Washington State continues to be at the forefront of environmental legislation, regulatory developments, and precedent-setting lawsuits as outlined in Law360’s, “4 Key Environmental Issues Facing Washington.” Despite the state’s efforts to strengthen policies affecting these areas, some organizations argue that the state could do more. Some industry representatives, though, are weary of the compliance costs associated with these new policies.

Dave Weber (Office Managing Principal, Seattle) commented that firms like B&D are fielding an increasing number of complex questions in reaction to these developments.

"Washington State is a laboratory for muscular environmental regulation, from its economy-wide Climate Commitment Act to the enactment of the strongest state chemicals bill in the country," said Dave. He added, "[f]or environmental lawyers, the relentless pace of new legislation and rulemakings highlights the importance of being proactive in monitoring and unpacking proposed rules for clients."

The article goes on to discuss the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund site and discusses the more than 40 companies negotiating the division of the more than $1 billion clean-up costs. Dave noted that the litigation filed by the Port of Seattle against Boeing over cleanup costs for the LDW Superfund site could potentially jeopardize the ability of parties to resolve the matter.

Dave is the founder and editor of B&D’s West Coast Environmental Resource Center, which tracks emerging trends in environmental, regulatory, and EHS issues in Washington, Oregon, and California.

The lawyers in the firm’s Seattle Office are committed to continuing their long legacy of addressing the most challenging environmental issues in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the nation.