Environmental & Natural Resources

Environmental Law Solutions Backed by Experience

Environmental law is complex, but our team makes it manageable. With over a century of combined experience, our environmental attorneys deliver clear, strategic guidance tailored to your business’s unique operations and challenges. Partnering with Michael Best Strategies adds a forward-looking dimension—connecting compliance with policy advocacy, government relations, and sustainability initiatives. Together, we understand the science behind the regulations and the realities of your industry, helping you stay compliant, manage risk, and protect your reputation. Our strong relationships with regulators, policymakers, and technical experts enable us to craft innovative solutions so you can navigate everything from permitting to turning waste into energy.

Our Approach: Your Partner in Policy and Progress

Strategic Planning & Road Mapping

We begin with a comprehensive environmental compliance review, assessing your obligations under federal, state, and local laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, CERCLA, and related natural resource statutes. This includes identifying gaps in permitting, reporting, and sustainability practices. From there, we develop a customized compliance and advocacy roadmap with clear timelines, responsibilities, and milestones—aligned with your operational goals and risk profile.

Execution & Implementation

Our team supports:

• Environmental permitting and approvals for air, water, and land use.
• Preparation and submission of regulatory filings, including emissions reports, waste management plans, and NEPA documentation.
• Defense and remediation strategies for enforcement actions, consent decrees, and citizen suits. You’ll receive regular compliance dashboards and progress updates to maintain visibility and control.

Ongoing Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

We provide:

• Regulatory horizon scanning for environmental rule changes, climate initiatives, and natural resource management policies.
• Periodic audits and compliance refreshes to ensure adherence to evolving standards.
• Post-matter debriefs and sustainability planning, embedding continuous improvement and resilience into your environmental strategy.

Solving Environmental Challenges

Climate Change & Sustainability

We help you strive for a sustainable future while promoting responsible commerce, through counsel on matters such as carbon markets, emission credits, and emissions-related agreements; green building construction and retrofits; corporate sustainability programs; project development and financing; Greenhouse Gas Protocol standards; water conservation and appropriation; and energy efficiency initiatives.

Contaminated Property Development & Remediation

Get support managing your liability. We communicate with government agencies, fostering cooperation among potentially responsible parties (PRPs). We work with technical staff and consultants to find remediation technologies and assemble funding packages to address environmental liabilities.

Environmental Compliance Counseling & Advocacy

• We provide counsel on a wide variety of regulatory matters, including environmental permitting, project design to minimize permitting obligations, compliance and risk management training, environmental management systems, compliance audits and self-policing, environmental cleanups, emissions and discharge regulation, hazardous waste management, workplace safety, and government relations and policymaking.
• Our guidance connects compliance obligations with broader environmental strategies, positioning your organization to leverage federal initiatives on climate change, resource management, and sustainability.
  

Environmental Enforcement Defense & Litigation

We’ve represented clients in environmental disputes involving a variety of regulatory programs, including agency enforcement actions alleging regulatory violations in major program areas (air, water, solid waste, hazardous waste, wetland, or stormwater); “takings” and other alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act; citizen suits and claims for injunctive relief brought under federal law; toxic tort class actions; contaminated site litigation; and state court actions.

Water

Strategically navigate the federal laws and regulations relating to the use and treatment of water resources and restrictions on pollution of water. Our extensive experience includes regulatory matters; permitting consulting; post NPDEs challenges; water quality, Total Max Daily Loads (TMDLs), and stormwater; compliance counseling and audits; wetlands issues; Safe Drinking Water Act compliance and counseling, water quantity issues; sediment cleanup; and climate change and water impacts.

Contaminated Property & Remediation

Climate Change & Sustainability

Contaminated Property & Remediation

Compliance Counseling & Advocacy

Enforcement Defense & Litigation

Water

Climate Change & Sustainability

We help you strive for a sustainable future while promoting responsible commerce, through counsel on matters such as carbon markets, emission credits, and emissions-related agreements; green building construction and retrofits; corporate sustainability programs; project development and financing; Greenhouse Gas Protocol standards; water conservation and appropriation; and energy efficiency initiatives.

Our Environmental and Natural Resources Experience

Advised the owner/operator of a Wisconsin petroleum refinery on its planned $50 million upgrade. Michael Best assisted in obtaining authorizations and in government relations issues associated with the proposed project. We facilitated meetings with state officials, resulting in an agreed-on approach for expediting and easing the permitting process. We are also defending this client against a Notice of Violation issued under the U.S. EPA’s flaring enforcement initiative, alleging violations of the Clean Air Act. The case involves novel legal theories, many of which have national implications.

Defended an investor-owned utility in litigation filed by the U.S. EPA and Sierra Club, alleging Clean Air Act violations at power plants in Wisconsin. Our client owns and operates a fleet of electric generating assets, and the power plants at issue are co-owned with other regulated utilities. We negotiated an approximately $2 billion settlement with the Sierra Club, U.S. DOJ, and EPA, and we continue to represent our client in implementing the settlement agreement.

• Serve as special counsel to a state government’s Department of Administration, providing environmental compliance representation and regulatory advice related to approximately 50 coal-fired boilers owned and operated by the State. We represented the State in litigation initiated by the Sierra Club, alleging the boilers are in violation of the Clean Air Act. We reached a partial settlement and are assisting with implementation. We also assisted the State with an investigation conducted by the U.S. EPA as to the compliance status of these boilers. We work with the State to evaluate environmental regulations and advise on compliance, including the permitting of modifications to heating plants as part of a long-term compliance strategy.