Christina M. Puhnaty

Area of Emphasis

Christina Puhnaty is an associate in the Environmental Group of Babst Calland. She assists clients with matters encompassing a broad range of environmental issues, including those related to state and federal permitting, regulatory compliance, and environmental litigation.

Ms. Puhnaty devotes a significant portion of her practice to advising clients on issues arising under the Clean Air Act and related state programs regulating air emissions. She handles air permitting matters and appeals and helps clients facing federal and state enforcement actions. Ms. Puhnaty’s practice also involves counseling clients on a variety of federal and state regulatory issues related to both coal and noncoal mining operations.

Background

Ms. Puhnaty graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017, earning a B.S. in Chemistry. While in undergraduate studies, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Josef Werne’s biogeochemistry laboratory. As a member of Dr. Werne’s lab, Ms. Puhnaty assisted Ph.D. candidates in sampling aquatic sediments to investigate the biogeochemical record of global climate change.

Before attending law school, Ms. Puhnaty worked as an analytical chemist for PPG Industries in Allison Park, Pa. At PPG, she analyzed samples using microscopy and physical chemistry techniques. Ms. Puhnaty then drafted analytical reports to communicate sampling results to PPG customers.

In 2021, Ms. Puhnaty graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School. While at UW Law, she served as a Senior Managing Editor for the University of Wisconsin Law Review and was a recipient of the Gwynette E. Smalley Law Review Prize for special contributions. She was also the president of UW Law’s Environmental Law Society and served as a research assistant for then-Professor Linda S. Greene. During law school, she worked as a law clerk for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 office, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Environmental Protection Unit, and the United States Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

Memberships and Affiliations

Ms. Puhnaty is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. She is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Allegheny County Bar Association, American Bar Association’s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resource’s Leadership Development Program, and Women’s Energy Network. Ms. Puhnaty also serves on the Women’s Initiative Committee at Babst Calland.

Ms. Puhnaty received a 2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America recognition for Environmental Law.