Office of the Assistant General Counsel (Installations and Environment)

The Assistant General Counsel (Energy, Installations and Environment) is the Department’s senior attorney for legal issues concerning environmental protection, natural resources, purchase, management, and disposal of real property, infrastructure analysis, safety, base closure and realignment, and strategic sourcing (including compliance with OMB Circular A-76). The AGC provides legal counsel and advice to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) in general and to the General Counsel of the Navy with respect to issues within his/her area of special expertise. The AGC is responsible for the oversight and guidance for the provision of legal services within those areas in the Department of the Navy and works closely with the Judge Advocate General of the Navy on environmental and natural resources law issues.

In this regard, the AGC works closely with the OPNAV Staff, including the Director, Environmental Readiness (N-45) and the Director, Ashore Readiness Division (N-46) and CNIC. The AGC coordinates the provision of legal advice on environmental, natural resource, and real estate law by civilian and military counsel to the Department of the Navy's major claimants, and the Navy’s Regional Environmental Coordinators, and is directly responsible for the performance of civilian environmental counsel assigned to Commander, Naval Reserve Force. The AGC represents the Department on issues within his/her area of special expertise with the Department of Justice, EPA, the Council on Environmental Quality, General Services Administration, and other Federal agencies.

To help ensure consistent legal advice across the Department on issues within our areas of special expertise, the senior attorneys within the office:

1. Work with OGC, Navy JAG, Marine Corps Judge Advocates, attorneys from the other Military Departments, and OSD concerning the application of the full spectrum of authorities to the activities of the Department, including federal, state, interstate and local statutes and regulations, and Executive Orders.

2. Prepare, review, and comment on federal, state, interstate and local legislative proposals, Federal regulations, Executive Orders, and guidance and directives issued by DoD, DON, and the other Services.

3. Publish a monthly electronic newsletter for Navy and Marine Corps environmental counsel that is disseminated to field attorneys for guidance on cutting edge environmental and real estate legal issues. Maintain a web site of reference materials of importance to DoD in the areas of environmental, natural resource and real estate law, infrastructure analysis and strategic sourcing.

4. Teach at joint environmental law courses for lawyers offered by the Air Force, which has been designated as the service primarily responsible for providing environmental law training for all services.

5. Teach at environmental courses offered by CECOS for non-lawyer environmental professionals.