Marina Thomas

About Marina Thomas Marina Thomas joined Parr Browns Environmental and Natural Resources practice after a lengthy career at the Utah Attorney Generals Office, where she represented the States primary environmental regulator, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, and served as the Section Director overseeing all environmental attorneys. She has extensive experience in regulatory compliance, permitting and enforcement, and in administrative and judicial appeals involving various environmental programs, including state implementation plans, permits, and other related matters. She has litigated appeals at the federal Courts of Appeal with other state agencies and industry involving regional haze, good neighbor ozone state implementation plans, National Ambient Air Quality Standards area designations, and environmental enforcement matters in state district courts. She has multiple years of experience working with the federal Environmental Protection Agency on joint enforcement cases involving oil and gas companies, landfills, and refineries. Her background in environmental permitting spans data centers, refineries, power plants, gravel pits, and other industrial facilities. She is also knowledgeable about asbestos enforcement and cleanup issues. She prioritizes efficiency and value in her client representations. Prior to her work at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, she worked in the Utah Governors Office, Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, overseeing state and federal regulations governing public lands. She also served as a special Assistant Attorney General, assisting the State of Utah in litigating rights-of-way across federal public lands. She has also clerked for the Utah State District Court, Sixth District, assisting judges with a variety of cases, including water law and natural resources disputes. Marina is a graduate of the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, class of 2005. There, she served as an editor of the International Law Journal and received an Outstanding Service Award for her work at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. She is a native Russian speaker who immigrated to the United States in 2000. Representative Environmental Cases: State of Utah v. Environmental Protection Agency et al., No. 25-9508 (10th Cir. 2025): Utahs challenge to the designation of the Uinta Basin as a moderate ozone nonattainment area State of Utah v. Environmental Protection Agency et al., No. 25-9519 (10th Cir. 2025): Utahs challenge to the designation of the Northern Wasatch Front as a serious ozone nonattainment area Oklahoma et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency et al., No. 23-1067 (U. S. Supreme Court 2025): Venue dispute in Utahs and Oklahomas good neighbor state implementation plan challenge Heal Utah, et al. v. EPA, et al., No. 21-9509 (10th Cir. 2023): Utahs regional haze state implementation plan challenged by various NGOs