David counsels clients through the lens of a former in-house attorney to provide insightful and practical advice. He understands a client’s business and the unique policies related to environmental, health and safety (EHS) legal issues associated with permitting, compliance, transactional due diligence, regulatory development, enforcement defense and related litigation.
David’s practice focuses on EHS matters, especially those involving the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). He has nearly 20 years of experience working with energy clients, including oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) companies, renewable energy companies, pipelines, domestic and international manufacturers, banking institutions, and corporate and individual clients. In addition to a myriad of matters associated with environmental and land use permitting, compliance and/or enforcement, David provides experienced corporate counseling for institutional clients regarding issues associated with environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns, including internal assessments and auditing, reporting and disclosure concerns, with a focus on climate change. David has led environmental legal due diligence and transactional negotiations for asset and equity based transactions, brownfields redevelopments, and coordinated response and remedial actions for hazardous environmental releases. His work with clients on permitting, compliance and enforcement defense matters has led him to regular interaction with agency staffs, at US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and equivalent state agencies and historic preservation officers.
Prior to joining Hunton Andrews Kurth, David was lead in-house environmental counsel for a Fortune 500, diverse midstream energy company.
Relevant Experience
- Extensive experience with siting, permitting and compliance counseling for energy facility and linear projects, including but not limited to pipeline projects, associated compressor and/or boosting stations, natural gas/NGL processingplants and fractionation facilities, and onshore wind power generation projects.
- Specific project involvements include, but are not limited to, legal advice and consultation on the following: New Source Review (NSR) (including Prevention of Significant Deterioration and/or Non-Attainment NSR) and/or Title V Permitting under the Clean Air Act and related state statutes/regulations; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) matters involved with both Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pipeline construction projects, including pursuit of Department of State Presidential Permits for international boundary crossings; wetlands and waterways permitting under the CWA and related regulations, including federal Nationwide Permits; endangered species permitting, compliance and consultation under federal and state endangered species acts and regulations; and cultural resource compliance under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and related consultations between federal, state and tribal authorities.
