Environmental
Our environmental attorneys have extensive experience handling matters in all areas of environmental law and policy at the federal, state, and local levels. We maintain expertise in federal and state laws governing emissions to the air, discharges to waters, generation and handling of hazardous and solid waste, control of toxic substances, occupational safety and health, and worker and community right-to-know. Our ability to master the relevant technical issues and their financial consequences, coupled with our extensive knowledge of environmental law, give us the tools necessary to represent our clients successfully.
Transactional Matters
Elias Group LLP’s environmental attorneys have developed a particular expertise in dealing with environmental issues in the context of mergers and acquisitions, real estate and asset sales, and transactions. We help clients conduct environmental audits to assure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In this way, we can identify and assess potential environmental liabilities that may arise out of a transaction. We also handle a variety of environmental issues and potential liabilities for clients in the manufacturing and utility sectors. We have prepared and reviewed environmental impact statements for a variety of different matters, including proposed real estate and infrastructure projects. Some of the transactional activities in which our environmental lawyers have recently been involved include:
- Management of all environmental issues in a $400 million sale of a nuclear power plant
- Coordinating environmental reviews for sellers in auctions of seven coal-fired electric generating stations
- Resolving liability for environmental matters following sales of businesses, representing both buyers and sellers
- Conducting environmental due diligence for buyers of utility and chemical businesses in various parts of the country
- Providing special environmental counsel to a global manufacturing company regarding the spin off of its American subsidiary
- Serving as environmental counsel to a manufacturing company in its initial public offering
Hazardous Substances
We routinely represent clients in the remediation of hazardous substance releases under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 and related state laws. Our firm regularly responds to federal and state inquiries concerning active and inactive hazardous waste sites and investigates and negotiates for the remediation of sites pursuant to consent orders and decrees. The firm’s environmental attorneys are highly experienced in negotiating with other potentially responsible parties (‘PRPs’) to form steering committees or PRP coordinating groups. We have worked with federal and state governmental agencies to apportion liability among individual PRPs. In addition, we have negotiated agreements with remediation contractors. With technical assistance, our environmental attorneys have overseen the activities of remediation contractors to assure that they fulfilled the terms of the consent order or decree.
Corporate Environmental Compliance
Elias Group LLP’s environmental attorneys have developed and implemented corporate compliance programs for companies in the chemical, consumer product and health care industries. Our environmental compliance capabilities include providing advice on statutory interpretations, recommending and supervising actions to achieve compliance, providing representation in formal legislative and adjudicatory permit proceedings and enforcement actions before federal and state regulatory agencies, and conducting audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
