Environmental Governance of the Hudson River Valley, Pace Envtl. L. Rev., 2014.
- The New York Environmental Selfie, To Audit or Not to Audit? DEC Self Audit Policy, Commissioner Policy 59 / Environmental Audit Incentive Policy, The New York Environmental Lawyer, Spring 2014.
- Extreme Weather and Its Consequences, 2013 (Parts 1 & 2).
- DEC Update Column, The New York Environmental Lawyer, 2009 – 2012.
- Indian Point Nuclear Facility Evacuation Plan, 2002.
- Missed Opportunities: Energy Policy & NYPA, Pace Envtl. L. Rev., 2002.
- Enhancing Remediation via Superfund/Brownfields, Fordham Envtl. L. J., 2000.
- Eco-labeling in Sustainable Forest Management, UO Envtl. L. J., 1996.
Mr. Parker’s Professional Engagements include:
- Norway Means Business: PFAS Challenges Facing Communities Across the Globe, Norwegian Embassy, Washington, D.C., Norcham, Moderator, June 11, 2026.
- PFAS Forever Chemicals are Changing Water Quality, Public Health, and Increasing Costs: A Legal and Technical Review, Moderator, Nassau Academy of Law, Environmental Law, Government Relations, and Municipal Law and Land Use Committees, Nassau County Bar Association, April 29, 2026.
- Dean’s Hour: Battery Storage Challenges, NCBA, Nov 18, 2024.
- Dean’s Hour: SCOTUS Analysis, NCBA, Sept 10, 2024.
- SEQRA: Segmenting Review, NCBA, Oct 25, 2023.
- Battery Storage & LI Communities, NCBA, Feb 1, 2023.
- Environmental Crimes Detection Conf., 2010–2011.
- New York Sea Level Rise Task Force, Nov 2010.
Mr. Parker’s Professional Commentaries include:
- Earth Day ’24: Climate Risk, Innovate LI, Apr 22, 2024.
- Earth Day: Sustainability, LI Life & Politics, Apr 22, 2024.
- COP 26: Last Chance for Long Island, Innovate LI, Oct 26, 2021.
Mr. Parker’s Lectures include:
- Planning for Climate Change, Rockland Planning Federation, Oct 2010.
- NY Climate Change Law Update, Pace Law CLE, Fall 2009.
- Intro to Environmental Law, NYSBA, Fall 2007.
Mr. Parker is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States District Courts for the Southern and the Eastern Districts of New York, and the New York and Connecticut State Courts.
He received a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University (Cook College) and his Juris Doctor degree from Pace Law School, where he specialized in environmental law and international law.
