Laurie Matthews

Laurie brings to her practice six years of experience as an environmental engineering consultant, during which she was involved in all phases of contaminated site remediation, conducted environmental assessments, and prepared permit applications.

She works with potentially responsible parties (PRPs) in all aspects related to contaminated sites. This includes working closely with consultants and experts and negotiating with regulatory agencies. She handles environmental cost recovery and contribution litigation among corporations and with the US and state governments. In her litigation and cost recovery work, Laurie represents both individual companies and PRP groups. Laurie also leads two multi-industry groups that focus on federal and state policy and regulations to encourage faster, more economical, and sufficiently protective cleanup of contaminated sites.

She regularly conducts permitting and regulatory casework, determining applicability and compliance. She represents major corporations in defense of enforcement actions at both the federal and state levels.

Laurie’s transactional practice includes project finance, mergers, acquisitions, land use and development, as well as liability buyouts.

• Superfund Settlements Project (SSP) and RCRA Corrective Action Project (RCAP), two multi-industry groups composed of major corporations that share a common interest in seeing their respective programs operate efficiently and rationally, achieving site closures with a minimum of expense and delay; counsels and drafts comments on federal and state rulemakings and policies affecting CERCLA/Superfund and the RCRA, and regularly engages with EPA leadership on behalf of SSP and RCAP on issues affecting the cleanup of contaminated sites  
• Chemical manufacturer in connection with the remediation of radiological materials being conducted under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP); assisted in negotiating a settlement with the United States for the FUSRAP cleanup, represents the company in a parallel Superfund cleanup of chemical contaminants, and provides counsel on regulatory matters related to the cleanup, including those relating to a license issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Chemical manufacturer in connection with the remediation of a former facility where PCBs are the principal contaminant of concern; performed extensive analyses regarding the handling and remediation of PCBs, and worked closely with consultants to develop a risk-based remediation proposal for approval by the US Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to regulations implementing the Toxic Substances Control Act; and supported third-party liability buyout by identifying requirements for the buyout, assisting in contractor selection, drafting and negotiating the liability buyout contract with the contractor and a settlement agreement with the state including settlement of natural resource damages, and negotiating the insurance policy backing the buyout
• Power producer in connection with its wastewater discharge permit for a nuclear power plant; supported all aspects of permit renewal through review of technical application submissions, counseling on regulatory requirements, and drafting advocacy documents
• Insurance company in connection with coverage under environmental cost cap policy for claims relating to RCRA closure and CERCLA, including determining regulatory basis for coverage decision
• As representative of common counsel, managed all legal, technical, and administrative aspects of a Superfund site remediation, including negotiating consent decrees with federal and state environmental agencies, supporting allocation among PRPs, negotiating consultant contracts, working with federal and state agencies in remedy selection, drafting comments on agency decision documents, managing trust funds and consultants, and overseeing all technical work