Overview
Our firmwide environmental practice group handles environmental compliance, controversies, and due diligence for companies in the chemical, manufacturing, real estate development, waste collection and disposal, oil and gas, pipeline, transportation and other industries. Our lawyers strive to understand the business of our clients and its unique risks, and work within the complex federal and state regulatory framework to develop cost-effective and practical approaches to environmental problems.
Our environmental lawyers counsel clients on state and federal environmental laws and regulations and represent them in all aspects of environmental litigation. We work directly with clients to address the needs of current operations and future planning and work closely with clients and regulatory agencies to find cost-effective and technically sound environmental solutions for our clients' concerns. We have extensive experience in litigation under environmental statutes on matters ranging from contamination to compliance, including cost recovery.
Whether it is clean water, air quality, hazardous waste, climate change or related permitting, strategic planning or litigation, we combine our knowledge of complex environmental programs and practical considerations to address your concerns. Environmental laws and regulations may affect every aspect of your business and its future. Federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations are complex, interrelated, frequently changing, and sometimes contradictory. They can involve emotional issues with potential long-term impact on both business reputation and the bottom line. In some cases, the consequences can be dire, including criminal enforcement. With so much at stake, we offer you environmental lawyers who focus on a practical business approach, a technical understanding of the laws and regulations, experience with clients in many industries, and sound working relationships with environmental consultants and experts.
Representative Matters
We have represented:
- Permittees and individuals in various federal and state administrative and judicial enforcement actions, both civil and criminal.
- Applicants in contested administrative permit proceedings.
- Various clients involved in Voluntary Cleanup Program, Innocent Owner Program, and corrective action remediation projects involving groundwater contamination, surface water concerns, sediment, dust, odor and nuisance issues.
- Various industrial clients in defense of citizen suits.
- CERCLA PRPs at both single and multi-party sites and in contribution and cost recovery cases. We have served on steering, allocation and settlement committees for PRP groups.
- A disposal facility that contested EPA's selection of it as a site for disposal of CERCLA cleanup waste.
- Industrial clients seeking a white paper investigation and review of corporate compliance status and quantification of environmental liabilities.
- Public companies seeking to meet SEC environmental disclosure requirements, including those related to climate change.
- Industrial clients and property owners seeking environmental compliance counseling and assistance, environmental compliance audits, and self-disclosure notifications of non-compliance.
- Industrial clients seeking cost recovery and damages under the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act and making associated nuisance, trespass, fraud, contract and other claims, including appeals to the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Texas.
- Industrial clients’ environmental insurance coverage claims for cleanup costs and attorneys' fees.
- Business clients in asserting and defending damages claims for groundwater and soil contamination, including oilfield cases.
- Electronics manufacturing facility in periodic environmental facility audit.
- Industrial clients in negotiating administrative orders with EPA and TCEQ to resolve enforcement claims.
- Buyers, sellers and investors in negotiation of environmental insurance coverage to address risks discovered during transaction due diligence.
- Business and individual clients in environmental due diligence in corporate acquisitions, real estate, and lending transactions.
- Industrial clients seeking evaluation of new or proposed legislation or regulations, including climate change developments.
Representative Industries Served
- Aviation
- Banking
- Cement
- Chemical
- Construction
- Electronics
- Energy
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Oil & Gas
- Oilfield Services
- Pipelines
- Power
- Printing
- Real Estate Development
- Recycling
- Refining
- Retail
- Transportation
- Waste Disposal
Recent Environmental News Updates
|