Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s environmental lawyers advise clients on a wide variety of environmental issues, including:
- Air quality
- Water quality
- Superfund and hazardous and solid waste
- Environmental compliance
- Environmental litigation
Air Quality
Our experience includes counseling with respect to regulatory compliance under the complex, intertwined system of overlapping federal, state, local and Tribal laws and regulations, and representing clients’ interests in numerous environmentally related administrative and judicial proceedings. We represent developers, manufacturers, utilities, mining companies, lenders, financial institutions, rock product companies, agribusiness, water providers, water users, and a large number of individuals and companies in industries throughout the Southwest.
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s environmental lawyers advise clients on air quality issues arising under the Clean Air Act and parallel state, Tribal, local laws, and regulations. Our representation includes all aspects of permitting, including pre-application guidance, negotiations with permitting agencies, public comments, and administrative and judicial appeals. We counsel clients in environmental audits and represent their interests before a wide array of federal, state and local administrative agencies. Our environmental lawyers, working with the firm’s litigators, are experienced in defending individuals and companies in enforcement actions alleging violations of the federal, state and local clean air standards, as well as a variety of other environmental litigation.
Water Quality
In the arid Southwest, water quality and compliance with the Clean Water Act and other applicable federal and state water quality laws and regulations give rise to highly visible, high priority and sometimes emotionally-charged issues. Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie environmental attorneys regularly counsel clients on such matters as regulatory compliance, water quality standards, groundwater quality protection and aquifer protection permits, National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits and Section 404 permits. We regularly advise clients regarding waste water and storm water discharges, inspection and compliance reviews, environmental due diligence considerations and wetlands permitting. Our environmental attorneys appear before federal and state regulators in matters involving compliance, permitting, rulemaking and proceedings to establish quality standards. We have also litigated, at the trial court and various appellate court levels, a variety of water quality permitting, enforcement and compliance issues
Superfund and Hazardous Waste
Federal and state regulators are actively pursuing remedial action at Superfund and other contaminated sites throughout the Southwest. Our experienced environmental lawyers represent and advise clients with respect to matters arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and corresponding state laws. We advise clients regarding the handling and disposal of hazardous and solid waste, as well as site remedial investigations and associated site study and cleanup plans. Our environmental lawyers work with mining companies, developers and other purchasers of sites and properties to establish the Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Defense under CERCLA and parallel state laws, including compliance with the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment requirements and compliance with the all appropriate inquiry standard. We assist clients who are potentially responsible parties in claims brought by federal and state agencies to recover remediation costs and defend prior property owners against claims for the recovery of clean up costs. The environmental lawyers of Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie represent plaintiffs and defendants in private cost recovery litigation under CERCLA and RCRA and in contamination and damage claims caused by leaking Underground Storage Tanks (UTS). We also assist clients in negotiating CERCLA and RCRA consent agreements and defend parties to enforcement actions under RCRA.
Environmental Compliance
Increased government oversight and environmental awareness is present in virtually every aspect of doing business in the United States subjecting businesses to an increased level of federal and state environmental compliance requirements. The Southwestern states are no exception. Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s environmental lawyers believe in a proactive, preventative approach to environmental compliance. Through awareness of applicable laws and regulations, employee education and training and internal procedures, audits and inspections, environmental compliance issues can be greatly reduced and sometimes eliminated. Through a combination of practical compliance advice and assistance in developing internal guidelines and procedures, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s environmental lawyers assist our clients in developing and implementing successful, cost effective compliance programs. When problems do arise, our lawyers are ready to assist and advise in implementing remedial measures and defending against all types of enforcement actions and claims.
Environmental Litigation
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s experienced civil and criminal litigators team with the firm’s environmental lawyers to provide representation for plaintiffs and defendants in a wide array of civil and criminal litigation matters in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies. We have acted as counsel for plaintiffs and defendants in private cost recovery actions, natural resource damage suits and UST claims. Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie lawyers have extensive experience in litigating various permitting, regulatory and rulemaking controversies, defending Superfund remediation and cost recovery claims and representing clients in investigations and civil enforcement actions. We assist clients in such varied matters as defending individuals and companies in criminal prosecutions and grand jury investigations to pursuing environmental insurance claims on behalf of policy holders. Whatever your environmental litigation needs, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie attorneys have the knowledge and experience to represent your interests before administrative, trial and appellate tribunals.