We have substantial experience working within the various federal and Texas environmental programs before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”), the Railroad Commission of Texas (“RRC”), the Texas Public Utility Commission (“PUC”), the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and other federal, state, and local environmental and natural resources administrative agencies. Additionally, we work closely with our corporate and real estate attorneys and their clients on the environmental aspects of transactions.

We provide our clients a full spectrum of services including:

Regulatory Matters

We assist our clients on a wide range of environmental, oil and gas, and other regulatory matters. We provide general counseling on all manner of Texas industrial and commercial interests on general air, water, and waste environmental regulations and represent clients before TCEQ and EPA on the issuance, transfer and modification of Texas and federal air, water, and waste permits and other authorizations. We represent water and wastewater utility clients before the PUC on CCN and other utility matters. And, we represent various client interests in matters before the RRC. We represent clients in response to civil and criminal environmental enforcement actions brought by those agencies.

Our environmental regulatory attorneys’ experience includes a focus on solid and hazardous waste and contaminated properties. We regularly advise industrial and commercial clients on contaminated property cleanups, including cleanups under the TCEQ and RRC voluntary cleanup and other remediation programs. We represent clients in Federal and Texas Superfund cost recovery and contribution matters. We advise and counsel clients on Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act and federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act matters, including waste determination and waste management issues.

Transactional Matters

Our attorneys have significant experience representing clients in the environmental aspects of acquisitions, divestitures and other transactional matters. We counsel clients in the identification and evaluation of potential environmental issues regarding the transaction. We initiate and manage environmental due diligence activities on the assets. Additionally, we participate in structuring, drafting, and negotiating the transaction to address potential or realized environmental issues associated with the transaction.  We also work with the federal, state and local agencies to ensure the proper transfer or other disposition of environmental permits and other authorizations and, as necessary, to address operational compliance or property contamination issues associated with the transaction.

Administrative and Court Proceedings

Our attorneys represent clients in administrative hearings before the various governmental agencies, including the TCEQ, the RRC and the PUC. Those administrative hearings typically relate to the issuance of an authorization to operate. Our attorneys represent applicants and protestants in these matters. We also represent clients on environmental issues in state and federal court proceedings, applying the support of DBC’s dedicated litigation attorneys when appropriate.