Scott A. Gould
Advises on environmental compliance, permitting, and remediation. Litigates toxic tort claims and provides environmental due diligence for M&A and real estate.
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Environmental issues can affect industrial operations, property sales and development, and mergers and acquisitions. We advise businesses nationwide on compliance, permitting, remediation, enforcement, due diligence, and environmental risk management.
Our focus
Helping your business identify, manage, and minimize environmental headwinds
Environmental regulatory requirements impact industrial and commercial operations on a daily basis. We work as an integral part of industrial environmental, health, and safety teams to identify and manage compliance and permitting, and to assist with the defense of enforcement actions. We counsel our clients on everything from permitting to compliance audits to responding to releases and governmental enforcement actions. Our team has also managed hundreds of remediation projects, ranging from simple storage tank releases to complex, large-scale remediation of chlorinated solvents, through state and federal brownfields programs.
Environmental regulatory matters also affect whether, how, and to what extent a property can be developed. Our environmental practitioners have a breadth of knowledge and regulatory contacts to counsel on stormwater, wetlands, endangered species, and sewer planning and permitting. These issues are at the core of many development projects and frequently serve as both critical path items and lightning rods for third-party challenges. We navigate clients through these challenges by foreseeing potential pitfalls and managing critical timelines.
We also provide due diligence, permit transfer, and transaction document negotiation services in mergers and acquisitions, complex financing and refinancing, and other corporate and real estate transactions. Our attorneys identify and advise on risk allocation and effectively negotiate and manage risk in all transactions.
When disputes arise, we represent businesses not only in agency enforcement and administrative appeal proceedings but also in litigation arising from third-party actions in state and federal courts. We also have extensive experience in appellate matters relating to environmental issues, including Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution and other issues. Our attorneys are skilled litigators with extensive experience in courtroom litigation and administrative appeals, with proven success. Our broad base of knowledge enables us to develop tailored litigation strategies to efficiently and successfully defend or prosecute environmental claims.
In addition, we have broad experience in managing the myriad of environmental regulatory risks, permitting, remediation, and challenges relating to large-scale development projects, including warehousing, data centers, and large renewable energy projects.
Our team enjoys excellent, collegial working relationships with state, federal, and local regulators and authorities that provide unique access and opportunity. Several former members have served as chief counsel at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and as administrative law judges at the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board.
We advise businesses on federal, state, and local environmental requirements affecting their facilities and operations. Our work includes permit applications, compliance audits, agency negotiations, and responses to alleged violations.
We help clients investigate and remediate releases and contaminated properties. We work with environmental consultants and regulators to define obligations and establish a path toward closure, redevelopment, or continued use. Our experience includes brownfield and Superfund matters.
We assess environmental risk in mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, and development projects. We also draft and negotiate contract provisions that allocate responsibility and address environmental obligations that may continue after closing.
We represent businesses and individuals in agency enforcement matters, permit disputes, Superfund claims, contamination claims, and other environmental litigation, including third-party permit appeals and claims. Our attorneys routinely handle proceedings before administrative agencies, hearing boards, and state and federal courts.
We advise businesses on environmental, health, and safety programs and the compliance obligations affecting their operations. We offer sustainability and workplace management advice with a forward-looking view of regulatory changes. Our work includes compliance audits, regulatory counseling, and coordination and negotiations with regulatory agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.
Pipeline companies, developers, and energy producers face environmental requirements at every stage of infrastructure projects. We advise on permitting and environmental compliance, as well as remediation and regulatory approvals. Our work helps keep projects moving while addressing environmental obligations.
We counsel buyers, sellers, developers, lenders, and property owners on environmental due diligence and contaminated property issues. We address brownfield redevelopment and permitting issues that can affect value, timing, or future use.
We counsel large-scale development projects such as data centers, warehouses, and distribution projects on a host of environmental issues that such projects evoke and coordinate permitting, risk analysis, and allocation, and potential challenges, coordinating multiple areas of environmental regulation, permitting, and public scrutiny in a seamless manner.
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