Nashville, Tenn., (January 30, 2025) – Bass, Berry & Sims is pleased to announce that Gregory T. Young has joined the firm as Counsel in Nashville after serving as the Deputy Commissioner for the Bureau of Environment in the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Young, who began his career at Bass, Berry & Sims, brings more than 25 years of experience to bolster the firm's counsel on all aspects of environmental law matters to ensure compliance with regulations at the federal, state and local levels.
While leading the Bureau of Environment at the TDEC, Young helped develop the TN Clean Program to improve polluted sites for redevelopment, as well as guiding Brownfield redevelopment legislation. He also created new pilot frameworks for water reuse, nutrient reduction, and watershed-based withdrawal permitting that were the basis of an Executive Order relating to water conservation across the state.
An additional highlight of Young's tenure at TDEC was the transformative work he did in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on efforts to bolster clean up of the Oak Ridge Reservation in East Tennessee, which was part of the Manhattan Project conducting nuclear research in the mid-20th Century. This work was heralded nationwide and was recognized by the EPA through its Federal Facilities Site Excellence in Reuse Award in 2024.Young will adapt this Tennessee experience to advise businesses across the country related to cleanup of Manhattan Project sites.
"We are excited to welcome back Greg to the firm," said Brant Phillips, chair of the firm's Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group. "Greg brings deep knowledge of environmental law issues, as well as significant experience working both within state government and in partnership with federal agencies to address the opportunities and challenges associated with environmental cleanup and nuclear industry development. We look forward to putting Greg's one-of-a-kind experience to work for clients looking to navigate the major shifts in the regulatory landscape that are coming."
At Bass, Berry & Sims, Young counsels clients across regulatory compliance and enforcement matters related to environmental practices. He represents various entities in enforcement actions, litigation, and other matters related to wetlands regulation, watershed planning and infrastructure, solid waste reform, recycling programs, Superfund actions, Brownfield sites, and other environmental concerns. Young also counsels clients on environmental aspects of real estate and corporate transactions. He serves as a liaison between government contractors and federal, state and local jurisdictions to coordinate proper fulfillment of contracts in the environmental context.
Young earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School (2001) and his bachelor's degree from Mississippi College (1998).