Environmental Law

The Firm regularly assists clients, large and small, in minimizing or eliminating potential environmental liability through compliance counseling, assistance with permitting, site and process auditing, the performance of pre-acquisition due diligence, and the presentation of public comments or testimony prior to the enactment or promulgation of statutes or regulations that may impact client interests. We also assist clients with the management of and response to environmental cleanup obligations and securing the benefits available from Brownfield programs.

Should issues of non-compliance or potential liability arise, we have significant experience successfully negotiating and, if necessary, litigating federal, state and local administrative, civil and criminal environmental matters.

Past and current representative environmental clients and matters include: litigation concerning the Onondaga Lake (NY) Superfund Site; litigation and the defense of enforcement actions related to publicly-owned treatment works systems, the pre-trial dismissal of a multi-count felony indictment; the removal of clients from federal contractor debarment and listing programs; the negotiation of terms and conditions for air emission, pollutant discharge and solid waste management permits; the dismissal of a state water pollution abatement order; dismissal of EPA PCB enforcement actions; the successful prosecution of a site owner’s cost recovery and damage claims for site environmental conditions against the seller and site owner’s prior counsel; successful prosecution of a water utility’s cost recovery and damage claims for a contaminated wellfield; pre-acquisition due diligence prior to the purchase of a multi-facility, multi-state manufacturing concern; coordination of a multi-facility, multi-state internal corporate environmental audit.