Main

Sarah Main

Partner
New York

I help clients navigate complex regulatory requirements, evaluate risks, and secure the permits necessary to advance their projects.

Sarah's practice focuses on clean energy infrastructure permitting, siting, regulatory compliance, and contracting. She advises developers, asset owners/managers, investors, consulting firms, and public entities on all aspects of project development, and compliance, from initial site evaluations and environmental due diligence to project offtake agreements, sale and acquisition. She also provides strategic advice and counsel to clients regarding government and utility funding opportunities and contracts. 

Sarah works on a wide range of energy, environmental, and climate-related issues. She assists clients in evaluating the environmental conditions of properties and impacts of proposed projects, as well as ongoing compliance requirements under federal, state and local law, including, but not limited to, the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, the State Environmental Quality Review Act, New York State Public Service Law, and local regulations. 

Sarah regularly advocates on behalf of clients before the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, state public service commissions, and state regulatory bodies in permitting, policy and rulemaking proceedings. 

Sarah also helps clients navigate funding opportunities made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. She regularly advises private sector companies and public entities on the requirements associated with government procurements such as federal and state funding opportunities, competitive solicitations, invitations for bids, and requests for proposals. Sarah assists clients in navigating the complex regulatory requirements of competitive funding opportunities and, after receipt of an award, negotiating and complying with the terms and conditions of awarded contracts. She has helped clients understand federal financial assistance regulations, apply for grants from, and negotiate agreements with the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Sarah leverages her regulatory experience to assist clients in other industry sectors, such as alternative fuels, critical minerals mining and cannabis licensing. 

Education

  • Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, J.D., magna cum laude, 2017
  • Saint Michael’s College, B.A., summa cum laude, 2013

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • New York
  • Vermont

Experience

PERMITTING AND SITING
  • Advises large-scale solar, wind, transmission, and battery storage developers on permitting matters under New York Public Service Law Article VIII (formerly, Executive Law Section 94-c), including a 500 MW solar facility in Western, NY and a portfolio of over 600 MW of wind facilities throughout the State. 
  • Advises developers on local permitting and SEQRA compliance.
  • Advises developers and investors on the environmental risks associated with the acquisition of asset portfolios, particularly with regard to permitting requirements, jurisdictional wetland protections and brownfield redevelopment. 
  • Represented the Alliance for Clean Energy – New York as an intervenor in Town of Copake v. New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting, involving a challenge by thirteen municipalities, community groups, and conservation organizations to ORES’s regulations implementing the Section 94-c permitting process. 
CONTRACTING AND OFFTAKE
  • Advises developers, contractors, and subcontractors on the requirements of NYSERDA solicitations, program rules, and agreements. 
  • Advises recipients and subrecipients in contract negotiations on and issues arising under federal awards with federal agencies, such as the U.S. DOE, EPA, and FHWA. 
  • Advised the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on procurement design and contracting to obtain vendors to provide EV charging services under the Commonwealth's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program.
  • Successfully negotiated a complex nonwires-alternatives agreement with National Grid on behalf of developer to provide capacity services through two co-located solar + storage facilities. 
  • Negotiated community solar management services and customer subscription agreements for numerous community distributed generation owners and providers.
  • Advised DER Suppliers and ESCOs on community solar crediting agreements and commodity supply agreements.
  • Conducted a competitive solicitation and secured energy supply agreements for a New York State Public Authority.*
REGULATORY MATTERS
  • Provides ongoing compliance advice to renewable energy generators, developers, owners, and energy service companies.
  • Advised industry organization client on legislative priorities and agency engagements that facilitated legislation enabling deeper geoethermal well drilling in New York State.
  • Drafted comments on behalf of solar, wind, biomass, and battery storage developers in numerous proceedings before the New York State Public Service Commission.
  • Advised on federal procurement obligations and drafted grant applications on behalf of alternative-fuel producers in response to USDA Funding Opportunity Announcement. 
  • Co-authored applications for New Jersey cannabis cultivation and dispensary licenses. 
  • Advised multiple cannabis firms on medical, adult use, and hemp regulations in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. 
  • Advised the Maryland Public Service Commission on the promulgation of regulations governing the State’s Offshore Wind Program.*
  • Represented the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in the development of the State’s battery energy storage incentive program and oversaw a legal portfolio of distributed energy incentive, and clean energy research and development, programs.*
  * Handled prior to joining Foley Hoag 


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
  • Counsel to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
  • Served as a law clerk to Riverkeeper in an appeal of state and federal environmental challenge before the Third Department. 

Other Publications

Honors & Involvement

HONORS
  • New York State Bar Association, Empire State Counsel (2023-2024)
  • Pace Environmental Law Review, Research and Writing Editor 
  • National Moot Court Competition, Semi-Finalist 
  • Institute for Energy Law, Hartwick Scholar Writing Competition, Top 3 Finalist 
  • Pace Law School Grand Moot Competition, First Place Finalist and Best Advocate 
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Delta Epsilon Sigma
  • Pi Sigma Alpha
INVOLVEMENT
  • Vermont Bar Association, Member
  • New York State Bar Association, Energy and Environmental Law Section, Member 
  • New York State Bar Association, Cannabis Section, Member 
  • National Association of Women Lawyers, Member

Speaking Engagements

  • Panelist, "Playing the Long Game: Strategic Approaches to Government Relations in ClimateTech," Colorado Startup Week (September 2025)
  • Speaker, “Plastic Waste & Pollution,” American College of Environmental Lawyers Webinar (June 2022)
  • Moderator, “New York’s Climate Plan: Scoping the Path to New York’s Clean Energy Economy,” Foley Hoag Webinar (January 2022)
  • Speaker, “Siting of Major Solar, Wind and Alternative Energy Generation: New Legislation,” New York Association of Towns (September 2020) 
  • Speaker, “Siting of Solar Facilities Under the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act,” New York Planning Generation (2020)