Environmental Protection Agency Deputy General Counsel Joins Crowell & Moring's Environment & Natural Resources Group

Washington, D.C. – September 25, 2006: Chet M. Thompson, deputy general counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has joined Crowell & Moring LLP's nationally recognized Environment & Natural Resources (ENR) Group as partner. Thompson’s move comes on the heels of significant growth within the group, which since March has boasted three other major hires, including EPA former general counsel Ann R. Klee, Paul R. Noe, former counselor to the administrator at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and former EPA lawyer and Hogan & Hartson partner James C. Chen.

“The addition of Chet to the Environment & Natural Resources Group points to an important moment in the growth of our practice as we round out our expertise and experience through the additions of some of the very top environmental lawyers in the field. The combination of the group’s comprehensive knowledge, broad service in government, and long track record in counseling and assisting clients on their critical regulatory and litigation needs is unique, even among Washington firms. It’s a dream team,” said Steven P. Quarles, Crowell & Moring partner and chair of the firm’s ENR Group.

 While at EPA, Thompson oversaw the air and radiation law office and the solid waste and emergency response law office, as well as provided legal advice to the EPA administrator and general counsel. Thompson specializes in air quality, waste, global warming and ozone matters, and advised on the legal aspects of many of the Bush Administration’s hallmark Clean Air Act (CAA) initiatives, including off-road engine and low-sulfur diesel standards, the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), New Source Review (NSR) reforms, designations and implementation of the revised national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate matter, and implementation of the CAA’s residual risk program.

“Serving at EPA allowed me to take on some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the country, and I’m proud of the work our team accomplished. I’ll be bringing that experience to bear as I help clients better manage their environmental programs and anticipate what’s coming next, especially as it concerns the complicated and evolving issues under the Clean Air Act, including global warming,” said Thompson.

Thompson’s practice includes counseling, litigation, and regulatory and legislative representation of a wide array of clients under the major environmental statutes, including CAA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability, and Recovery Act (CERCLA).

The ENR Group’s capabilities were further boosted in August through the addition of Klee, who is the only environmental attorney in the nation known to have held paramount legal positions in both the Congress and the Executive Branch, having also served as Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works and Counselor to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. In May, Noe joined the ENR Group as counsel and Crowell & Moring government relations firm Capitolink LLC as partner, bringing more than 20 years of experience in environmental and administrative law. Also in May, the group gained Chen, who added depth in the area of chemicals and pesticides, as well as environmental, transportation and safety law areas.

Crowell & Moring’s Environment & Natural Resources Group offers clients in-depth experience in interpreting and shaping natural resources and environmental laws, regulations and policies, as well as negotiating and litigating when disputes arise. The group’s lawyers are regularly ranked by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, PLC Which Lawyer?, and other industry peer-review guides for their national reputation in areas including water, air, and endangered species protection, federal public land use, site cleanup and reclamation, chemical and pesticide manufacturing, natural resources development (mining, forestry, and agriculture), safety and health, and consumer products regulation.

Crowell & Moring LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 300 attorneys practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, corporate, intellectual property and more than 40 other practice areas. More than two-thirds of the firm's attorneys regularly litigate disputes on behalf of domestic and international corporations, start-up businesses, and individuals. Crowell & Moring's extensive client work ranges from advising on one of the world's largest telecommunications mergers to representing governments and corporations on international arbitration matters. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm also has offices in Brussels, California and London.