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Environmental Enforcement Defense

Experience Highlights

  • Obtained dismissal by trial court of Clean Air Act enforcement action against a former owner of a coal-fired power plant seeking extensive injunctive relief; Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed dismissal in unanimous 68-page opinion

  • Representing a client in an EPA enforcement action alleging violations of the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) requirements and exceedences of air emissions limits

  • Defended a client in a multi-media enforcement action with particular focus on benzene violations arising from investigation of the plant’s operations after an explosion occurred at the facility 

  • Defended an international energy company against administrative, civil, and criminal claims under federal environmental statutes arising out of an explosion at an oil refinery

  • Defending a large midstream energy company in a U.S. EPA investigation relating to hazardous waste generation and disposal practices

  • Represented a client in the aftermath of an oil spill in a region subject to a high level of public attention, defended investigations and prosecution by numerous federal and state agencies and a Congressional oversight hearing and investigation, all of which engendered significant media scrutiny, with ultimate disposition in a plea agreement and federal judicial consent decree

  • Defended three different pipeline companies in enforcement actions brought by the government under Section 311 of the Clean Water Act resulting from numerous and significant releases of oil from the pipelines; in each case, the client incurred minimal injunctive requirements and among the lowest fines in relation to the amount of oil released of any similar enforcement actions brought by the government 

  • Defended federal, state, local governmental and private party claims arising out of the largest inland gasoline spill in U.S. history and obtained a defense jury verdict in the first civil case by a group of 14 plaintiffs and settlement of the Natural Resources Damage claims for a fraction of original damage estimates

  • Lead negotiator for a federal-state CERCLA consent decree in EPA Region 2 for remediation of dioxin and other chemicals; an Administrative Order on Consent for a remedial investigation and feasibility study of six miles of contaminated sediments in a northeastern river; an additional Administrative Order on Consent for RI/FS on a Bay; an Administrative Order on Consent for an early Removal Action; an Administrative Order on Consent for a CSO/SSO study; Cooperative Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Funding Agreements and response to a Unilateral Administrative Order

  • Represented a large natural gas transmission company in the negotiation of a system-wide resolution of all alleged violations of federal and state statutes for past spills and remediation obligations at more than 100 facilities in 12 states and 6 EPA regions; the terms of settlement allowed the client flexibility to implement required response