Jerry Lucas Marrero

Jerry Lucas Marrero is a member in the Corporate Department. He joined O’Neill & Borges in 1998. From 1993 to 1998, he held the Environmental Law Officer position at two major military installations as a Judge Advocate. Also, from 2001 to 2011, Jerry worked at another major law firm in Puerto Rico, where he acted as Vice Chair of their Environmental, Energy and Land Use Practice Group. Jerry rejoined O’Neill & Borges in 2011.

Jerry has vast experience in the areas of environmental law and land use as well as their related administrative and judicial litigation. Jerry represents clients before local and federal agencies with jurisdiction over environmental, energy and land use matters including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, Planning Board, Permits Management Office, Electric Power Authority and the various autonomous municipalities in Puerto Rico, with issues associated with, among others, petroleum refining, storage/distribution terminals and retail stations, OPA, CERCLA, RCRA, EPCRA, Ocean Dumping, Ocean Dredging, Part B, Title V, NPDES, land use approvals, the environmental impact review process (NEPA), renewal and alternative energy path and connection of project to the only existing power distribution system in Puerto Rico.

Jerry is ranked and recognized as “Band 1” attorney by the renowned international publication Chambers & Partners in its Latin America Guide – as one of Puerto Rico’s Leading Attorneys in the Environmental field.

Jerry provides counseling to clients on the environmental and land use implications of business transactions, which includes participation in the acquisition, and/or financing of hotels, resorts, pharmaceutical, retail, petroleum facilities (mid-stream and down-stream) and other industrial facilities. Jerry was closely involved with the environmental impact review and permitting processes of four major hotel/resort projects and the acquisition of a petroleum refining facility in Puerto Rico.

Jerry also represents clients in adverse proceedings before local and federal administrative agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice, courts in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States. He has acted as main counsel in a myriad of environmental cases involving; the petroleum industry, including toxic torts and the MTBE multi-district litigation; renewable and alternate energy projects; enforcement actions initiated by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and local cases where environmental groups or citizens have sought different types of remedies against development of renewable and alternate energy projects in Puerto Rico, among others.

Jerry has been a lecturer and speaker to the construction industry and other audiences on issues such as coastal zone development, the maritime-terrestrial zone in Puerto Rico general environmental law and environmental civil and criminal liability.