Edward (Ted) Boling
- Washington, D.C.
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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 White House Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. He served at the 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 navigating regulatory and funding programs to advance renewable energy, transmission, transportation, water, critical minerals, and manufacturing projects. His work includes:
- Wind and solar energy development projects and policy advocacy for industry and conservation organizations
- Transmission projects planned and designed to bring renewable energy to market
- Transportation projects ranging from highways and rail to port development
- 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 the environmental impact assessment. He drafted NEPA guidance on mitigation and monitoring, cumulative impacts analysis, and the developed 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 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 lawyer 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, 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
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District of Columbia
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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, 2023-2025
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Environmental Law, 2023-2025
Listed in Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Environmental Lawyers, 2023-2025
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), Chair, 2023-present; Member, 2022-present
Professional Experience
Energy and Infrastructure Projects
Offshore Wind
Provided 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
Served as environmental and permitting counsel on a proposed offshore wind project in the New York Bight. Provided 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
Served as environmental and permitting counsel on a proposed offshore wind project in central California. Provided 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 leasing process and recognition of the value of stakeholder agreements in support of offshore wind development.
Transmission Developers
Represented an independent transmission developer on federal regulatory issues and the environmental review of funding decisions by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Served as outside regulatory and litigation counsel to major interstate electric transmission projects.
Semiconductor Project Developers
Represented major semiconductor manufacturers in the environmental review and authorization of funding proposals under the CHIPS and Science Act.
Transportation Developers
Represented 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
Served 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. Worked with clients to review NEPA documents and other reports for legal sufficiency and to build a strong administrative record.
