practice areas
Environmental
The complex interplay of federal and state environmental law often creates challenging problems for our clients. Severson’s environmental and land use practice addresses these complex issues in a multidisciplinary fashion. Attorneys practicing in the environmental group have strong ties to other practice groups such as real estate, construction, professional liability, and commercial litigation. This approach benefits clients by providing a team of experienced professionals with the ability to handle all manner of issues involving environmental and land use law. Our focus is results-oriented, creative, and efficient.
Severson’s past environmental projects include the full range of litigation, transactional and regulatory compliance matters. Clients include a diverse group of industries and disciplines: manufacturing, mining, utilities, real property developers, professional liability insurance companies, engineering consultants, architects, and construction managers.
The following is an overview of the types of environmental matters handled:
· Cost recovery and cost sharing litigation and claims resolution for contamination of soil and groundwater, including resolution of CERCLA, RCRA and analogous state law claims.
· Defense of citizens suits under Clean Water Act, and California’s Proposition 65.
· Complex toxic tort litigation including air, soil, and groundwater exposures involving multiple defendants and thousands of plaintiffs.
· Defense of criminal and administrative environmental enforcement actions.
· Brownfields cleanup and redevelopment projects.
· Facility sitting and modification permitting; regulatory compliance counseling and negotiations.
· Land use and environmental impact analysis - including obtaining legally defensible permit and environmental document approvals, wetlands, sewer, transportation, zoning, subdivision, site planning and related issues.
· Transactional matters - including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, due diligence, contractual allocation of liabilities, successor liability, and project participant licensing requirements.
