Environmental and Land Use

The Klinedinst Environmental and Land Use group has a diverse background handling environmental matters, which briefly defined, means any legal obligation or liability arising under Environmental Law. This includes assisting and advising clients as to regulatory compliance issues, administrative inquiries, civil matters and criminal investigations. While we have aggressively defended litigation and enforcement actions, we also represent clients in negotiations with administrative agencies and prosecutorial bodies to resolve these disputes before they reach the courts.

Whenever possible, we counsel clients in an effort to altogether avert litigation and regulatory enforcement actions before they arise. Our experience in environmental contract and indemnity negotiations, risk assessment, and compliance counseling is invaluable to achieving these goals. If litigation or an enforcement action becomes inevitable, we have experienced litigators and trial attorneys with the skills necessary to aggressively defend our clients.

We have handled matters involving personal injury arising from exposure to hazardous substances or waste, property damage from the release or discharge of such substances or waste, and regulatory compliance related to use, treatment, labeling, storage, disposal or transportation of such substances or waste. This includes State and Federal hazardous waste cleanups, air, soil and ground water contamination, hazardous materials management, Superfund and CERCLA matters, Clean Water Act actions, toxic torts and chemical exposures, underground storage tank issues, asbestos, lead, mold and indoor air quality issues as well as California’s Proposition 65 claims.

In additional to trial experience in the courtroom, we have dealt with agencies such as the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, the California Air Resource Board and Air Quality Management Districts, the California Water Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the State Attorney General, and countless county and local agencies.

Our clients have included industrial, commercial and residential property owners, developers and managers, consumer and industrial product manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers, ship builders and repair facilities, agricultural operations and agricultural landowners, biosolids composting facilities, gasoline service stations, trucking and automotive repair and car washing businesses, hazardous waste and materials transporters, and numerous nationally-recognized environmental engineers, consultants and contractors.