Brownfield Redevelopment

Transforming contaminated sites into engines of economic growth

$75M

Projected Investment — USS Lead Superfund Site

400-900

Jobs Created Per Project

We represent developers, investors, land banks, municipalities, and public-private partnerships in the acquisition, remediation, and redevelopment of contaminated and blighted properties across the United States, including sites listed on the EPA's National Priorities List.

Our attorneys have guided the transformation of abandoned industrial sites into logistics centers, distribution hubs, and commercial developments that create hundreds of jobs and bring economic revitalization to communities that have been waiting decades for investment.

Superfund Site Redevelopment and EPA Agreements

Our team has structured first-of-their-kind EPA Administrative Agreements enabling non-liable parties to implement final Superfund remedies, including negotiation of covenants not to sue that protect developers from legacy contamination. We work directly with EPA, state environmental agencies, county land bank authorities, and community stakeholders to build the legal frameworks that make large-scale brownfield redevelopment possible.

Real Impact for Real Communities

Contaminated sites don't just sit idle. They suppress property values, contaminate water, and deny communities the economic development they deserve. Our work changes that. We build the legal frameworks that let developers, municipalities, and public agencies transform abandoned industrial sites into productive assets, bringing jobs, investment, and environmental restoration to the neighborhoods that need it most.

What We Handle

EPA administrative agreements and covenants not to sue

CERCLA liability protection and Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser defense

State voluntary cleanup programs and No Further Remediation letters

Environmental due diligence for contaminated property acquisitions

Liability allocation in brownfield purchase and sale agreements

Public-private partnerships with land banks and municipal agencies

Environmental insurance placement and negotiation

Remediation oversight and regulatory approvals

Integration of cleanup with redevelopment planning

Representative Brownfield Experience

Structured a first-of-its-kind EPA Administrative Agreement enabling a non-liable party to implement the final Superfund remedy at a 55-acre former lead smelting facility on the National Priorities List, including covenants not to sue. Projected $75 million investment creating 400-900 jobs.

Advising a developer on the planned acquisition, remediation, and redevelopment of a 100+ acre former industrial Superfund site in the Midwest, targeting conversion to a logistics and commercial development center.

Served as common counsel for a CERCLA PRP group in remedy negotiations with U.S. EPA, implementing landfill remedies, allocation determinations, and contribution litigation.

Advised private equity firms and portfolio companies on environmental risk allocation in acquisitions of contaminated commercial and industrial properties nationwide.

Counseled developers on state brownfield cleanup programs and regulatory approvals for residential and commercial redevelopment of former industrial sites in Illinois, Indiana, and across the Midwest.

Practice Leadership

Anne E. Viner

Anne E. Viner has served as Chair of the American Bar Association's Environmental Transactions and Brownfields Committee and is recognized nationally for her work on complex brownfield redevelopment projects across the United States.

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Pamela K. Elkow

Pamela K. Elkow, a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, has also chaired the ABA's Environmental Transactions and Brownfields Committee and brings 35 years of experience in brownfield transactions and regulatory compliance.