Overview

Mary Lynn Coffee has extensive experience providing legal and regulatory advice and counsel with respect to complying with and permitting under CEQA, NEPA and state and federal water quality, wetlands, endangered species and other natural resource protection laws. Her experience includes successfully negotiating, obtaining and defending, or administratively challenging and moderating, the requirements of NEPA/CEQA clearances and environmental permits for large public water, transit, transportation, energy and logistics infrastructure projects totaling more than $15 billion in capital costs and for more than 28 privately developed master planned communities encompassing more than 95,000 acres throughout California. She has successfully obtained scores of federal Clean Water Act (CWA) permits and certifications, California Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs), Cal. Fish and Game Code streambed alteration agreements and state and federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) permits, as well as Sustainable Community Strategy, Green House Gas Emissions Reduction and Climate Action Plan consistency determinations, and other CEQA/NEPA clearances.

Mary Lynn has unique experience in obtaining multi-lateral agreements for environmental programs among regulatory agencies, environmental and citizen groups, and infrastructure or real property developers. This expertise includes preparation of multi-stakeholder Habitat Conservation Plans, Natural Community Conservation Plans, Special Area Management Plans, and Watershed Management Plans developed to address state and federal endangered species, wetlands, and water quality protection requirements.

In addition, Mary Lynn is at the forefront in providing regulatory, legislative and policy counsel to respond to ever-changing requirements imposed on public agencies and private entities under CEQA and NEPA, the state and federal Endangered Species Acts, federal Clean Water Act and Porter Cologne, as well as other surface and storm water quality mandates. Most recently, such work has included developing strategies to obtain and advocating, negotiating, drafting, testifying and influencing regulatory agency leaders to win amendments to Clean Water Act Section 401 and Section 404 regulations, as well as Porter-Cologne state regulations governing discharges of dredge and fill material to waters of the state, and blanket water quality certification of restoration projects.

Mary Lynn is an appointed representative to the Association of California Water Agencies' (ACWA) Water Quality Committee, and the California Building Industry Association’s Legal Action and Governmental Affairs committees. She is individually ranking by Chambers, and The Best Lawyers in America selected her as a Lawyer of the Year for 2023. The Los Angeles Times Business Journal selected Mary Lynn as a “2022 Visionary” for the legal industry, and she was named as one of California’s “Top Women Attorneys” in 2016. She has appeared on the Super Lawyers lists every year since 2011.

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