Environment and Natural Resources

Our lawyers combine substantive knowledge of environmental law with their litigation, compliance counselling, permitting, regulatory and legislative advocacy, and commercial transaction experience.

Our services
Testimonials
Contacts
Our experience
Recognitions
Insights

You may be considering potential litigation. Or seeking permitting advice for a large-scale project. Or you could be navigating a high-profile investigation or complex enforcement action, facing record-setting fines, intense regulatory scrutiny, and long-term damage to your brand all under the glare of heightened media attention.

Wherever you are in the world, the environmental lawyers at Hogan Lovells can help you address both your most complex challenges and the day-to-day issues required to maintain compliance – and keep pace with evolving policy and regulatory changes.

We take a collaborative approach, working alongside you, and, when needed, with regulators, investigators, and crisis response teams to resolve legal challenges efficiently and effectively. Our capabilities span litigation, investigations, permitting, compliance counseling, crisis management, regulatory and legislative advocacy, and commercial transactions. Known for our integrity and transparency, we provide clear, practical advice that helps you make sound decisions under pressure.

Our experience crosses industries and borders, from manufacturing, energy, and transportation to chemicals, agriculture, and beyond. State and local governments, as well as trade associations worldwide, also turn to us to address their environmental concerns.

Our capabilities are broad: air and water issues, environmental audits, enforcement matters, contaminated land liabilities, product safety controversies, waste management and disposal, hazardous and toxic substances, natural resources and species, toxic tort claims, and more. No matter the challenge, whether planned or urgent, we understand your needs and deliver creative, commercially focused solutions.

Our capabilities at a glance

$bn+

environmental enforcement and litigation exposure defended for clients

precedent-setting rulings secured in federal appellate courts.

300

environmental investigations and enforcement actions managed since 2020

$bn+

in real estate transactions supported through environmental due diligence

Hear from our clients and industry leaders

Hogan Lovells has a degree of knowledge and experience on a wide variety of regulatory matters. The department offers in-depth research, insights and actionable recommendations

Chambers & Partners, USA Guide

Hogan Lovells has a proven track record of handling extremely sophisticated environmental matters.

Chambers & Partners, USA Guide, 2025

Hogan Lovells have a robust and very experienced team with very strong expertise in sophisticated environmental matters. They give an excellent level of service and attention.

Chambers & Partners, Latin American Guide, 2025

Compliance and Environmental Permitting

Incident Response, Workplace Safety, Investigations and Auditing

Environmental Litigation

Environmental Transactions & Site Remediation

Greenwashing

Indigenous and Tribal Project Development

Our Compliance and Environmental Permitting team advises on the most substantive issues affecting air, water, and climate regulation. We guide clients through permitting, compliance counseling, investigations, and enforcement, working closely with regulators and stakeholders to secure practical outcomes. Our experience spans Clean Air Act programs for stationary and mobile sources (NSR/PSD, NESHAP/MACT, GHG, CAFE, ZEV), Clean Water Act matters (NPDES, wetlands, stormwater, pretreatment, WQBELs, CZMA), and risk management under SPCC, SDWA, and climate frameworks including emissions trading and GHG credits. We help clients obtain and defend critical permits for industrial, energy, and infrastructure projects worldwide, ensuring a strong record to support favorable terms and challenging adverse decisions. When disputes arise, we represent clients in litigation, enforcement defense, and regulatory advocacy.

Our Incident Response and Workplace Safety team provides immediate, experienced support when crisis strikes and helps clients prepare for the unexpected. With former regulators, prosecutors, litigators, and industry leaders, we deliver on-the-ground guidance to coordinate with first responders, preserve evidence, manage reporting, and engage effectively with regulators, media, and stakeholders. We focus on mitigating response costs, fines, and reputational harm while securing safety and maintaining operational stability. Beyond the initial event, whether fires, explosions, chemical releases, or industrial accidents, we counsel clients through investigations, enforcement actions, remediation, disputes, and insurance recovery. Our proactive planning services include risk assessments, simulations, and response plans that strengthen resilience and reduce liability. From crisis through long-term recovery, we provide steady counsel to safeguard businesses, people, and the environment.

We represent clients in litigation matters governed by the environmental laws in courts and before agencies across the United States involving:

Civil and criminal enforcement actions
Cost recovery and contribution actions
Rulemaking challenges
Toxic torts
Citizens suits
Product liability
Permit appeals
Water permit and allocation suits

We leverage the deep knowledge of our environmental attorneys on the substantive laws and regulations to develop the most effective litigation strategies and defenses. We team up with our nationally recognized civil and criminal trial litigators and our toxic tort, U.S. class action, and appellate practitioners to cover all aspects of complex litigation.

Our team advises on environmental issues in high-stakes commercial transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, real estate, financings, and portfolio sales. We negotiate key provisions under tight deadlines – representations, warranties, indemnities, and escrow agreements – while coordinating with consultants on Phase I/II assessments, compliance audits, and liability quantification. We secure defenses to liability, transfer permits, and help clients assess and procure environmental insurance policies.

A hallmark of our practice is hands-on collaboration with clients and consultants to develop cost-effective remediation strategies. We manage complex site matters involving CERCLA, RCRA, Brownfields, and oil spill programs, ensuring compliance while minimizing liability. Our lawyers have served as both trusted advisors and project managers on multiyear, multimillion-dollar remediation projects, guiding clients to flexible, protective, and commercially practical outcomes.

As sustainability commitments and ESG disclosures grow, so too does the scrutiny around “greenwashing.” Companies face increasing legal, regulatory, and reputational risks when environmental claims are overstated, misleading, or unsupported. Regulators worldwide, including the FTC, SEC, EPA, EU, and state attorneys general, are ramping up enforcement, while NGOs and private plaintiffs pursue consumer protection, securities fraud, and false advertising claims. Our team helps clients navigate this evolving landscape by reviewing marketing and disclosure practices, advising on compliance with green claims guidelines, and defending against investigations and litigation. We combine deep knowledge of environmental law with practical, cross-border experience to mitigate risk while supporting credible, science-based sustainability strategies.

The goal is to secure for Native Americans and their allies the economic benefits of appropriate development. We have helped with the licensing of clean energy generating station on tribal land, the transfer to Indian ownership of a coal mine on its lands, the enhancement of a tribal fishery through removal of antiquated flood control facilities, tribe’s financing and acquisition of valuable second-growth forest lands, and negotiation of permits for traditional native uses within National Parks. Our capabilities are broad: air and water issues, environmental audits, enforcement matters, contaminated land liabilities, product safety controversies, waste management and disposal, hazardous and toxic substances, natural resources and species, toxic tort claims, and more. No matter the challenge, whether planned or urgent, we understand your needs and deliver creative, commercially focused solutions.

Key contacts

Tom Boer

Partner

Tom Boer

Partner

San Francisco, Los Angeles

Nadira Clarke

Partner

Nadira Clarke

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Adam M. Kushner

Partner

Adam M. Kushner

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Scott H. Reisch

Partner

Scott H. Reisch

Partner

Denver

Meet the Environment and Natural Resources team

Representative experience

Representation of a global provider of labor and production services criminally charged in connection with a multi-fatality incident on an oil and gas production platform.

Represent a leading packaging tech company in precedent-setting TSCA and PFAS litigation of national significance, securing appellate wins, case dismissals, and protecting operations against EPA overreach.

Advise on the nation’s largest renewable energy project, a precedent-setting transmission development of national significance, providing permitting guidance and defending it in federal litigation.

Advise real estate investors on complex environmental matters, from contamination and liability issues to regulatory challenges, while also supporting transactions across the U.S.

Advised on the first U.S. MARAD license for an offshore LNG export project, a precedent-setting matter of national significance, guiding permitting, environmental review, and ongoing federal litigation.

Awards and recognitions

Ranked Band 1 for Environment in the District of Columbia

Chambers USA

2025

Ranked Band 2 for Nationwide

Chambers USA

2025

Ranked Band 2 for Environment in Colorado

Chambers USA

2025

Ranked Band 4 for Environment in California

Chambers USA

2025

Practice Group of the Year

Law360

2018

Other ways we can help you

Navigate change with our latest insights

Insights and Analysis

ESG and Defence in the UK and EU – navigating the politics and legal requirements to include defence projects in sustainable investment funds

01 September 2025

News

U.S. Directorate of Defense Trade Controls releases list of FY 2025 Q1 proposed commercial defense export licenses

22 July 2025

Insights and Analysis

The EU Space Act: A new proposal, towards a European space economy

14 July 2025

News

Europe’s Defence Reset: Major reform efforts unveiled in Brussels and Berlin

18 June 2025

Our capabilities at a glance

environmental enforcement and litigation exposure defended for clients

precedent-setting rulings secured in federal appellate courts.

environmental investigations and enforcement actions managed since 2020

in real estate transactions supported through environmental due diligence

Hear from our clients and industry leaders

Hogan Lovells has a degree of knowledge and experience on a wide variety of regulatory matters. The department offers in-depth research, insights and actionable recommendations

Hogan Lovells has a proven track record of handling extremely sophisticated environmental matters.

Hogan Lovells have a robust and very experienced team with very strong expertise in sophisticated environmental matters. They give an excellent level of service and attention.

Our practices shaped by your issues

Compliance and Environmental Permitting

Incident Response, Workplace Safety, Investigations and Auditing

Environmental Litigation

Environmental Transactions & Site Remediation

Greenwashing

Indigenous and Tribal Project Development

Key contacts

Representative experience

Awards and recognitions

Ranked Band 1 for Environment in the District of Columbia

Ranked Band 2 for Nationwide

Ranked Band 2 for Environment in Colorado

Ranked Band 4 for Environment in California

Practice Group of the Year

Other ways we can help you

Policy & Advocacy

Deepwater Ports

Transportation Safety

Transportation

Crisis Leadership Team

AG Practice

SEC

Products Law

Litigation

Global Class and Collective Actions

ESG

Gaming

Navigate change with our latest insights

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