Pipelines

Why B&D?

In recent years, increased production of oil and gas in the United States, aging infrastructure, several high-profile accidents, and new regulations have brought pipeline safety and infrastructure issues into the spotlight for regulators and concerned citizens alike.

Beveridge & Diamond combines industry experience with deep knowledge of environmental law to help clients proactively navigate a changing regulatory environment, upgrade their compliance programs, and avoid and respond to federal and state enforcement actions. Our experience includes pipeline project development and permitting, regulatory compliance, risk assessments, worker and process safety, disposition of assets, enforcement readiness, internal investigations, and enforcement defense. We also participate in the rulemaking process on behalf of individual companies and industry groups to affect the final versions of the new pipeline regulations.

We understand this dynamic regulatory and enforcement landscape and have important relationships with the agencies that govern pipeline construction and operation, including the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as state regulators.

In addition to our familiarity with pipeline regulations and regulatory agencies, we advise pipeline builders and operators on air, water, hazardous waste, and wildlife issues impacting pipelines. These include matters arising under the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA), the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and White Collar investigations.