Environmental

In addition to the two former General Counsels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, our team includes a former Deputy Director and General Counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, a former Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, a former Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and long-time, highly-regarded private practitioners, including recognition in Chambers and Best Lawyers and other publications.

We have long represented companies and trade associations in: legislative advocacy; rulemaking proceedings and challenges to regulations; evaluating, negotiating and resolving environmental issues in business transactions; compliance advice; civil and criminal enforcement proceedings and citizen suits; and private party litigation.

Our global environmental practice benefits from the geographically and educationally diverse backgrounds of American-, Asian- and European-based lawyers. This allows us to offer EU and pan-European advice on the legal and policy issues presented by EU environmental, climate change, renewable energies, waste, eco-design, chemical, biocides and nano-materials rules in Europe. Where necessary, we also work with an extensive network of local counsel around the world.

We also advise non-U.S. clients regarding environmental considerations related to U.S.-based commercial ventures, and likewise, U.S.-based multinationals about both current and emerging environmental requirements in the EU, Asia and Latin America. In connection with international transactions of all types, we advise clients seeking funding for international projects in addressing requirements of international lenders. We counsel on compliance with international regimes under the Basel Convention and the OECD for transboundary shipment of waste, the UNFCC, and the Biodiversity Convention.

Our practice is expansive and offers clients solutions in:

• traditional issues of water, air, toxics, and waste management;
• environmental siting and natural resources, including endangered species;
• hazardous substance regulation and litigation, including Superfund-type claims;
• national and international stewardship issues, such as resource management in oil and gas leasing programs in the United States;
• European Union’s chemicals legislation, including REACH, CLP, Biocides, GMOs and emerging rules on nanomaterials;
• European Union’s product stewardship programs for electronic products and consumer goods (WEEE, RoHS, Packaging, Batteries, ErP, EMC, RTTE);
• emerging issues (e.g., fracking and offshore) for oil and gas industry and emerging energy generating activity (wind, solar); and active participation in the development of carbon market schemes in the EU, in the United States and around the world; and
• compliance and fair treatment under the EU’s climate change legislation, including the Emissions Trading System Directive (“EU ETS”), the Renewable Energies Directive, the Fuel Quality Directive, and the upcoming Biofuels Directive.