Natural Resource Damages & Environmental Justice
Environmental Agencies, Superfund Cleanups, and Managing Enforcement Actions
What are PFAS and Why Should We Care?
Volatile Times in Vapor Intrusion Regulation: A Legal and Technical Update
In general, environmental law seeks to protect public health and the environment by providing for liability, compensation, cleanup, and emergency response to the release or disposal of hazardous substances. And more...more
When considering the establishment of an estate or trust to hold title to real property, it is important to segregate potentially contaminated property from other assets Unfortunately, once title vests in an estate or...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (“Ninth Circuit”) addressed in a January 31st Opinion a dispute between two Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“Superfund or...more
Partner Jane Borthwick Story talks about EPA Superfund sites, sorting out a company’s responsibilities related to a cleanup, how previous transactions can relate to liability, and the value of a long-term relationship with...more
It is not uncommon for Lloyd Harbor residents to have old steel heating oil tanks buried in their yards. Although these underground tanks continue to successfully heat our homes, they do not last forever. They are not...more
Actualmente cursan en el Congreso de la República de Colombia dos proyectos de ley que pretenden modificar o derogar la Ley 1333 de 2009. Por un lado se encuentra el Proyecto de Ley 146 — Senado "Por la cual se modifica la...more
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a site-specific review that has broader implications for Superfund site cleanups with radionuclide contamination. The EPA is reviewing a Trump-era decision on...more
On June 11, 2021, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a law, HB 2377, intended to make the insurance policies of dissolved Oregon corporations and limited liability companies available to fund contaminated site cleanups. The...more
On May 17, 2021, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) promulgated a comprehensive amendment of the remediation standards that determine when remediation of New Jersey contaminated sites has been...more
Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Atlantic Richfield Company v. Christian, commentators warned the decision would allow a new category of state law actions challenging EPA-approved clean-ups. One year...more
The rhetoric of enforcement under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-75, plays well in public. The government seeks “cleanup” and makes “the polluter pay.”...more
The US District Court for the Central District of California issued an opinion on December 10 in the decades-long fight between the US Environmental Protection Agency and several oil companies over payment of the United...more
Washington's Department of Ecology (Ecology) is now accepting applications for its new Expedited Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) under the Model Toxics Control Act. For the right site, the highly anticipated expedited VCP...more
Prior to April 2020, it seemed clear under prevailing federal case law that a disgruntled person could not use a state court lawsuit to change an environmental remedy approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...more
In support of the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Board) efforts to investigate and evaluate the public health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the San Francisco Regional Water Quality...more
Landowners seeking restoration damages in state courts, at sites where there is a cleanup remedy previously selected by EPA, may pursue such claims only if they first obtain EPA approval for the proposed restoration work....more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently announced a landmark decision under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Act), also known as the Superfund program. In the case of Atlantic...more
States sue over rollback of fuel efficiency standards - Bullet The San Diego Union-Tribune – May 27 - California, joined by nearly two dozen other states, the District of Columbia and the City of Los Angeles, on...more
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian (Slip Op. No. 17-1498) confirmed the broad statutory definition of "Potentially Responsible Party" (PRP) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response,...more
Industry Expert Insights - We reached out to one of our Lex Mundi partners and a well-known expert in Australia in the energy and legal industries to get her thoughts on the current energy climate. Emma Covacevich is...more
In Atlantic Richfield Company v. Christian, a decision issued on April 20, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that state courts may hear state common law claims seeking to compel remediation beyond what the U.S....more
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) does not preclude Montana residents from bringing state common law claims to recover the...more
The United States Supreme Court recently decided a case that will create considerable uncertainty for companies involved with cleanups under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA,...more
On April 20, 2020 the United States Supreme Court handed down an important decision on the reaches of settlements involving the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, or “Superfund”)....more
On April 20, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-anticipated opinion in Atlantic Richfield Company v. Christian (No. 17-1498), holding that landowners whose properties are contaminated by neighboring Superfund sites...more