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George O. Wilkinson, Jr.
George O. Wilkinson, Jr.
Partner — Environmental & Natural Resources
Partner — Environmental & Natural Resources

George O. Wilkinson, Jr.

George O. Wilkinson, Jr.
Houston

Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002

George O. Wilkinson, Jr.

Experience Highlights

  • Advising on response to pipeline, hydrocarbon transportation, and hydrocarbon storage facility, OCS platforms, and refinery and chemical plant explosions, fires, incidents, and fatalities

  • Counseling clients regarding response to investigating government agencies, private party claimants, and other legal issues related to incident response; experience dealing with a wide range of responding government agencies that includes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), United States Coast Guard, state environmental agencies and law enforcement, and local agencies and law enforcement

  • Successful trial and appellate defense of an oil company sued by another oil company for CERCLA contribution arising from a large plume of hydrocarbon in the ground water attributed to historic operations at a refinery and tank farm

  • Defended a large integrated refinery and chemical plant against Clean Air Act citizen suit enforcement litigation

  • Defended a large integrated refinery and chemical plant against an EPA flare control enforcement initiative under the Clean Air Act

  • Member of defense team for response to federal investigations and criminal prosecution arising from a major refinery explosion

  • Member of defense team for the defense of toxic tort actions against a pipeline company sued by approximately 18,000 people in approximately 80 different suits following a pipeline rupture and fire; plaintiffs claimed damages for personal injuries, property damage, fear of future disease, and medical monitoring; part of the trial team in the successful defense of the first case to be tried arising from the pipeline ruptures; the case involved a trial class of 14 plaintiffs who claimed personal injuries and property damage, and sought millions in punitive damages; following a twelve-week trial, a Jefferson County (Beaumont), Texas jury rendered a unanimous verdict of no liability and causation

  • Defended an offshore operator against a False Claims Act suit

  • Defended an operator’s claim under an oil and gas joint operating agreement for costs related to a groundwater contamination claim in underlying litigation

  • Assisted with the defense of a large toxic tort class action suit and approximately 200 individual claims against an agricultural chemical company

  • Part of trial team for the successful defense of a lumber mill sued by downstream landowners after a large pile of bark chips caught fire and the runoff from fire fighting operations allegedly befouled private lakes downstream from the mill; drafted the brief which preserved the victory on appeal

  • Assisted with the defense of a medical device manufacturing facility sued for groundwater contamination allegedly arising from historic operations; plaintiffs claimed over $100 million in lost profits as a result of the contamination

  • Defended refiner subject to enforcement under EPA’s petroleum refinery initiative

  • Defending a refinery on EPA Petroleum Refining Initiative Consent Decree compliance issues

  • Defended a refiner against claims that its Benzene Waste Operations program is and was not in compliance with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

  • Defended a chemical manufacturer subject to administrative enforcement action for alleged Clean Air Act Risk Management Plan General Duty Clause allegations arising from an explosion

  • Defending an E&P operator in response to a BSEE investigation, third-party investigation, third-party SEMS audit, CSB inquiry, Congressional inquiry, and federal grand jury investigation arising from an incident on a production facility in the Gulf of Mexico

  • Defended a state enforcement action involving alleged RCRA and Clean Air Act violations at a pipeline terminal

  • Defended and counseled a major pipeline company investigated for Clean Water Act violations

  • Advised a contractor supporting oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico on a BSEE investigation related to produced water discharge compliance matters

  • Defended an oil and gas operator in the Gulf of Mexico against criminal prosecution related to oil spills and NPDES compliance reporting

  • Assisted with the defense of a refinery operator prosecuted by the United States following a major industrial accident

  • Defended the owner of a paint manufacturing company investigated for, and charged with, numerous RCRA criminal violations; obtained a very favorable result at sentencing that avoided a jail term for the individual

  • Defended a major pipeline company charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

  • Defended a refiner being investigated for alleged violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act and RCRA

  • Defended an individual charged with water discharge and hazardous waste felony violations

  • Defended a warehousing company charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

  • Defended a used oil recycling company charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

  • Defended a petroleum distributor charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

  • Worked on the defense of an agricultural chemical company investigated for federal environmental criminal violations at the same time the company was defending significant private party litigation

  • Worked on the defense of a refinery investigated for, and charged with, Clean Water Act criminal violations

  • Defended the principal shareholder of a company investigated for Clean Water Act violations

  • Defended the manager of a pre-stress concrete plant charged, along with his employer, with violations of the Texas Water Code

  • Obtain dismissal of felony indictments alleging used oil and hazardous waste violations against an oilfield services company

Credentials

  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1991 (Board of Advocates; Notes Editor, American Journal of Criminal Law)
  • The University of Texas, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1986 (Mortar Board; Omicron Delta Kappa; Tau Beta Pi; Pi Tau Sigma)
  • Structural Test Engineer, Major Defense Contractor, 1986–1988
  • Judicial clerk to The Honorable Eugene A. Cook, Texas Supreme Court
  • Chambers USA, Environment (Texas), 2017–2023; Recognized Practitioner, 2015 and 2016; Notable Practitioner for Crisis & Risk Management, 2023
  • American Lawyer Media, Top Rated Lawyer for Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources, 2013
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), (Houston): Environmental Law, 2013–2024; Litigation–Environmental, 2017–2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Lawyer of the Year,” (Houston): Environmental Law, 2020 and 2021; Litigation–Environmental, 2021 and 2024
  • Legal 500 U.S., Environment: Litigation, 2011, 2022, and 2023
  • Selected to the Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law, 2023
  • Texas
  • U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas
  • U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • all Texas state courts
  • “BSEE Broadens its View: Pipeline ROW Grant Assignments May Now Include Multiple Grant Holders and Reference the Identification of a Single ROW Pipeline Operator,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, September 8, 2017 (co-author)
  • “The Role of Safety Culture in Enforcement,” 30th Annual Environmental, Health & Safety Seminar, June 5-8, 2017 (speaker)
  • “EPA Expands Risk Management Requirements,” V&E Emergency Response and Crisis Management Update E-communication, January 19, 2017 (co-author)
  • “BOEM Issues NTL Imposing More Stringent Financial Assurance Requirements on OCS Lessees for Decommissioning Liabilities,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, July 20, 2016 (co-author)
  • “President Obama Signs New Pipeline Safety Law,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, June 29, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Landmark TSCA Reform Legislation Enhances Regulatory Consistency, Expands EPA,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, June 23, 2016 (co-author)
  • “A New Slew of Oil and Gas Regulations: What You Need to Know,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, May 18, 2016 (co-author)
  • “BSEE Final Well Control Rule Published,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, April 29, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Public Trust Doctrine Suit Could Clear Procedural Hurdles,” Law360, April 29, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Existing Oil And Gas Sources Could Face More Methane Pain,” Law360, March 24, 2016 (co-author)
  • “More Methane Pain: White House and Canadian Prime Minister Release Joint Plan to Regulate Methane Emissions from Existing Oil and Gas Sources,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, March 14, 2016 (co-author)
  • “EPA Announces Expanded National Enforcement Priorities For 2017-2019,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, February 25, 2016 (co-author)
  • “What to Expect in 2016 – Federal Environmental Regulatory Outlook for the Oil and Gas Industry,” Vinson & Elkins LLP, February 10, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Pennsylvania Governor Announces Plan for Regulating Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Industry,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, January 26, 2016 (co-author)
  • “BLM Wants Royalties for Natural Gas Lost to Venting, Flaring, and Leaks on Federal Land,” V&E Environmental Law Update E-communication, January 26, 2016 (co-author)
  • “What Midstream Businesses Need to Know About EPA’s Proposed Methane Air Emissions Rules,” Midstream Business, September 10, 2015 (author)
  • “New Methane Regulations Proposed for the Oil and Gas Sector: What You Need to Know,” V&E Shale Insights — Tracking Fracking E-communication, August 26, 2015 (co-author)