Environmental

Complying with environmental laws is an important responsibility for businesses. Yet, that compliance often comes with a tremendous amount of oversight, permit requirements, and the potential for high fines when those rules are not met. Vandeventer Black can assist.

Our environmental attorneys assist businesses with environmental matters and ensure companies understand environmental laws and regulations that affect their businesses.   

Our services include:

• Permitting 
• Regulatory Compliance 
• Enforcement Matters 
• Transactions 
• Agreements and Contracts 
• Environmental Litigation 

Our goal is to guide our clients through the complex regulatory requirements of federal, state, and local environmental laws, and find cost-effective solutions to environmental compliance challenges and disputes. 

Contact Vandeventer Black to speak to our environmental attorneys today for help with your complex environmental matters.  

What do Vandeventer Black Environmental Attorneys Do?

Our environmental attorneys help companies as they strive toward greater sustainability and compliance with current and future environmental requirements.

Some ways we can assist our clients include:

• Advise on oil and hazardous substance spill prevention programs that adhere to state and federal regulations under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA 90), Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plans (SPCC), and Underground and Aboveground Storage Tank regulatory programs (UST and AST).

• Assisting with permits related to the Virginia Water Protection and Virginia Stormwater Management programs.

• Guiding companies on land development and waterfront projects, including compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, local zoning and wetlands boars, riparian rights, and federal regulations. 

• Helping companies follow the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), otherwise known as the Clean Water Act, including NPDES permitting, and local or state water pollution programs. 

• Helping with air pollution regulations and permits, including Title V permits and air toxics regulations.

• Applying for wetlands regulations and permits

• Assisting with hazardous and solid waste regulations and permits under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and advising businesses facing RCRA enforcement actions.

• Advise on environmental compliance aspects of federal and state contracts.

• Assist clients under investigation by federal or state environmental regulators, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

• Review and advise on environmental aspects of real estate and business transactions.

If you are looking for a knowledgeable team that understands environmental and natural resources law, we have a team that is ready to assist.

Who Do Environmental Attorneys Help?

Our environmental attorneys work in conjunction with attorneys in our Litigation and Real Estate practice groups to help a wide range of clients. Because we have multiple practice areas, we are able to assist and advise with:

• Clients facing toxic torts.
• Businesses seeking regulatory compliance advice or help with developing compliance plans.
• Businesses and other entities who need help with permit applications.
• Local governments that need to craft environmental regulations and prepare compliance audits.
• Clients facing state or federal enforcement cases.
• Public interest groups looking for legal support as they advocate for cleaner environments. 
• Clients facing CERCLA (“Superfund”) claims and litigation.
• Real estate clients who need to take care of environmental due diligence, including review and assistance in Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESA).
• Companies seeking assistance through the EPA and DEQ’s Brownfields Program.

We are licensed to practice in North Carolina, Washington, D.C., New York, and Virginia. Our highly trained team is standing by to assist with your environmental case. Reach out today to learn more about the types of cases we handle.

Examples of Past Environmental Cases 

A few case studies of how we’ve helped clients with their environmental legal issues:

Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act is the primary regulation in the federal government that controls the air quality in this country. As part of the Clean Air Act, companies often need permits and must perform emissions testing to ensure they meet their permit requirements.

We’ve represented industrial facilities in air permits, enforcement actions dealing with unpermitted emissions, and permit emissions violations. We have counseled clients regarding violations of air emission requirements in the import and export of agricultural products, and we’ve

handled disputes between industrial facilities over air emissions. 

Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act governs water pollution and quality in the United States. Like the Clean Air Act, it places permit and regulatory rules on organizations to help protect water quality.

Our law firm has extensive experience with Clean Water Act enforcement actions, permit disputes, regulatory compliance issues, oil spills planning and response, U.S. Army Corps wetlands determinations, and defending against Clean Water Act citizen suits.   We also advise clients on ship discharge regulations and registration requirements.

Hazardous Materials

Companies that generate or transport hazardous wastes must follow specific protocols when storing and moving these materials. 

We have represented companies facing compliance challenges and enforcement actions for violating Hazardous Waste management regulations, and businesses seeking guidance on how to best comply with complex regulatory requirements.  We have also defended companies facing RCRA citizen suits challenging businesses’ waste disposal practices.

EPA

Our environmental lawyers have provided counsel regarding the cleanup and reuse of former Federal installations. We assist clients during negotiations with EPA to craft solutions that support business strategy operations, including the use of Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) and other alternative compliance strategies.

Leases and Agreements – Environmental Legal Issues

Our environmental attorneys have negotiated and reviewed environmental terms in hundreds of commercial leases for every size of business. We have a well-versed team in drafting and negotiation of provisions in asset purchase and sale agreements as well as mergers & acquisition agreements. Our extensive experience spans corporate purchasing programs for commercial real estate developers, industrial expansions, renewable energy projects, shipyards, and waterfront development.  Our attorneys also counsel clients on complex Brownfield redevelopment projects, including strategies to fully benefit from CERCLA liability exemptions for prospective purchasers and contiguous landowners. 

Spills/Releases

Have represented vessel operators and shore facility operators in enforcement actions and litigation arising from oil spills and releases of hazardous substances, spill reporting requirements, and the development of SPCC plans.

Stormwater

Stormwater can send chemicals to local waterways when it passes through industrial and construction facilities. Companies and communities need to understand their stormwater management requirements. 

Our attorneys regularly provide counsel to construction companies and industrial companies on stormwater permitting and compliance issues. Also, we provide counsel to residential community associations on stormwater compliance and disputes with developers.

Superfund Defense Litigation

We have handled the defense of numerous clients in superfund actions, including EPA cost-recovery actions and private party cost-recovery litigation. This has included defending defendants in large multi-party cases at petroleum drum refurbishing facility, a former metal recycler, and a ship breaking facility.

Storage Tanks

Our law firm has counseled numerous property owners and UST owners on regulatory tank issues. We have provided advice regarding Virginia’s regulatory program for petroleum tanks, and we’ve also been involved in regulatory compliance issues at the Federal, State, and local levels concerning chemical storage tank compliance, releases, and collapses.

Get Help with Your Environmental Law Needs Today

Clients of our environmental law practice are drawn from all sectors of the business community including shipbuilding and ship repair, transportation companies, construction, government contractors, industrial facilities, real estate owners and developers, educational facilities, airports, and government agencies. 

Several Vandeventer Black attorneys have bachelor’s degrees in engineering or natural sciences.  Our attorneys are active members in the Virginia State Bar Environmental Law Section’s Board of Governors and are active in local bar associations, non-profit organizations, and professional environmental organizations. 

If you face an environmental law matter, you can trust our attorneys who are dedicated to helping companies meet regulatory requirements. We will help you navigate these sometimes confusing waters to advance your successful business while ensuring that your company is compliant with federal, state, and local environmental requirements. Reach out to Vandeventer Black today to learn more about our environmental lawyers and how they can help you.