Environmental

Allison Rumsey, a partner in Arnold & Porter LLP's Washington, DC office, specializes in environmental litigation and counseling.

Ms. Rumsey’s recent experience has focused on litigation and remedial issues at major contaminated sites and rivers, including toxic tort, natural resources damages, and cost allocation. Most recently, she represented BP in the litigation brought by the United States, citizen and environmental groups, states, and foreign states arising from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In addition to litigation, Ms. Rumsey advises clients on a range of environmental matters, including federal regulatory compliance, state regulatory programs, environmental auditing policies, and corporate transactions. Ms. Rumsey has experience in Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Prior to joining Arnold & Porter, Ms. Rumsey was Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General (AAG), Environment and Natural Resources Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ). As Counsel to the AAG, Ms. Rumsey oversaw a wide range of natural resources issues, including those involving national forests and parks, timbering, water rights, grazing, mining, brownfields, endangered species, certain issues relating to Native Americans, and environmental impact statements. As an Honors Trial Attorney in the Natural Resources Section of DOJ, Ms. Rumsey handled several high-profile environmental cases. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for her accomplishments in a series of cases (known as the County Supremacy Movement) involving challenges to federal rights on public lands.

Ms. Rumsey also has worked extensively in South Africa on a variety of environmental issues including climate change, national environmental assessments, and endangered species. She was awarded the Mail & Guardian Newspaper’s Greening the Future Award for innovation for her work in developing a web-site designed to involve civil society in the environmental impact assessment process.

Ms. Rumsey served as an adjunct professor at American University, Washington College of Law teaching Climate Change Law and Policy.

Ms. Rumsey clerked for the Honorable Harold Greene, United States District Court of the District of Columbia (1992-1993) and for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards, US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit (1991-1992). Ms. Rumsey graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

Environmental Representative Matters

• Represents BPXP as part of a team in lawsuits brought by the United States under the Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act and other actions claiming violations of a variety of federal and state laws, brought as a result of the oil spill by the state of Louisiana, citizen groups, and environmental groups, among others.
• Current representation of a FORTUNE 500 Company in CERCLA litigation related to the cleanup and redevelopment of shorefront property and the remediation of Hudson River sediments.
• Represent a major chemical company in a natural resource damages matter arising from historic contamination of the Ottawa River in Toledo, Ohio.
• Provides advice to a wind developer on a large wind farm in Wyoming
• Part of a team representing a large oil company in negotiations with the US Environmental Protection Agency over alleged Clean Air Act permitting issues at a refinery.
• Provided legal counseling to a Fortune 100 company on the impact of listings under the Endangered Species Act on a wind farm development.
• Represent a FORTUNE 100 Company in a CERCLA matter and indemnification dispute arising from a large sediment remediation.
• Counseled an international pulp and paper company on the implications of the new regulatory landscape climate change on their business.
• Provided legal assistance, as part of the climate change team, to a FORTUNE 100 company, focusing both on compliance with federal greenhouse gas regulations, policies, and programs and understanding opportunities created by those new regulations.
• Advised a regional electricity generator and natural gas distribution company on the implications of and compliance with the new federal and state greenhouse gas regulations.
• Provided counsel to a major oil company on Clean Air Act and climate related matters, including general strategic and legal advice and representation in climate litigation.