Molly Barker is an associate at the firm's Seattle office. She is a member of the Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice group. Molly's practice focuses on advising on solar, wind, fusion and hydrogen renewable energy and carbon management infrastructure permitting, policy and regulation, building out corporate conservation efforts for the benefit of endangered species, providing guidance on natural resource development and use, compliance counseling on environmental regulations, and resolving enforcement actions. Among other things, her work encompasses managing regulatory compliance with “emerging” contaminant issues, managing solar power purchase agreements for clients working to reduce their overall carbon footprint, hydrogen and advising on the regulation and permitting of fusion, solar and wind projects. She also regularly works with timber and agribusiness clients on conservation efforts and natural resource issues. She also advises renewable energy, recycling, semiconductor and real estate clients during the environmental due diligence period on a number of mergers and land acquisitions, as well as counsels clients on pollution control in a variety of different settings. Her work has also included assisting in administrative proceedings in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relating to hydropower licensing.
Prior to joining the firm, Molly served as an associate at an environmental and energy law firm where she focused her practice on environmental, real estate, energy, natural resources and land use law. She has worked with public and private clients to conduct due diligence for permitting energy projects, obtain regulatory closure for contaminated sites, bring business operations into environmental regulatory compliance, sell or purchase contaminated properties, and evaluate land use issues arising out of development projects.
Molly’s environmental background includes matters involving the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Rivers and Harbors Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and a variety of local land use codes and state laws. Having also previously served as a judicial law clerk for four judges at the trial court level, she has touched on nearly every type of legal issue that makes its way through the state superior court system.
- Selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America© for work in Environmental Law by Best Lawyers (2022 - 2023) and Energy Law (2023)
- Selected to the Rising Stars list for work in Environmental Law (2017-2022)
- Selected as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Washington, Washington Law & Politics Magazine (2017)
- Joint Advisory Committee Member - Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Assocation (2022 - Present)
- Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Environmental and Land Use Section: Executive Committee Member, 2019-2022 (Secretary, November 2019 – November 2020; Communications and Website, November 2020 – November 2022); Member (2015 – Present)
- Clean Tech Alliance: Government Affairs Committee Member (2019 – Present)
- Seattle Chapter - Women of Renewable Industry and Sustainable Energy (WRISE): VP of External Affairs (2019 - Present); Member (2018 – Present)
- Northwest Environmental Business Council: Olympic Chapter Committee Member (2017 – Present)
- Women in Environment: Member (2015 - Present)
- KCBA Environmental and Land Use Law Section: Section Chair (2016-17); Communications Chair (2015-16); Member (2015 – Present)
- Washington Women Lawyers: Professional Development VP (2017-18); Membership VP (2016-17); Publicity VP (2014-16)
- Friends of Waterfront Seattle: Member of Founding Ambassador Team (2014-15)
- Panelist, Clipper Connect’s Panel on Corporate Sustainability and the Imortance of Ocean Health (April 27, 2022)
- Co-Presenter, “Greenhouse Gas Assessments for Projects (GAP) Rulemaking” Washington State Bar Association’s Environmental and Land Use Law’s 2021 Mid-Year Event (May 7, 2021)
- Co-Presenter, “Prospective Purchaser Agreements for Brownfields Transactions: A Practitioner’s Comparison of Washington and Oregon” King County Bar Association Environmental and Land Use Section’s Lunch CLE, Seattle, WA (June 27, 2019)
- Moderator, “An Update on PFAS: Understanding the Scope of the Challenge and Developing a Solution,” Northwest Environmental Business Council’s PFAS Workshop, Seattle, WA (May 7, 2019)
- Moderator, “Changing the Energy Landscape: How Renewables and Storage are Taking Over the Grid,” Northwest Environmental and Business Council's Energy Workshop, “Powering Our Future: Insight into the Growth of Renewables,” Seattle, WA (June 7, 2018)
- Emcee, “Cleaning Up Water, Air And Dirt: Litigation And Policy Updates,” King County Bar Association’s Environmental And Land Use Section's Half Day Cle, Seattle, Wa (June 8, 2017)
- “Finding Fusion’s Place,” American Nuclear Society (May 2022)
- “Calif.'s Renewable Natural Gas Standard: Tips For Suppliers,” Law360, 13 April 2022
- “Calif.'s Renewable Natural Gas Standard: How It Works,” Law360, 12 April 2022
- Co-Author, “Bridging the GAP Between Environmental Assessments and Carbon Reduction Mandates,” Washington State Bar Association’s Environmental & Land Use Law Section Blog (August 16, 2021)
- Co-Author, “Interstate Groundwater Allocations: New Challenges Ahead,” American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources’ Trends Publication (May 5, 2021)
- Author, “Supreme Court Decides Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren: Rejects Preemption Challenge to Virginia’s Moratorium on Mining Uranium Ore on Nonfederal Land,” Marten Law Newsletter (July 15, 2019)
- Author, “The Big Zero: Washington’s Clean Energy Transition Act and the State’s Big Shift to Zero Emissions,” NWLawyer Magazine (July/August 2019)
- Co-Author, “West Coast States and Cities Sprint Ahead with Decarbonization Legislation,” American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources, Renewable, Alternative, and Distributed Energy Resources Newsletter (August 7, 2019)
- Quoted, “Conversation advancing in U.S. on fusion energy regulation,” ANS.org, 15 December 2022
- An article written by San Francisco partner Buck Endemann and Seattle associates Molly Barker and Matthew Clark regarding California’s renewable natural gas standard appears in Law360.
