Christina D. Bonanni

Christina Bonanni focuses her practice in matters involving the environment, energy, renewable and natural resources law. She regularly advises clients on state and federal energy and environment regulations and compliance under the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act, National Forest Management Act (NFMA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Natural Gas Act (NGA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). 

 

Ms. Bonanni regularly advises clients seeking to develop renewable energy projects, including environmental and permitting due diligence in connection with the purchase, sale and financing of such renewable energy projects.  As part of this work, Ms. Bonanni focuses on the risks and liabilities associated with project development and provides guidance in acquiring environmental insurance. This process includes a risk evaluation, where Ms. Bonanni discusses the client’s acceptable level of risk and advises on levels of insurance coverage, as well as counsel on ways to mitigate and minimize risks in developing a project. 

 

Ms. Bonanni’s experience includes providing regulatory and litigation counsel on a major interstate natural gas pipeline project, which required approvals from various federal agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ms. Bonanni provided litigation support on this project at the federal appellate level and the Supreme Court regarding challenges to federal approvals under the Natural Gas Act, Mineral Leasing Act, and National Forest Management Act. Ms. Bonanni was also regulatory and litigation counsel to the co-owners of a 345kV interstate transmission project in Iowa and Wisconsin, including defense of federal approvals and permits. She performs environmental due diligence and reports analyzing complex areas of environmental laws for clients.

Ms. Bonanni graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. She served as an Articles Editor for the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law. She participated in the National Environmental Law Moot Court competition at the Pace University School of Law. 

Prior to law school, Ms. Bonanni worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an Environmental Health Scientist. While at the EPA, she worked within the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program, conducting risk assessments and analyzing key chemicals and their impacts on human health and the environment.