I was recently a panelist for a program at the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's Fall Conference in Charleston, S.C.  The program was entitled "Best Practices for Working with Regulators: From Investigation to Litigation" and also featured my friends Ross Feldmann and Christina Vassiliou Harvey.  My presentation focused on dealing with U.S. EPA and State environmental agencies ...

The Illinois Town of Cortland recently filed documents in the Illinois Pollution Control Board settling a state enforcement action, People v. Town of Cortland, PCB No. 11-67, which involved the town's wastewater spray irrigation fields and rigs located east of the town.  The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency received citizen complaints about the town's spray irrigation system, including th...

I am pleased to announce that Florida Transportation Builder Magazine recently published my article, "Top Five Tips for Contractors to Ensure Storm Water Compliance."  My article discusses enforcement actions for alleged violations of storm water regulations against the construction industry by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice at sites around the coun...

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn recently signed a bill passed in the General Assembly, Public Act 097-0945, that amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and the Environmental Protection Act to align Illinois air regulations with federal air regulations: "[T]he [Illinois Pollution Control] Board shall adopt ambient air quality standards specifying the maximum permissible short-term and long...

The Cook County Board of Commissioners recently approved a Demolition Debris Diversion Ordinance, which establishes a program for recycling and salvaging of construction and demolition waste.  The ordinance is intended to introduce reuse and recycling requirements that are designed to help achieve Cook County's goal to (1) reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste generated at the so...

PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORKING RECEPTION September 11, 2012, 4 pm to 6 pm The Chicago Bar Association, 321 South Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL (more...)...

The U.S. EPA recently announced a tough 10-year sentence for a man convicted of criminal violations of the Clean Air Act relating to asbestos: Duane “Butch” O’Malley, 59, of Bourbonnais, Ill., who was convicted by a federal jury on September 26, 2011, for the illegal removal, handling and disposal of asbestos from a Kankakee building in August 2009, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by ...