TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, whose administration finalized the disputed settlement allowing commercial development at the former Ciba-Geigy Superfund site in Toms River, has joined the global law firm Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its environmental practice.
The hiring announcement came Thursday, just months after LaTourette left the Murphy administration following years overseeing some of New Jersey’s highest-profile environmental battles, including the contentious BASF settlement that preserved more than 1,000 acres of the former toxic industrial site while opening roughly 250 acres for commercial development along Route 37.
Greenberg Traurig said LaTourette’s arrival would strengthen the firm’s reach in environmental law, permitting, litigation, infrastructure, and redevelopment projects across New Jersey and nationally.
Ciba-Geigy Settlement Triggered Fierce Backlash
LaTourette became a central figure in one of Ocean County’s most polarizing environmental disputes after NJDEP finalized the natural resource damages settlement with BASF over the former Ciba-Geigy chemical manufacturing site.
The agreement permanently preserved approximately 1,000 acres of the 1,400-acre property as open space and environmental restoration land. Plans included a nature park, environmental education center, pollinator gardens, and elevated boardwalks designed for hiking and bird-watching.
But the deal also permitted BASF to commercially develop about 250 acres bordering Route 37 — a provision that ignited opposition from Toms River officials, residents, and environmental advocacy groups.
Critics argued no commercial construction should occur on land associated with one of New Jersey’s most infamous Superfund contamination cases. Local leaders and environmental attorneys also claimed the state undervalued decades of environmental damage tied to chemical dumping at the site.
Groups including Save Barnegat Bay and members of the Pinelands preservation community pushed for the entire tract to remain permanently undeveloped.
LaTourette repeatedly defended the settlement as a pragmatic environmental victory, arguing the preserved acreage would create a long-term protective buffer for groundwater and surrounding ecosystems while shifting restoration costs to BASF.
Under the agreement, BASF committed tens of millions of dollars toward environmental amenities and preservation infrastructure connected to the public park project.
Cleanup Operations Continue Independently
The former Ciba-Geigy property has remained under federal and state environmental oversight for decades following widespread groundwater contamination linked to chemical manufacturing operations dating back to the 1950s.
The site was designated an EPA Superfund location in 1983.
Active remediation efforts — including groundwater pump-and-treat systems — continue separately from the land-use settlement negotiated under LaTourette’s administration.
Environmental advocates opposing the agreement argued the unresolved contamination history made any commercial development inappropriate, even on remediated sections of the property.
The dispute became one of the clearest examples of the growing divide in New Jersey between redevelopment priorities and strict preservation efforts tied to legacy industrial sites.
Key Points
• Former NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette joined Greenberg Traurig’s environmental law practice
• LaTourette oversaw the controversial BASF settlement tied to the former Ciba-Geigy Superfund site in Toms River
• The agreement preserved 1,000 acres while allowing 250 acres of commercial development along Route 37
Greenberg Traurig Expands Environmental Practice
In announcing the hire, Greenberg Traurig praised LaTourette’s experience leading New Jersey’s environmental regulatory system and managing large-scale enforcement and remediation actions.
The firm said LaTourette helped oversee more than $3.5 billion in remediation funding and natural resource damage recoveries during his tenure at NJDEP.
Before becoming commissioner in 2021, LaTourette served as chief legal and regulatory affairs counsel at the agency beginning in 2018. Earlier in his career, he worked in private practice representing clients in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, logistics, transportation, and real estate matters.
The firm said LaTourette will advise clients navigating permitting challenges, environmental litigation, redevelopment approvals, infrastructure expansion, and environmental compliance issues.
“New Jersey has long been where environmental law is made, and Shawn has been at the center of that for years,” Greenberg Traurig Environmental Practice Co-Chair Steven Russo said in a statement.
Former Gov. Phil Murphy also praised LaTourette’s role handling “the toughest environmental, energy, and infrastructure issues” during his administration.
Debate Over Redevelopment Likely to Continue
The Toms River settlement remains a flashpoint in broader statewide debates over how New Jersey handles redevelopment tied to contaminated industrial land.
Supporters of the agreement argued the preserved acreage represented one of the largest open-space protections negotiated at a former industrial property in the region. Opponents maintained the commercial component undermined the environmental significance of the preservation effort.
The controversy also reflected growing public scrutiny over natural resource damage settlements negotiated between state regulators and major corporate polluters.
LaTourette’s move back into private environmental law comes as New Jersey continues facing mounting conflicts involving redevelopment, warehouse expansion, flood regulations, climate resilience mandates, and environmental justice enforcement.
His new role places him directly back into the industries and legal sectors frequently affected by the policies he helped shape while leading NJDEP.
The former commissioner has not publicly addressed criticism tied specifically to the Ciba-Geigy redevelopment opposition since joining the firm. Cleanup and groundwater remediation operations at the Toms River site remain ongoing under EPA and NJDEP oversight.
Alternative Headlines:
- Former NJ Environmental Boss Who Approved Ciba-Geigy Development Lands Private Sector Job
- Shawn LaTourette Leaves NJDEP After Toms River Land Fight, Joins Greenberg Traurig
- Architect of Controversial Toms River BASF Settlement Hired by Global Law Firm
- Former NJDEP Commissioner at Center of Ciba-Geigy Dispute Returns to Environmental Law
New Jersey environmental law, Toms River Superfund site, BASF redevelopment, NJDEP, environmental litigation
