Environmental/Toxic Tort
Environmental / CERCLA Overview
The Environmental group is led by partners who have extensive trial and administrative proceeding experience throughout the U.S. as well as significant experience serving as California, Western Region and National Litigation Coordinating Counsel for Fortune 100 companies. We work with companies of all sizes spanning virtually every aspect of industry including deep experience in manufacturing, energy, real estate and construction.
Our Environmental attorneys assist clients in managing their environmental exposures and, as a result, their environmental liabilities. We provide a unique combination of extensive insurance and business experience with extensive environmental experience.
Our Environmental practice is nationwide. We can help you with both state specific environmental issues and can assist you with federal environmental regulations, programs and compliance issues anywhere.
Wide Variety of Environmental Issues & Claims
Our track record of successful results includes matters involving the client’s property, third party property damage claims, first and third party pollution incidents resulting from transportation, hazardous substance/waste storage, chemical and waste handling issues and regulations, disposal activities, recycling program development, real estate transactions, alleged “arranger” and “transporter” claims, underground and above-ground storage tank release incidents, indoor air quality, contaminated groundwater and/or drinking water, hazardous substance and oil spills/releases, pesticide/herbicide drift and run-off claims, first and third party on-site and off-site investigation and remediation, cost recovery claims, natural resource damage claims, Brownfields/redevelopment claims, and governmental environmental regulatory enforcement proceedings on local, state, and federal levels.
Our substantial environmental regulatory, compliance and transactional practice is discussed in more detail under our sub-practice of this name on our group’s home page.
Vast Technical Experience—Chemicals, Hazardous Waste, and Substances
We have well-proven experience with a comprehensive range of regulated chemicals, hazardous waste and other hazardous substances, including:
- volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (both chlorinated solvents and fuel components)
- perchlorate
- lead, petroleum hydrocarbons
- methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)
- polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- benzene
- ethylene oxide
- metals (i.e., nickel, chromium)
- heavy metals (i.e., mercury, zinc, lead, copper)
- agricultural chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides)
- asbestos
- mold
- paint products and solvents
Litigation, Regulatory & Compliance Experience – Environmental Statutes
Our lawyers are thoroughly familiar with all major environmental statutes, including:
- Federal Clean Water Act (CWA)
- Clean Air Act (CAA)
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
- Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, or Superfund, as well as state law equivalents of CERCLA)
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
- Oil Pollution Act (OPA)
- Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
- Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRTKA)
- Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2020 (PSIA)
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
- Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuary Act (MPRSA)
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)
- Proposition 65 (California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Tort Enforcement Act of 1986)
- We are also familiar with all key environmental state statutes in the jurisdictions in which we practice including: CA, OR, NV, WA, CO, TX, IL, GA, FL, NC, NY, NJ, PA and CT.
In addition to our cumulative decades of experience in this area, many of our attorneys in the Environmental sub-practice have technical degrees, leadership positions in influential industry associations, and prior experience working for environmental-related legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, insurance companies’ environmental departments, or as in-house counsel in small and large corporations handling environmental issues.
Contact
For more information about how GRSM can help with your environmental claims, please contact Kristin Reyna, Brian Ledger or Michael Pietrykowski.
Return to Environmental/Toxic Tort Overview.