Environmental Compliance

The Law Firm of Mary Susan Davies offers legal services in all matters involving federal environmental laws and compliance.  From her office in Glen Allen, Ms. Davies helps clients in Virginia and Pennsylvania to navigate a range of regulations, including:

Federal Environmental Laws

There are two main federal acts which most commonly affect industrial, business, and individual clients: the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. 

• Clean Water Act (CWA)

The Clean Water Act (CWA) regulates the quality of surface waters and the discharge of pollutants into waters.  The Act is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the implementation of pollution control standards, including wastewater standards and surface water contaminant standards.  The CWA distinguishes between point sources or "industrial discharge," where water and pollutants flow from natural or manmade sources, such as pipe or manmade ditches, and non-point sources or "storm water discharge," such as when nutrient from fertilizers are spread by rains.  According to the CWA, you cannot discharge pollutants from any point source into navigable waters without first obtaining a permit.

• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as delegated to the states by the EPA, governs industrial solid waste and hazardous waste from its generation, through transportation, treatment, and storage to final disposal.  RCRA governs municipal landfills and solid waste disposal facilities and prohibits the dumping of solid waste.  The goal of RCRA is to protect public health and the environment by effectively managing current waste, reducing and eliminating future waste, and conserving energy and natural resources through waste recycling and recovery. 

In addition, through the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA), RCRA also regulates underground storage tanks and underground tanks systems (USTs) to protect both public health and the environment.  HSWA regulations address leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs) through compliance and enforcement programs, tank standards, record keeping, and corrective actions.

Environmental Law Consultations

The Law Firm of Mary Susan Davies offers a wide range of consulting services, including advisement in the following matters:

• Compliance assistance with underground storage tank regulations
• Compliance assistance with environmental permits (Solid and Hazardous waste, NPDES, Wetlands, and Storm water discharges)
• Negotiations for â??Brownfield" land transactions (transactions involving vacant, derelict, or underused land and structures that have redevelopment potential)
• Representation in administrative hearings
• Legal review of Phase I and Phase II environmental property assessments

Providing Environmental Legal Counsel

Complying with federal environmental laws can be a difficult process, involving compliance with stringent standards and procurement of a multitude of permits.  Mary Susan Davies is committed to protecting the environment while working to ensure that her clients receive meaningful consideration of their matters before regulatory agencies.  If you seek help to understand your rights and responsibilities in connection with a particular environmental matter, please contact Mary Susan Davies for a consultation.