Dennis Whitaker has not only been a strong legal advocate for environmental and energy issues in the Commonwealth, but he has been a leader, mentor, and shining example both in his professional and personal life.  In addition to practicing administrative law for over 30 years, and mentoring other lawyers in the practice of administrative law, Dennis has been a volunteer reader to print-impaired persons for the Harrisburg Area Radio Reading Service, volunteer judge at the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competitions, instructor for the U.S. Office of Surface Mining’s Technical Training Program, and Instructor for the Northeast Environmental Enforcement Project Civil Attorney Training Program.  Dennis is an adjunct professor at Widener University Commonwealth Law School – teaching the Administrative Law course.

Dennis’s distinguished legal career has spanned over three decades during which he was the only person to have been appointed chief counsel to both the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Dennis also served as a Special Deputy Attorney General, where he prosecuted selected environmental criminal matters. He has represented clients before numerous state and federal courts including before the Third Circuit, Sixth Circuit, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts.  

Dennis is co-founder of the Pennsylvania Appellate Advocate, a free informational source that provides useful and helpful information on appellate decisions, allocator grants, and rule changes.  During Dennis’s entire career, he has coupled litigation and advocacy with mentoring and teaching.  Dennis was the President of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute,  a past chair of the PBA’s Administrative Law Section, and served on the EELS council.  He frequently serves as a planner and presenter in CLE programs, including the Environmental Law Forum. He also frequently presents CLEs on government law subjects for the Dauphin County Bar Association.

Just some of the notable cases Dennis has litigated over the years are: 

• Westinghouse Elec. Corp. v. Dep’t of Env. Prot., 705 A.2d 1349 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1998) (first decision applying the discovery rule to Clean Streams Law matters); 745 A.2d 1277 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2000) (affirming $3,200,000 civil penalty for Clean Streams Law violations); 
• Commonwealth, DEP, DCNR and PFBC v. Espy et al. 4 D&C 5th25 (Pa.Com.pl. 2007); 4 D&C 5th 225 (Pa.Com.pl. 2007) (declaration that portion of the Little Juniata River is navigable at law and the entire river is navigable in fact, and injunction against interfering with public access prevents privatization of the river by fishing club); 
• Citizens Coal Council v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 447 F.3d 879 (6th 2006) (Amicus) (EPA rule amending effluent limitations for coal remining was valid; establishment of effluent guidelines for remining did not violate Chevron)