Crowell & Moring's Natural Resources & Environmental Group Adds New Partner, Increases Depth In Chemical, Pesticides, Transporation

Washington, D.C. – May 4, 2006: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the addition of partner James C. Chen to the firm’s nationally recognized Natural Resources & Environmental (NR&E) Group. A former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attorney who joins from Hogan & Hartson, LLP, Chen counsels clients on the environmental, transportation and safety law areas, with an emphasis on legislative, rulemaking, and compliance counseling in technical and engineering matters.

“Crowell & Moring’s Natural Resources & Environmental Group offers clients a deep bench of more than 15 attorneys dedicated to environmental regulatory counseling, agency advocacy, and litigation. We are thrilled to have Jim on the team because he helps serve clients in the pesticides, chemical, and right-to-know arenas, where hands-on knowledge of industry and the agencies is critical. Jim also brings impressive experience in representing the transportation industry on air emissions and safety matters,” said Steven P. Quarles, Crowell & Moring partner and chair of the firm’s NR&E Group.

For chemical and pesticide clients, Chen provides counsel on issues concerning the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA). This work currently includes representing a client in defense of a petition to revoke an existing pesticide registration and application of various EPA pesticide and chemical policies to clients’ products and practices.

Chen’s practice also includes a significant focus on the transportation industry in emissions and safety issues under Title II (mobile sources) of the Clean Air Act and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as well as other statutes administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Among other matters, Chen is currently advising clients on the impact of EPA’s new 2007 emission standards on heavy-duty engines and trucks.

“Crowell & Moring’s remarkable pool of environmental experience is of great benefit to my clients, and I am especially pleased to be part of a group that has institutionalized the values of teamwork and client service in such a unique way,” said Chen.

The firm’s NR&E group regularly teams on client matters with Crowell & Moring subsidiary C&M Capitolink. The public affairs group recently added new partner Patrick J. Donnelly, Ph.D, former executive vice president and chief operating officer of CropLife America, the largest trade association for the pesticide industry.

Chen is currently serving as a Vice Chair on the American Bar Association’s Committee on Pesticides, Chemical Regulation and Right-to-Know and has served as an editor for such publications as the National Safety Council’s Accident Prevention Manuals and The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers’ “ Environmental Compliance Assistance Guide for Colleges and Universities.” Chen is a former senior enforcement attorney for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, where he was hired through the agency’s Honors Hire Program. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

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.