Insights

Washington – September 22, 2026: Crowell & Moring announced today that Michele Knorr, a former attorney in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of General Counsel, has joined the firm as senior counsel in its Environment & Natural Resources Group, where she will advise clients on agricultural technology and chemical regulatory issues.

Washington – August 20, 2026: The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 57 of the firm's attorneys in its 2027 edition, a testament to the firm's deep bench of legal talent across practices and offices nationwide. In addition, 29 attorneys have been named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® list, recognizing outstanding attorneys earlier in their careers. 

Washington – June 4, 2026: Crowell & Moring earned 92 individual rankings for 81 attorneys, as well as 48 national and statewide practice area rankings, in the Chambers USA 2026 guide. The Chambers guide ranks the country’s top law firms and lawyers through in-depth research, client interviews, and feedback from attorneys at peer firms. 

In a significant and unanimous ruling, the D.C. Circuit upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) final rule designating perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (“PFOS”) as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), denying the petitions of seven industry groups seeking to overturn that designation.[1] CERCLA, also known as the “Superfund Statute,” allows EPA to require potentially responsible parties to fund cleanup of hazardous substances.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew a February 2024 Biden administration proposed rule, “Definition of Hazardous Waste Applicable to Corrective Action for Releases From Solid Waste Management Units,” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).[1] The withdrawn proposal would have revised RCRA corrective action regulations to expressly apply the broader statutory definition of “hazardous waste,” rather than only the narrower regulatory definition. Now, EPA is maintaining the status quo for corrective action under RCRA. However, EPA’s withdrawal of its proposed RCRA hazardous waste definition makes no mention of its corresponding proposal from 2024 to list nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as RCRA hazardous constituents.[2] This disjointed withdrawal, while providing some certainty for regulated entities, does not resolve how EPA plans to address PFAS under the RCRA program.

Responding to the D.C. Circuit’s deadline to inform the court how it wishes to proceed in litigation challenging the agency’s listing of two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stood behind its rule. In a September 17, 2025 filing, EPA told the court that the Trump administration had completed its review and would ultimately keep the Biden-era CERCLA final rule in place. The agency also requested that the court remove—i.e. pause—the abeyance placed on the proceedings, so that the lawsuit could move forward and be adjudicated.

The ABA Section of Energy, Environment, and Resources is hosting an advanced-level conference for CERCLA practitioners offering in-depth discussion on matters related to Superfund site re-openers, and remedy revision to manage changing site conditions or hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants not anticipated in the original remedy. Attendees will gain insight into the finer points of an advanced Superfund practice. 

The 51st Spring Conference on Environmental Law is focused on the future of environmental law and how emerging topics and trends are fundamentally changing our practices. The last several years have been transformative for our society, the environment, and the way we practice law. COVID-19 and the growing frequency of intense weather events attributed to climate change have brought greater attention to the need for action by governments and companies and greater engagement by the public and NGOs.

The National Energy Industry Environmental Law Conference is designed primarily for energy attorneys. This conference will provide energy professionals with opportunities to network with their peers from in-house and law firm environments to build relationships that will benefit them professionally.

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Partner Amanda Berman will be presenting the session "Regulatory Roulette: The State of Play Under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Other Major Environmental Statutes" at 10:45 am on Wednesday, March 24th.

As regulated industries continue to confront mounting disruptions and, in some cases, temporary shutdown as a consequence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, they face the added challenge of managing a range of unrelenting environmental compliance obligations at both the federal and state levels.   

Join us for our third annual Well-Being Conference, highlighting leadership, education, and connection to further advance our well-being and to support the national lawyer well-being movement. 

When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers a new pesticide or reevaluates a pesticide in registration review, the Agency has a responsibility under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to ensure that the pesticide does not jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or adversely modify their designated critical habitats. Through consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (the Services), EPA identifies areas that may require geographically specific mitigations to protect listed species and/or critical habitats from the use of pesticides. The mitigations would be communicated in Bulletins Live! Two as specific locations requiring Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs). PULAs are specific to particular pesticides and may vary based on the properties of the pesticide. Before a PULA can be created it is first necessary to develop a core map. Core maps are species-specific and highlight areas that need to be conserved for a particular species. EPA has recently established a process for development of core maps and subsequent PULAs. This session will focus on the standardized core map development process as outlined by EPA and experiences from various parties that have used it in the development of core maps.