Beveridge & Diamond anticipates, advises on, and proactively manages sensitive multi-stakeholder interactions and risk management related to environmental justice.
Why B&D?
We represent multinational companies and municipal clients in audits, complex environmental disputes and high-profile project management, corporate ethics, environmental compliance, and investigations related to environmental justice (EJ) and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) enforcement.
B&D’s sole focus on environmental issues—including ESG, air and climate change, project development and permitting, water quality, and waste management—enables us to offer clients the comprehensive expertise necessary to effectively address EJ issues.
We bring together a group of diverse lawyers who have not only helped industry clients proactively address EJ issues for decades, but have experience addressing these issues as high-level government officials. Our attorneys draw upon their experiences working on EJ matters during their tenures at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to craft creative solutions for clients. Our clients benefit from their perspectives and experience gained from: overseeing civil settlements and criminal actions centered around EJ issues; serving on the Obama Administration’s White House Task Force on Environmental Justice; assisting with the reorganization of EPA’s External Civil Rights Compliance Office, which oversees Title VI enforcement for EPA; and advising on and supporting EPA’s response to the Flint drinking water crisis and related congressional hearings.
At B&D, our relationships with various stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and industry groups, enable us to strategically coordinate and manage the complex dynamics and issues that EJ presents. We regularly organize and participate in EJ conferences, bar and industry initiatives, and webinars, including organizing an annual CLE panel on EJ at the National Bar Association’s Annual Convention for over a decade, sponsoring the National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program, and leading the American Bar Association’s Special Committee on Environmental Justice.
“Any effort to address environmental equity [justice] issues effectively must include all segments of society: the affected communities, the public at large, industry, people in policy-making positions, and all levels and branches of government.”
— Bill Reilly, Former EPA Administrator
Services
Our services include:
- Internal corporate audits, conducted under privilege, and independent EJ reviews to meet increasing stakeholder demand for greater transparency
- Identification of emerging compliance risks, based upon definitions of EJ communities under federal and state law
- Site-specific and enterprise-level EJ assessments and risk mitigation strategy development under privilege
- Development of corporate EJ policies, implementation plans, and governance counseling in alignment with corporate ESG programs and policies
- Defense and strategic counseling for enforcement actions, investigations, audits, and crisis management related to EJ issues and Title VI
- Identification of opportunities for engagement with federal and state government officials overseeing EJ matters and representation during outreach
- EJ training for corporate leadership, legal teams, and other relevant employee groups addressing issues relevant to EJ
- Tracking and reporting on federal, state, and international EJ developments, including a 50-state survey
