ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Environmental Conservation Attorney reviewing property contamination and toxic exposure for plaintiffs nationwide

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Property Contamination Lawsuits

Environmental laws, drilling regulations, and water conservation statutes exist to protect our precious land and waters. Many environmental conservation groups are tasked with taking on corporations and governments, and they often require legal assistance while engaging in land, marine, and water pollution.

The Lyon Firm takes pride in representing environmental conservation groups in tough legal battles, and has experience filing lawsuits against corporations and large polluters of land and waterways in toxic exposure, groundwater contamination, and environmental damage cases.

A non-profit conservation initiative may only be as effective as its ability to combat the violators of environmental law, and legal action may be required to reach a settlement and protect the environment in the long term.

The Lyon Firm works on a contingency fee basis and provides free consultations for non-profits, NGOs and not-for-profit environmental conservation organizations.

Environmental Conservation Lawyer

Environmental litigation is a crucial element in protecting waterways, marine parks, and implementing wildlife efforts and water conservation projects. Now more than ever, it is critical to bring light to the damage some governments and corporations have inflicted on the environment.

There are environmental laws in place, and yet there is a high demand for third-party conservation efforts and legal action. In many cases, filing environmental protection lawsuits is the only way to fight against large polluters and those responsible for contaminating waterways and land.

Energy corporations and oil and gas companies are the most high-profile targets in such cases, though they aren’t the only defendants in many conservation lawsuits.

The Lyon Firm and your environmental protection attorney can provide guidance on compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, and can assist non-profit conservation groups in developing conservation implementation strategies.

It is essential to understand the legal processes involved in reaching settlements with corporate entities, municipalities, and government agencies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Marine Conservation Campaigns & Litigation

A cleaner ocean, and marine conservation, are primary areas of interest for The Lyon Firm. We highly value all conservation efforts, though we focus our efforts on the protection of marine life and biodiverse oceanic ecosystems.

The value of marine life is clear, as the ocean sustains the lives of billions around the world, dictates our climate, produces the oxygen we breathe, and is the backbone of the planet’s water cycle. We take oil and gas spills, toxic exposure, and water pollution cases very seriously.

If any entity is responsible for damaging the environment and polluting land or waters, they can be sued and will be accountable for cleanup efforts, environmental damages, and all related legal costs. The Lyon Firm may be able to assist you and your environmental team in projects and legal cases related to the following:

Illegal Fishing lawsuits
Oil drilling disputes
Water rights litigation
Overfishing lawsuits
Endangered marine life conservation
Anti-poaching litigation
Destruction of habitat
Toxic water contamination
Ecosystem protection
Ocean Cleanups

Environmental Lawsuits & Marine Conservation

When environmental disasters occur, a legal team is assembled, which can include industry experts, research analysts, scientists, and conservation organizations close to the matter at hand.

In recent years, conservation lawsuits have targeted mining companies, energy corporations, oil and gas firms, power plants, landfills, fishing outfits, and governments for a failure to protect our land and waterways.

The oil spills in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico required enormous legal battles, and although most other environmental conservation lawsuits happen on a smaller scale, they are no less important.

Marine protected areas and marine sanctuaries have been threatened by overfishing and energy corporations. Long after laws are enacted to protect our oceans, conservation groups and environmental attorneys work to ensure the long-term health of those areas.

Deregulation and corporate interests continually challenge conservation efforts, and spur complex environmental litigation. The Lyon Firm can assist environmental groups in navigating the legal process when there are hurdles ahead.

The Lyon Firm works with industry experts around the country, and has the resources to build a strong conservation case on behalf of non-profits and conservation organization plaintiffs.

With your commitment and our legal expertise, we can help build a stronger environmental precedent and come out on the right side of conservation efforts.

Clean Water Act Lawsuits

The Center for Biological Diversity, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, and Surfrider Foundation have filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency for a failure to protect 17 bodies of water around Hawaii. The lawsuit has focused on widespread plastic pollution in the water.

The lawsuit says the plastics cover beaches, harm coral reefs, and threaten wildlife, and that the EPA has not done enough to protect the environment. Plaintiffs say the EPA has failed to examine studies showing widespread plastic pollution in coastal waters and declare the waters “impaired” under the Clean Water Act.

The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes a structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for bodies of water. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Under the CWA, the EPA has implemented pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for certain industries. The EPA has also developed national water quality criteria and recommendations for pollutants in surface waters.

The CWA is meant to ensure industrial and municipal facilities obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters.

Supported Environmental Conservation Groups

The Lyon Firm supports a wide range of conservation efforts and environmental organizations committed to protecting the environment. We welcome legal questions and provide free consultations for the following:

Environmental Protection Attorney

The Lyon Firm attorneys are involved in a wide variety of practice areas and have a passion for representing plaintiffs in cases where negligent corporations place profit before consumer safety, public health, and environmental sustainability.

A Voice for Those who have suffered

Why are these cases important?

Environmental Conservation cases help empower individual Americans to fight for their right to be protected, satisfactorily informed, and to stay safe. They also bring awareness to challenge and raise the expectations of companies that are not serving their country justly.

Give Yourself a Voice

Get Justice

Gain Recovery

Generate Awareness

Do I Have a Case?

Environmental Law FAQ

When Can I Sue a Company for Polluting the Environment?

A plaintiff may file a lawsuit against a company for polluting the environment and hold it accountable for damages and contamination. It may seem obvious, but protecting our planet is in all of our best interests, and any entity that harms our living space can be held liable by law.

With that said, a plaintiff must have “standing” to file a complaint in federal courts. Proper standing requires the individual bringing a lawsuit to demonstrate that they are the appropriate party to file the complaint.

In other words, we must clarify the cause of action and prove that the specific environmental damage in question, directly and adversely, impacts you and others.

Only lawsuits alleging an injury to a plaintiff can be heard by the federal courts, and the Supreme Court has noted that a particular plaintiff bringing a lawsuit must demonstrate that the action personally injures them.

Typically, in environmental contamination or water pollution cases, plaintiffs have claimed either economic damages or adverse personal health consequences. While it is admirable to file a legal claim to protect the rainforest or a coral reef from corporate negligence, it may be impossible to demonstrate an economic or physical injury to an individual plaintiff.

In the 1970s, however, the Supreme Court maintained that non-economic injuries, such as harm to recreational or aesthetic interests can represent an “injury-in-fact.” An “injury-in-fact” must be “concrete” and “actual or imminent,” not merely hypothetical. An injury must be “fairly traceable” to the defendant’s actions. Importantly, a plaintiff’s injury must be able to be redressed by a favorable decision in the case.

What Kind of Conservation Lawsuits are Viable?

Over the years, there have been some ambitious complaints filed in federal court. Many get thrown out by judges, but others find their footing and make a huge impact on environmental policy.

In 1999, a group of 19 private organizations submitted a petition to the EPA, requesting that standards be set for greenhouse gases emitted by new motor vehicles.

For years, there was no definitive ruling, largely due to the fact that the plaintiffs lacked standing because global warming is harmful to all of humanity and the grievances were too generalized. The Supreme Court, however, found that Massachusetts had adequately demonstrated that rising global sea levels have already impacted coastal property, and thus the injury was “actual” and “imminent.” The Court’s finding that carbon dioxide is considered a “pollutant” under the Clean Air Act has been used to support an entire range of environmental litigation.

Who is liable for widespread environmental pollution?

Environmental groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not revising its water pollution-control standards, which they claim violate the latest iteration of the Clean Water Act.

Plaintiffs have filed several lawsuits claiming the U.S. government is violating basic constitutional and human rights through fossil fuel-friendly policies that worsen the climate crisis. Plaintiffs have claimed that certain states violate their own constitutions, which guarantee a right to a “clean and healthful environment.” The states then turn around and grant contracts for coal mining and fracking, contradicting their so-called guarantees.

Corporations are generally easier targets in environmental and water conservation lawsuits. Reports regularly find that oil refineries across the U.S. discharge harmful waste into nearby waterways, including nickel, nitrogen, chlorides, sulfates, and other dissolved solids. Oil and gas companies are continually on the defense, with plaintiffs constantly filing complaints regarding environmental damages, water pollution, air pollution, and groundwater contamination.

Recently, thousands of lawsuits named 3M, Inc. as a defendant in widespread PFAS water contamination. Municipalities and private land owners have claimed that their water systems have been contaminated with PFAS, which are also called “forever chemicals.” As a result, 3M announced it was going to stop producing PFAS. So we see that these legal avenues are complex, but they do work to hold corporate entities accountable.

Filing Clean Water Act Lawsuits

Without Clean Water Act protections, companies can dump uncontrolled waste into waterways, harming drinking water supplies, recreational waters, wildlife, and residents.

Originally enacted in 1948, the Clean Water Act was revised in 1972, which set forth a program for water quality improvement. The Clean Water Act introduced the current provisions for municipal sewage treatment plant construction, and regulatory requirements that apply to industrial and municipal pollution dischargers. The CWA provides for special regulation of the discharge of oil or hazardous substances.

Section 311 prohibits the discharge of oil or hazardous substances into U.S. waters. The Oil Pollution Act partially amended Section 311 and established a system for the cleanup of oil spills. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) was enacted after the 1989 Exxon Valdez disastrous oil spill.

What are some Water Conservation Laws

The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), also known as the Ocean Dumping Act, prohibits dumping any material into the ocean that could degrade or endanger human health or the marine environment.

The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 encourages collaboration between State governments and the federal government “to preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance, the resources of the country’s coastal zone.

The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to protect 20 coral species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. The lawsuit says the Service denied endangered specie protections for the 20 corals in violation of the Act.

Other lawsuits have taken a different angle and sued producers of sunscreen that damage corals. A class action filed against Walmart claims the company deceptively labels its sunscreen as “Reef Friendly,” but contains chemicals like Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate and Octocrylene that are all harmful to coral reefs.

Other sunscreen manufacturers may now be facing liability as a result of unfairly marketing their personal care products as being “safe” or “friendly” for coral reefs.