An effective environmental litigation practice requires attorneys with a mix of knowledge, experience and skill that few law firms can profess to possess. At Babst Calland, there is no artificial line drawn between our environmental litigators and our environmental regulatory counselors.
From the earliest days of our existence, Babst Calland litigators have been trained alongside our regulatory attorneys in order to best meet the needs of our clients. Many of our environmental lawyers have deep experience resolving specific types of cases involving air, water and waste for various industries, including oil and gas developers, electric power generators, chemical manufacturers, steel makers, coke/tar/gas manufacturers, landfills and waste treatment facilities and coal mining companies.
In addition to meaningful experience as trial advocates, several of our attorneys have advanced degrees in science or engineering, which enable them to communicate with consultants and experts as peers. Others actually practiced as environmental consultants prior to taking up the law. Several of our attorneys have prior experience working within the agencies that regulate our clients, where they gained experience with the programs, procedures and policies they now defend against. This blend of scientific, technical, legal and practical experience uniquely positions Babst Calland to advocate for our clients in the full range of tribunals where environmental disputes are resolved.
Our Environmental Litigators have extensive experience representing energy companies, steel companies and chemical companies before Environmental Administrative Hearing Boards in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio in proceedings challenging permit provisions or conditions, as well as challenges brought by citizens’ groups to the legality, scope or impact of permitted discharges into air, water or soil.
We have successfully resolved major environmental cases in virtually every substantive area of environmental law, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund); the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act; the Toxic Substance Act (TSCA); the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIRFA); the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA); the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA); and numerous state and environmental statutes. We regularly appear before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state administrative tribunals throughout the country, as well as in various alternative dispute resolution forums.
