Businesses for which we have worked deal with agriculture and agricultural products and processing; automobiles and auto salvage; boatyards, marinas and boat services; building materials and construction; chemical manufacture, storage and transportation; concrete and asphalt manufacturing; electric power generation and transmission; equipment and machinery yards; jewelry manufacturing; hazardous waste storage, treatment, transport and disposal; metal plating and fabricating; medical waste handling; natural gas pipelines, storage and transmission; recycling facilities and operations; oil storage and transportation; paper and box manufacturing; pesticides and herbicides storage and application; printing and painting operations; road construction and reconstruction; sewers and sewage treatment; solar array siting and operations; solid waste transfer stations, landfills and incinerators; underground and above ground storage tanks; and wind turbines siting, transportation, assembly and operations.
Some businesses just "deal with trouble as it comes." They rely on lawyers to get them out of trouble. They learn after-the-fact that some permit was supposed to have been obtained, some report prepared, some document filed, some notice published, some approval sought, or some question answered.
Other businesses merely try to "do the minimum." They find out what the law requires and stay close to it by learning the regulations. At least they have an internal mechanism to anticipate and meet applicable standards. If they are accused of violating pollution laws, at least they have the comfort of being able to say they "tried."
The most successful companies "manage for environmental protection." They minimize environmental impacts or eliminate them. They reward environmentally sensitive approaches by employees. They stay ahead of the competition by adopting good ideas before the law requires them. They force the competition to incorporate (as a quick change to present operations) the same controls they adopt at leisure.
The successful industry satisfies the legitimate concerns of regulatory agencies and the public. It monitors changing legal developments. It designs environmental protection into production processes and plant expansions. It turns regulatory homework and environmental headaches into profit-making investments.
In this successful approach, such things as selecting the site, conceiving the project, designing construction, and operating the business all are planned with a realistic view of the constraints posed by public health and natural resource considerations. In other words, no decisions on technical and economic feasibility are made without knowing environmental feasibility.
We can assist showing agencies how your industry is responsive to the public interest as enunciated in statutes and regulations. We can help specify good project features with clear, written communications and detailed explanations. We can help create a project plan illustrating a responsible choice of site, proposed use, consultant team, concept and design, manufacturing technique, and environmental safeguards. At the same time we can help enforce your rights to fair and efficient review and approval.
Environmental law is firmly established and will not go away. It is a mistake to not integrate environmental considerations into industrial operations. Today it makes economic as well as environmental common sense.