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Corinne Snow
Corinne Snow
Counsel — Environmental & Natural Resources
E: csnow@velaw.com T: +1.212.237.0157
VCard BIO PDF
Counsel — Environmental & Natural Resources

Corinne Snow

Corinne Snow
New York
T: +1.212.237.0157
F: +1.917.879.8998

The Grace Building
1114 Avenue of the Americas
32nd Floor
New York, New York 10036

Washington

2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 500 West
Washington, DC 20037

E: csnow@velaw.com
VCard BIO PDF
Corinne Snow

Corinne principally practices in environmental law, with an emphasis on litigation, regulatory compliance, internal investigations, and defense against government investigations and enforcement actions.

Corinne draws on wide experience at the U.S. Department of Justice, including serving as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Associate Attorney General, which oversees all civil litigation on behalf of the United States, and as Counselor in the Office of the Attorney General.

Corinne most recently served as Counsel and Chief of Staff in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she assisted in managing a 600-person division that included 400 lawyers. In this role she helped manage the Division’s civil and criminal litigation arising under more than 150 environmental and natural resources laws.

She also worked closely with the General Counsel’s Offices for multiple federal agencies, including the EPA, Departments of Interior, Defense, Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture, as well as the White House and Counsel on Environmental Quality to advise high-ranking officials on policy and litigation risks associated with the environmental and natural resource laws.

She has personally argued cases in three U.S. Courts of Appeals, and multiple district courts, and served as the lead or co-lead counsel in district court litigation defending agency regulations, approvals, and permits related to oil and gas operations and other energy extraction projects.

Her roles in government have given her a unique perspective into the decision-making processes in the federal government.

In the private sector, Corinne counsels clients on environmental compliance across a variety of industries, including energy, chemical, manufacturing, and mining sectors.  In the transactional context, she assists in the drafting and negotiating of the environmental terms in purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, credit agreements, and disclosures for debt and equity offerings and public filings.  She has also drafted comments on behalf of clients to agencies on proposed rules with significant implications for the oil and gas industry.

Environmental Litigation

  • Defended the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2017 decision to repeal a prior federal rule regulating hydraulic fracturing on public land in challenges brought by environmental groups and the State of California in Federal District Court in Northern California

  • Defended the BLM’s approval of oil and gas drilling permits in a suit brought by environmental groups in Federal District Court in New Mexico challenging the agency’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental analysis

  • Defended the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s approval of a modification to a coal mining plan to one of the largest coal mines in Colorado in a suit brought by environmental groups in Federal District Court in Colorado challenging the agency’s NEPA environmental analysis

  • Successfully argued in defense of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s approval of a coal mining permit under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

  • Argued and briefed the defense of Forest Service’s ability to charge fees for the use of certain recreation lands in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

  • Successfully argued and briefed the defense of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery plan for the Bull Trout in a challenge brought under the Administrative Procedure Act and Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

  • Successfully argued on behalf of the Department of the Interior in a suit involving Indian law issues in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

  • Assisted in the defense of the BLM by taking more than a dozen depositions in multiple suits brought by the State of Utah and several counties regarding ownership and control over roads and rights of way on public land

  • Assisted in the review and litigation strategy for the defense of the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline in challenges brought by environmental groups and tribes under various environmental laws

  • Assisted in the review and litigation strategy for the defense of the approval of permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline in challenges brought by environmental groups and tribes under various environmental laws

  • Assisted in defending a former property owner in a case brought under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and state law to recover clean-up costs

  • Assisted in defending a midstream company in a suit brought by local landowners asserting claims under environmental statutes and common law

  • Assisted in the defense of an indemnification claim related to alleged breaches of environmental, health, and safety representations and warranties, including factual development investigations, written discovery, and lay and expert witness deposition preparation activities

  • Assisted with the management of e-discovery-related matters, including document collection and production, for a client in a toxic tort suit involving allegations of soil and groundwater contamination and claims of nuisance, trespass, and strict liability

  • Assisted in drafting briefing and oral argument preparation on behalf of a coal company case brought under NEPA challenging the company’s receipt of government approvals

  • Brought suit on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard against an oil and gas well owner and operator to recover costs incurred to removing leaking equipment under the Oil Pollution Act

  • Assisted in investigating claims referred by a federal agency against multiple companies for failure to comply with federal mining laws

  • Advised multiple federal agencies, including EPA, the Departments of Interior, Defense, Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce on potential litigation risk related to new regulations and environmental assessments for energy and infrastructure permits and approvals

  • Advised upstream and midstream clients on compliance requirements under emerging air regulations 

  • Drafted comments on behalf of upstream and midstream clients to the EPA’s methane air regulations

  • Assisted in fact discovery and managing collection, review, and production of documents for an energy company regarding a governmental inquiry relating to an explosion at an offshore facility

  • Assisted in counseling a midstream oil and gas company on the performance of environmental audits under the Texas Environmental, Health, and Safety Audit Privilege Act 

  • Worked closely with the General Counsel’s offices of multiple federal agencies, including EPA, the Departments of Interior, Defense, Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce to assess and mitigate litigation risk while furthering policy goals

  • Assisted the Department of Defense in tracking litigation, agency guidance, and Congressional actions to advise on litigation risks related to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

  • Served as a DOJ representative on the Energy Government Coordinating Council (EGCC), a group of federal agencies working to support the planning, implementation, and execution of timely and necessary sector-wide resilience and reliability programs for the Nation’s critical energy infrastructure

  • Served as a DOJ liaison with the Oil and Natural Gas Subsector Coordinating Council (SCC), a private forum for effective coordination of oil and natural gas security strategies and activities to support the nation’s homeland security mission. The SCC serves as a principal collaboration point between the government and private sector owners and operators for critical infrastructure security and resilience policy coordination and planning and a range of related sector-specific activities.

  • Served as a member of the DOJ’s Corporate Enforcement & Accountability Working Group to review policies related to civil enforcement and criminal prosecution of corporations

  • Assisted in coordination between the White House, EPA, and the agencies responsible for endangered species consultations on the review of pesticides regulated by EPA under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

  • Assisted on a variety of transactional matters, including by performing environmental due diligence reviews and evaluations for acquisitions, divestitures, financing, equity and debt offerings, and advises clients on environmental provisions in transaction agreements

  • Assisted in representing issuers and underwriters with respect to environmental issues in connection with public offerings in coal, oil and gas, chemical, and other industries

  • Assisted in advising a private equity group on environmental regulatory matters in connection with the acquisition by its portfolio company of upstream assets 

  • Assisted in advising potential investors in understanding how to limit the risk of environmental liability from their acquisitions 

Credentials

  • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2012 (Class Day Dean’s Award; Executive Editor, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy; Senior Editor, Harvard Business Law Review)
  • Vanderbilt University, B.A., History and Ancient Mediterranean Studies summa cum laude, 2009
  • Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, 2017–2020
  • Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Associate Attorney General, 2018
  • Counselor, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, 2019
  • Associate, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Environmental and Natural Resources group 2012–2013, 2014–2017
  • Law clerk to the Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2013–2014
  • Expert Guides, “Rising Star”  in Environment, 2022
  • John Marshall Fellow, 2014
  • District of Columbia
  • New York
  • Texas
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • “EPA Sets The Stage For Expanded GHG Regulations,” Law360, October 6, 2016 (co-author)
  • “New Methane Regulations,” Oil & Gas Financial Journal, September 2016 (co-author)
  • “BLM Fracture Rule: Regulation Adds Layer Of Complexity,” The American Oil & Gas Reporter, April 2015 (co-author)
  • “House Report May Taper Hopes For Clean Power Plan,” Law360, January 9, 2015 (co-author)
  • “Existing Oil And Gas Sources Could Face More Methane Pain,”Law360, March 24, 2016 (co-author)
  • “In the Wake of the Shale Revolution: A Primer on Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Chemical Disclosure,” 8 Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law249 (2013) (co-author)
  • “Texas’ Water Rights May Be Endangered,” Law360, August 19, 2013 (co-author)
  • “The Endangered Species Act Flexes Its ‘Mussel’ over Hydraulic Fracturing Sites,” American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Energy Infrastructure and Siting Committee Newsletter, July 2013 (co-author)
  • “High Court Leaves Road Wide Open For CWA Citizen Suits,” Law360, April 12, 2013 (co-author)
  • “More Regulatory Obstacles For Coal-Fired Power Plants,” Law360, March 27, 2013 (co-author)

News & Insights

Insight
Drinking Water Enforcement and Compliance Likely to Remain an EPA Priority
Environmental
January 26, 2023
Insight
CEQ Releases New Guidance for Assessing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change under NEPA
Environmental
January 18, 2023
Insight
Something Old or Something New?: Navigating the Biden Administration’s Latest Move on Defining “Waters of the United States”
Environmental
January 10, 2023
Insight
EPA’s Bulked Up Quads: EPA Expands Far-Reaching Proposal for Regulating Methane in the Oil and Gas Sector

V&E Environmental Update

Environmental
November 23, 2022