(T) (415) 262-4007

  kfinney@bdlaw.com
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456 Montgomery Street
Suite 1800
San Francisco, CA 94104-1251
San Francisco

• Administrative Law
• Air
• Clean Water Act
• Hazardous Waste/RCRA
• Insurance Recovery
• Workplace Health and Safety
• Environmental
• Land Use

• Reed College (B.A., 1978)
• University of California, Berkeley (M.S., 1987)
• University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall) (J.D., 1987)

• California
• U.S. Federal Court of Appeals: Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Federal District Courts: Northern, Central, Eastern Districts of California

Mr. Finney’s 30-year career in California environmental law has given him extensive experience with California statutes and regulatory programs in the areas of hazardous substances, natural resources and worker safety.  He also has extensive experience with land-use permitting and litigation.

Mr. Finney’s environmental practice has included: Environmental, Health and Safety counseling; significant permitting, enforcement and variance proceedings before State and regional Air Quality and Water Quality Boards; administrative trials and appeals, including before the federal Environmental Appeals Board and EPA and CalOSHA administrative judges; local land-use permitting and litigation, including CEQA, related to large land-use projects such as backbone telecommunication projects and commercial retail developments; California Green Chemistry and Prop 65 counseling; and RCRA and CERCLA hazardous waste administrative actions and litigation.

Mr. Finney’s California environmental law practice has included significant involvement in rulemaking with respect to air, water and hazardous waste laws at the State, regional and local levels.  This work has extended to litigation over the interpretation and implementation of newly enacted rules.  His experience with the complete range of enactment and enforcement of environmental laws provides an unparalleled foundation for his counselling clients on environmental and land-use matters.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Finney was a partner for thirteen years at a large national law firm practicing in environmental and land-use law, and related litigation. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Finney worked in the California Governor’s Office as the Assistant to the Governor for Toxic Substances Control, and worked in the California Legislature as a Consultant to the California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources, and as a Legislative Aide for a State Senator. In those capacities, he drafted and negotiated numerous California statutes and administrative policy initiatives in toxic substances control and resource protection. Among other things, he drafted the legislation creating CalOSHA’s Worker Right-to-Know Hazard Communication System and was responsible for the administrative creation of the Division of Toxic Substances Control.

• BNSF Railway, Clear Channel Outdoor, Westfield (project development); Tyco Electronics, First Solar (environmental); Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide (insurance recovery).