Environmental Law

DLA Piper supports clients throughout their climate and sustainability lifecycle—from setting direction to execution, reporting, and managing disputes.

We work with organizations to:

• Define climate and sustainability objectives, risk appetite, and transition pathways
• Establish and implement policies, governance frameworks, and internal controls
• Design, review, and refine disclosures, reports, and stakeholder communications
• Address investigations, enforcement actions, and litigation tied to climate and sustainability matters

Our work includes advising on air quality strategies, remediation initiatives, and natural resource programs that are central to contemporary environmental and ESG regimes. By aligning regulatory expectations with commercial priorities, we help clients build climate and sustainability programs that are robust, transparent, and prepared for scrutiny from regulators, investors, customers, and other stakeholders.

DLA Piper delivers integrated regulatory support, helping clients anticipate, interpret, and address environmental and sustainability obligations across global markets. Our team monitors shifting state, federal, and international standards, collaborates with regulators, and assists clients in shaping policy outcomes.

We support clients by:

• Tracking new and developing environmental and ESG regulatory initiatives
• Engaging with agencies on draft rules, policies, and technical guidance
• Drafting and refining submissions in notice-and-comment rulemakings
• Managing related appellate, administrative, and rulemaking challenges

By bringing together environmental and ESG perspectives, we help organizations design practical compliance approaches that align legal requirements with broader sustainability and business objectives.

When regulatory scrutiny, investigations, or litigation arise, DLA Piper offers coordinated representation across jurisdictions and sectors.

We act for companies in disputes under major environmental statutes and their state analogs, including:

• CERCLA and RCRA (waste management and site remediation)
• CWA and CAA (water and air quality, including Clean Air Act proceedings)
• TSCA and FIFRA (chemical substances and pesticide regulation)
• ESA (protection of endangered species and critical habitat)

We handle matters brought by federal and state regulators, attorneys general, and private plaintiffs, including in key venues such as California, Maine, and New York. Our team addresses claims that intersect environmental law with ESG reporting, disclosure practices, and natural resource issues, helping you navigate enforcement risk while supporting long-term business continuity.

DLA Piper advises on transactions where environmental and ESG considerations may influence valuation, timing, or deal terms.

We work with investors, buyers, sellers, and lenders to:

• Perform environmental and ESG due diligence on assets, portfolios, and counterparties
• Analyze historical, current, and future environmental liabilities and exposures
• Design and negotiate contractual risk allocation and indemnity structures
• Review and optimize insurance solutions for environmental and remediation risks

We also counsel on disclosure, reporting, and communications obligations that can arise from environmental impacts, remediation strategies, and natural resource use. By integrating regulatory, sustainability, and commercial perspectives, we help ensure that environmental and ESG issues are surfaced early and reflected in transaction strategy and documentation.

DLA Piper develops and deploys compliance and auditing frameworks calibrated to the size, risk profile, and geographic reach of your operations.

Whether you require a targeted review or a large-scale, multi-facility program, we help you:

• Evaluate adherence to environmental, health, and safety obligations
• Conduct focused or multi-media audits across facilities and business units
• Pinpoint compliance gaps and prioritize corrective and preventive measures
• Embed environmental and ESG requirements into routine operational practices

Our lawyers collaborate across environmental, ESG, and policy disciplines to link on-the-ground audit findings with broader governance, risk, and reporting structures, including requirements related to emissions, remediation activities, and natural resource management.

• Acted for a major oil company in multiple CERCLA and RCRA matters involving soil and groundwater remediation, including engagement with regulators and development of long-term cleanup strategies.
• Successfully challenged, through judicial review, an environmental prohibition notice that threatened to halt the affected company’s operations.
• Advised the city of Antwerp, the largest city in Flanders and a key economic hub, on urban planning, development, and environmental issues under a broad engagement addressing complex legal and policy questions.
• Represented a paper manufacturer in the privatization of a municipal solid waste management facility, including environmental due diligence and regulatory considerations.
• Served as lead environmental counsel to a multinational technology company across its UK, EU, Middle East, and Asia Pacific operations, monitoring proposed changes to environmental laws worldwide, assessing business impacts, preparing reports for senior leadership, and supporting public policy engagement with EU institutions and other stakeholders.
• Assisted a global client with a 48-jurisdiction environmental compliance program, including development of a risk matrix, harmonized reporting, and a structured roadmap for implementation.
• Negotiated with the UK Government on behalf of a major industry sector regarding the terms of an energy tax rebate linked to emissions reduction undertakings.
• Advised a German automobile manufacturer on potential climate-related litigation by environmental associations in light of recent court decisions and evolving climate policy frameworks.
• Advised on emission reduction purchase and project development agreements for a series of landfill gas projects in South Africa, including carbon credit structuring and regulatory issues.
• Advised championship golf course owners on permitting, including wetlands approvals, discharge-related matters, and long-term environmental stewardship.
• Advised on a joint SEC and DOJ investigation into alleged bribery and corruption involving a NASDAQ-listed, South Africa-based technology company, including potential FCPA and securities law issues and related remediation measures.

• Represented major tire manufacturers in first-of-their-kind litigation concerning alleged environmental impacts of a key anti-degradation chemical used in tire formulations and other products.
• Advised a leading consumer goods manufacturer on obligations under the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act, integrating new requirements into an existing compliance management system.
• Advised a multinational food ingredient producer on contamination of Xanthan gum with ethylene oxide, including coordinated responses across 31 jurisdictions to support rapid decisions on exports and product recalls.
• Advised a multinational consumer goods company on compliance with forthcoming UK “Forest Risk Rules” under the Environment Act 2021, including design of a due diligence framework to identify, assess, and mitigate risks related to commodities such as palm oil that may not comply with local laws.
• Advised a global technology company on legal requirements for its worldwide ink and toner cartridge collection, reuse, and recycling program, including take-back, transport, and waste management obligations.
• Represented an international chemical company on regulatory and commercial issues associated with shale gas development, including permitting and stakeholder engagement.

• Defended a leading oil company in mass tort proceedings involving hundreds of properties allegedly affected by a 26,000-gallon underground pipeline release, resulting in the Maryland Court of Appeals overturning nearly all damages awards and issuing significant rulings on fraud, emotional distress, medical monitoring, and the scope of recoverable property damage in environmental cases.
• Represented a “super major” oil company in cross-border proceedings relating to hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling for oil and gas, including environmental, regulatory, and operational issues.
• Secured reversal of jury verdicts totaling $1.65 billion for an international energy company in a widely reported gasoline release dispute.
• Defended a major oil company in litigation involving multiple retail service stations, with claims asserted under California Proposition 65, the California Fish & Game Code, and California Business & Professions Code Section 17200.
• Represented an oil company in CERCLA and Polanco Act matters involving distribution terminals and downstream retail sites, including allocation, cleanup, and cost-recovery issues.
• Advised a public agency operating a vessel in the Caribbean after an oil spill in international waters that potentially affected sensitive environmental receptors in several neighboring jurisdictions, including incident reporting, response planning, and coordination with local counsel across Latin America and beyond.
• Negotiated a portfolio-wide remediation program for a large network of filling stations, many with legacy contamination and complex regulatory histories.
• Advised on environmental and health and safety issues arising from a major fire at a fuel depot and an explosion at an oil refinery, including incident response and regulatory engagement.
• Represented a large fuel terminal facility in connection with environmental permitting, including Clean Air Act Title V permitting and related agency interactions.

• Served as co-national counsel to a Fortune 50 company in connection with its silica and asbestos litigation portfolio, coordinating strategy and case management across jurisdictions.
• Advised an American multinational conglomerate in its largest mass tort matter involving Omniscan, a contrast agent used in MRI procedures, with more than 700 cases pending in courts throughout the United States.
• Provided environmental, health, and safety guidance to a manufacturer of process control equipment in its acquisition of a chemicals and equipment producer, including global input from China, Spain, and the United States and support with investment control registration.
• Advised a multinational company on the regeneration of a former large process chemical plant site, addressing remediation, land-use planning, and redevelopment constraints.
• Supported crisis management for a major corporation following an incident involving an employee at a plant decommissioning operation, including internal and external communications and regulatory considerations.
• Conducted a strategic health and safety review for a major industrial multinational, developing a suite of governance and compliance documents and demonstrating fulfillment of board-level oversight obligations.
• Defended a chemical company in an enforcement action involving discharges to publicly owned treatment works and associated compliance and permitting obligations.

• Represented an electric energy company in obtaining a discharge permit following a contested administrative trial on “best technology available” standards for cooling water intake structures, and successfully defended the permit on appeal.
• Acted for an association of electric generating companies before the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in challenges to federal Clean Air Act regulations.
• Advised major power producers on permitting, planning, government relations, and potential litigation related to climate change policies and initiatives.
• Represented electric utilities before public service commissions and other regulatory bodies to obtain approvals for the construction and siting of natural gas, nuclear, coal, and renewable energy facilities.
• Defended a power company in connection with alleged Clean Water Act violations at three Maryland sites and negotiated a comprehensive resolution with regulators and citizen intervenors.

• Represented a leading ship repair and maintenance company in multiple CERCLA cleanup and cost-recovery matters involving soil, groundwater, and sediment contamination at several industrial port facilities, coordinating with municipal entities and environmental regulators.
• Advised a public agency operating a vessel in the Caribbean following an oil spill incident in international waters, addressing reporting obligations, incident documentation, and coordination with counsel in multiple affected jurisdictions.