ROBERT D. SOKOLOVE

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Mr. Sokolove is president of two companies involved in the fields of wetlands and floodplains. Wetland Development Corporation is one of the few companies in the United States providing wetland permitting, mitigation, and mitigation banking on a national basis.  The company provides a for-profit ecological restoration program for substantial developments and produces wetland and habitat banking and carbon sequestration projects around the country. Wetland & Floodplain Consulting Company provides advice, consulting and expert testimony for law firms, corporations, government entities and not-for-profit organizations in the fields of floodplain mapping and flood claims, wetland permitting, wetland mitigation banking and other financial and land-use matters on a national basis. In both areas, Mr. Sokolove and his company provide litigation support.

With Wetland Development Corporation and Wetland & Floodplain Consulting Company (as well as other organizations he has managed over the last 14 years), Mr. Sokolove directs his companies whose primary responsibilities include the coordination of permitting, siting, design, construction, and monitoring activities associated with the creation of wetland mitigation banks and other environmental approaches to the redevelopment of underutilized and contaminated sites. Mr. Sokolove is primarily responsible for negotiations with the various resource and regulatory agencies and the entities that utilize mitigation bank credits. He is also responsible for approvals of environmental projects which involve complex resource allocation, including regulatory and legislative frameworks used to develop these projects. With Wetland Development Corporation, he represents the company and its project partners at all State and Federal functions including testimony before Federal and State legislative and regulatory bodies. In his capacity as head of Wetland & Floodplain Consulting Company, Mr. Sokolove represents the company’s clients in all legal matters, regulatory approvals and other related approaches as they interface with issues involving wetlands and floodplains. In addition, he successfully represented the U.S. Government and private industry through the U.S. Environmental Training Institute at their 1997 Bangkok, Thailand, multinational water resources conference, which included representatives of six Asian countries attempting to produce national water quality enforcement plans.  He has been the Chief Executive of an environmental company since 1993.

Since being licensed to practice law in 1977, Mr. Sokolove has gained a national reputation in the areas of wetland regulation, permitting, and mitigation, as well as floodplain management and floodplain re-mapping, endangered species regulation, water quality control, and land-use protection.  In addition to his legal training and experience, Mr. Sokolove has an extensive background in hydraulics and hydrology, soils comparison, and wetlands identification as well as the management skills of directing a company since 1981.

Over the last fourteen years, Mr. Sokolove has created, directed, and operated three incentive driven environmental restoration companies with a market capitalization of $35 million.  Mr. Sokolove is a regular speaker at industry and trade association meetings and conventions and has numerous articles and publications to his credit.  As well as speaking engagements, he has presented multiple seminars at annual conventions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Association of Floodplain Managers, American Institute of Architects, and various state soil scientists associations.  He has spoken before the Edison Electric Institute, the Airports Council International-North America, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Electric Power Research Institute, and various regulatory agency conventions such as regional U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration seminars.

Among his approximately 100 publications, Mr. Sokolove has authored articles on wetland mitigation banking for the American Bar Association’s Journal of Natural Resources and Environment, Real Estate Law Journal, Washington Legal Foundation Journal, and the ASCE’s Conference on Parks, Recreation, and Marinas. Mr. Sokolove and his then company, U.S. Wetland Services, L.P., were also been featured in articles published by the Washington Business Journal, Legal Times, The Maryland Reporter, Montgomery County Journal, The Washington Post, and Airport Business.

While his companies have been involved in the creation of wetland and habitat mitigation banks around the country as well as restoration of contaminated sites, Mr. Sokolove has testified as an expert before committees of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and also authored the Wetlands Mitigation Banking Bill passed by the Maryland State Legislature. His projects include the pursuit of wetland mitigation banks in 15 states as well as the implementation of various bioremediation projects for target industries. He is a founding member and past Treasurer of the National Mitigation Bankers Association.

 

ROBERT D. SOKOLOVE
107 Brighton Road
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302-381-8062
bob@wetlandfloodplain.com

EDUCATION

Franklin Pierce Law Center, J.D. - 1977
American University, B.A. – 1974
University of California at Davis, Certificate, Hydraulics and Hydrology - 1978

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Wetland Development Corporation/Wetland & Floodplain Consulting Company 1995 – Present 

As President, directs two companies that partner with public and private entities and companies to produce revenue-generating environmental restoration projects on a national basis. Provides consulting and advice to companies and organizations on all components of “eco-development for profit” opportunities and produces turn-key projects on a joint venture basis. In addition, his companies provide legal support, expert testimony, advice and consulting in all fields involving floodplains, floodplain mapping, wetland permitting, land acquisition and valuation, disaster and flood claim support and other related services. Since 1995, Wetland Development Corporation and Wetland & Floodplain Consulting Company have been involved directly or as counsel to the development of multiple wetland and habitat banks and represented corporate and governmental entities in virtually all 50 states.

Environmental Restoration, LLC 2001 – 2005 

As President, responsible for all components of company management and project success of national environmental and real estate development corporation. Responsible for interface with private development and public/governmental entities on regulatory approvals, project administration, and overall legal and governmental affairs. Production of regulatory framework and legislative involvement to assist in project success and completion. Environmental and developmental projects include redevelopment proposals of bases such as Alameda Naval Base, Port of Baltimore, Port of Everett, Washington, and multiple privately held and directed environmental restoration projects. Restoration projects typically were valued in excess of $25 million each. Interface with State offices of the Attorney General and regulatory agencies, and all federal regulating bodies. Direction to CFO, V.P.s, and investors on project status, regulatory and legal affairs, administration, and management. Involved in all wetland and habitat mitigation projects and Natural Resource Damage (NRD) replication projects.

U.S. Wetland Services, LLC, U.S. Wetland Services, Inc. 1993 – 2001 

As Chief Executive Officer of the LLC, primarily responsible for the coordination of permitting, siting, design, construction, and monitoring activities associated with the creation of wetland mitigation banks. Responsible for negotiations with
various resource and regulatory agencies and end-users of bank credits; responsible for preparation of and testimony before U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and state legislative committees; company representative before most trade associations and end-user organizations. Legal interface with State offices of Attorney General and regulatory agencies and all federal regulating
bodies, direction to CFO and all company V.P.s.

Wright, Robinson, McCammon, Ostheimer, & Tatum 1992 – 1993 

Principal and Chairman: Environmental Law Section of 75 person law firm located in Washington D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.

Sokolove & Associates 1992 

Owner: Specialization in Federal and State water quality and wetland permitting issues, floodplain management and flood map amendments,
litigation involving floodplain determinations, regulatory takings, wetland permits, and related federal and state water quality matters and endangered species.

Kornblut & Sokolove 1981 – 1992 

Partner: Specialization in Federal regulatory and environmental work regarding water quality issues such as wetland permits, floodplain management and flood elevation designations, hazardous waste, and dam safety. Other areas of specialty included litigation of architects and engineer’s liability, insurance defense and coverage, litigation, compliance with Federal and State environmental regulations, and Interstate Land Sales Registration.

Federal Insurance Administration
(a division of Federal Emergency Management Agency) 1979 – 1981
(a division of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) 1977 – 1979 

Trial Attorney/Associate General Counsel: Areas of responsibility included wetlands, floodplain designation, flood mapping, flood insurance, and complex litigation.

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

New Hampshire Bar Journal, 1976, “Eutrophication of Lakes and Ponds in New Hampshire-What Legal Tools Are Available?”

National Academy of Science, 1983, “Safety of Nonfederal Dams-A Review of the Federal Role.”

American Society of Civil Engineers Journal, 1993, “Subrogation-A Federal Regulatory Tool to Enforce Flood Plain Management.”

University of Baltimore Law Journal, Fall 1978, “Is the Flood Insurance Program Really National Land Use in Disguise?”

ABA Journal of Natural Resources & Environment, 1992, “Privatization of Wetland Mitigation Banking.”

*The Flood Report – (A monthly four-page publication written and produced between 1983 and 1985 – approximately 150 articles and notes written and published)

American Society of Civil Engineers, 1994, “Wetland Mitigation Banking.”

Real Estate Law Journal, 1994, “Wetland Mitigation Banking-An Economic Solution.”

Washington Legal Foundation, 1994, “Wetland Mitigation Banking.”

NATIONAL AWARDS

Company, U.S. Wetland Services, L.P. named by Dividends Magazine/Staples Office Products/Hammermill Papers as Startup Company of the Year in 1997.

FEATURE ARTICLES

Article featuring our specialty on flood remapping – Legal Times, 1985.
Article featuring our specialty areas – Washington Business Journal, 1986.
Article featuring our wetland practice/specialty – Washington Business Journal,
1993.
Publication regarding Startup Company of the Year, Dividends Magazine,
September/October, 1997.

____________________
*Approximately 50 other articles or analyses written for corporate (client and non-client) in-house publications and newsletters.

 

REPRESENTATIVE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

American Society of Civil Engineers, National Convention, 1982.
National Association of Floodplain Engineers, 1984.
American Society of Civil Engineers, National Conventions, 1985, 1987
Greater Houston Builders Association, 1986.
Espey Houston/Texas Engineers Society, 1986.
Pennsylvania – County Emergency Management Officials, 1986.
Franklin Pierce Law Center/New Hampshire Bar Association Earth Day, 1991.
Urban Land Institute – Wetlands Seminar, 1992.
American Institute of Architects, National Convention, 1992.
Greater Tidewater (VA) Hospital Risk Administrators, 1992.
Westinghouse Properties/The Nature Conservancy – Florida Seminar, 1993.
New Hampshire Soil Scientist Association, 1993.
American Society of Civil Engineers, 1994.
University of Wisconsin Engineering Department (Seminars in Charlotte, NC,
Madison, WI, Reno, NV, Colorado Springs, CO) – Floodplain Liability and
Wetland Enforcement, 1995.
Electric Power Research Institute – Mobile, Alabama, 1995.
U.S. Environmental Training Institute, Bangkok, Thailand, 1996.
San Francisco Bay Estuary Project, 1997.
Middle Atlantic Society of Wetland Scientists (Rochester, New York and West
Deptford, New Jersey), 1997.
International Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration, Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida, 1997.
State of Montana Task Force on Wetland Mitigation Banking, 1997.
First National Mitigation Banking Conference, Washington, D.C., 1998.
Terrene Institute, Mitigation Banking Conference, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2004, 2006.
American Bar Association, Keystone Environmental Conference, 2004.
Wildlife Habitat Council, National Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, 2004.
Society of Wetland Scientists, International Conference, Chairman, Wetland
Mitigation Banking Section, Seattle, Washington, 2004.

CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATIVE TESTIMONY – INVITED WITNESS

New Hampshire State House of Representatives
Committee on Environment, 1977.
House-Banking Committee, 1982.
House-Banking and Urban Affairs Subcommittee, 1985.
House-Banking and Urban Affairs Subcommittee, 1990.
Maryland House of Delegates – Environmental Affairs Committee, 1993.
U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, 1995.
U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, 1996.