CL&M Partner Participates in Roundtable on Toxic Site Cleanup

Environmental Practice Group Co-Director Clifford P. Case III took part in a roundtable in January on cleanup of manufactured gas plant sites moderated by American City & County Magazine editor Janet Ward. An article on the roundtable appeared in the March 2001 issue of the magazine. Also taking part were Jim Cummings of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Harry Porr, City Manager of the City of Newburgh, NY; Bob Elliott, Mayor of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY; Susan Kath, chief of the Environmental Law Division in the New York City Corporation Counsel's office; Tod Delaney, president of environmental consulting firm First Environment, Inc.; and Mark Leitner, a shareholder with the Milwaukee, WI, law firm of Kravit, Gass, Hovel & Leitner.

The panel focused on two specific manufactured gas plant cases in which municipalities sued responsible utilities, one involving the City of Newburgh, NY, represented by Carter, Ledyard & Milburn, and the other involving the City of West Allis, WI, represented by Kravit, Gass, Hovel & Leitner. Questions covered included the fundamentals of manufactured gas plants and the pollution they create, bases for liability, remediation techniques and funding sources. Remediation of contaminated sites was tied to economic redevelopment of urban areas and curbing sprawl. According to Case, "Part of the way to avoid the costs of sprawl is to focus development on cleaning up and reusing brownfield sites, including gas sites."

Contact Clifford P. Case (case@clm.com) for a copy of the article.