Robert S. Melvin has more than 25 years of experience counseling clients on environmental, health, and safety compliance, sustainability, emergency response efforts, site remediation, and development projects. He also represents companies and organizations in related real estate and corporate transactions, and in proceedings before agencies and courts. A wide range of clients benefit from his services, including aerospace and other manufacturers, stone and aggregate producers, metal finishers, municipalities, educational institutions, and water and wastewater utilities.
Sustainability and Environmental, Health and Safety (EH+S) Regulatory
Bob’s broad “EH+S” experience helps manufacturers and other businesses, institutions, and utilities address the range of regulatory demands they face, such as the following federal programs and their state counterparts:
- Worker safety standards enforced under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Mine Safety and Health Act
- Clean Water Act permitting of wastewater and stormwater discharges
- Clean Air Act emissions regulation
- Hazardous waste management and underground storage tank requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
- Spill and chemical reporting and release prevention under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Clean Water Act
- Regulation of chemical manufacturing and distribution under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
- Environmental disclosures under Regulation S-K of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and corporate reporting of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters to the public and interested investors
His studies in chemical engineering and prior experience as an environmental engineer at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) help him appreciate the mix of legal and technical issues affecting his clients' matters. Recognizing the growing and evolving scope of EH+S concerns, Bob helped create and now co-chairs the firm’s Sustainability Group. This interdisciplinary team provides the firm and our clients with the coordination and experience required to successfully identify and implement sustainable strategies for minimizing the impacts of their operations and products. Bob has also held positions on the University of Connecticut’s Environmental Policy Advisory Council and a DEEP “lean” task force formed to help the agency streamline its adjudication process.
