Tap applies his years of government experience to identify and mitigate compliance risks, advise on regulatory issues, and resolve problems when they arise. Tap litigates complex civil disputes including enforcement defense matters, citizen suits, and mass tort actions. Additionally, Tap employs his understanding of federal government processes to help clients navigate nuanced questions of environmental law.
Prior to joining B&D, Tap served as a Trial Attorney in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Environment & Natural Resources Division, where he handled matters arising under the major environmental pollution statutes. Tap led civil enforcement case teams in various Clean Air Act (CAA) matters involving natural gas processing, chemical manufacturing, and aftermarket auto parts. He negotiated and drafted consent decrees under both the CAA and Clean Water Act (CWA), involving detailed injunctive relief packages, mitigation, and Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs), and enforced stormwater and industrial wastewater permit requirements under the CWA. Tap also secured substantial cost recoveries in matters arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in a wide variety of contexts, including hard-rock mines, landfills, and lead-contaminated residential properties, and has handled cost recovery matters under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
Prior to working at DOJ, Tap clerked for the Honorable Richard D. Bennett, where he drafted opinions and bench memoranda on federal law issues, including those involving the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). During law school, he served in the University of Maryland’s Consumer Protection Clinic, the EPA Office of Criminal Enforcement, the EPA Office of Compliance, and the Major Investigations Unit at the State's Attorney's Office for Baltimore City.
