Lowry Crook advises and represents public and private clients on water infrastructure, the Clean Water Act, environmental review and permitting, ecosystem restoration, and disaster resilience and recovery issues. He is a partner in the Environmental Law & Natural Resources practice group in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Washington, D.C. office. Lowry works with cities, counties, water districts, flood control districts and private entities to develop and advance water infrastructure and ecosystem restoration projects, expedite environmental reviews and permitting, resolve water operation and regulatory issues, and prepare for — and recover from — natural disasters.

Lowry has served in senior positions at the White House and federal agencies governing a wide range of environmental, natural resources, infrastructure, energy, land management and transportation issues. He served as a senior leader and counsel overseeing the Army Corps of Engineers, the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Federal Maritime Commission. Prior to his government service, Lowry worked for 10 years as a litigation and government investigations attorney at the law firm WilmerHale in Washington, D.C.

Lowry’s experience and knowledge helps local governments and private clients navigate complex issues such as:

• The Army Corps of Engineers’ project planning and budgeting processes
• Regulation and permitting under section 404 of the Clean Water Act and section 408 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
• Reviews and interagency consultations under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act
• Tools for expediting reviews and permitting, including the FAST Act of 2015 and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
• White House Office of Management and Budget and Congressional authorization, budgeting and appropriations
• Public-private partnerships and innovative finance approaches for infrastructure
• Resolving complex water operations and allocation issues
• Federal programs and resources for ecosystem restoration
• Requirements for mitigating project impacts on natural resources, including for advanced conservation through mitigation banks and in lieu fee programs
• Federal tools and resources for preparing for disasters, reducing hazards, increasing resilience, and disaster response and recovery
• Federal regulation of international shipping and ports

Lowry has also advised and represented clients and organizations in a wide range of government and Congressional investigations, hearings and litigation.

Before he began his law practice in Washington, D.C., Lowry served as a judicial clerk for then-Justice Greg Abbott of the Texas Supreme Court. 

Education

• University of Texas, J.D., high honors
• LBJ School of Public Affairs, M.P.Aff.
• University of Texas, B.A., Plan II Honors Program, specialization in government

Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Texas

Memberships

• National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Legal Affairs and Water Quality committees