Overview
Michael leverages his over three decades in environmental law to advise and represent clients across multiple industries, including manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, finance, and real estate, to assist them in remaining compliant and navigating complex matters.
Leaning on his well-rounded experience both prosecuting and defending environmental actions throughout his career, Michael guides clients through the environmental considerations in transactions and regulatory issues that may arise in their projects and companies, including Brownfield redevelopment. When needed, he defends clients against enforcement actions with an emphasis on efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
He utilizes the substantial experience gained as a former Ohio Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Enforcement Section and his time working with state and federal legislators and government agencies to shape environmental policy to provide counsel on issues related to a number of regulations and guidance, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clear Air Act, and Clean Water Act. Michael supports clients throughout all stages of the National Environmental Policy Act process and advises them in air, water, and hazardous waste permitting, site acquisition, and redevelopment of environmentally distressed properties.
At the forefront of the ever-evolving field of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) compliance and liability, he represents manufacturers in class actions, mass torts, and individual claims for alleged exposure to PFAS and regularly shares insights in panels, publications, and interviews with media outlets.
Additionally, Michael works with state and federal regulators and government agencies to remedy environmentally distressed sites, including overseeing emergency response and removal actions and constructing long-term cleanup agreements.
Representative Experience
- Leading complex environmental matters involving due diligence, cleanup negotiations, litigation, permitting, and compliance.
- Representing industrial facilities, public entities, lenders, and real estate developers in negotiating cleanup and redevelopment agreements with the U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, and the U.S. DOJ.
- Advising clients on compliance with hazardous waste and solid waste landfill EPA regulations.
- Defending and prosecuting CERCLA, RCRA, TSCA, CAA in injunctive, cost recovery and contribution claims.
- Advising pipeline companies on permitting, compliance, and enforcement matters under federal/state energy and safety laws.
- Defending companies in EPA and DOJ criminal/civil enforcement actions and toxic tort litigation.
- Conducting and managing internal investigations and environmental audits.
- Advising clients on TSCA and PFAS-related compliance and litigation risk.
- Advising clients in matters pertaining to Ohio’s Underground Storage Tank Enforcement Program (BUSTR) and Claims Reimbursement Program (PUSTR).
- Defending and prosecuting cost recovery actions under federal Superfund and state Brownfield programs.
- Representing Tier I PRPs at NPL Superfund sites.
- Defending demolition and asbestos contractors facing alleged asbestos and Clean Air Act violations.
- Performing environmental due diligence, negotiating environmental indemnity provisions, and advising clients on environmental considerations that arise in diverse business transactions.
- Advising industrial real estate developers on managing environmental liabilities through federal and state Brownfield programs and assisted in securing government grants and low‑interest redevelopment loans.
- Assisting clients with emergency removal actions; long‑term remedial investigations and feasibility studies, hazardous waste corrective actions, and demonstrating or challenging consistency with the National Contingency Plan; and selecting appropriate remedial measures.
- Helped clients assess and quantify emissions produced by foundry operations and refining processes.
- Advised a major municipal landfill operator on the full scope of NSPS compliance obligations, including permitting procedures, ongoing operational requirements, documentation and reporting duties, and landfill gas control strategies.
- Supported clients in designing and implementing air regulatory compliance frameworks for steel production facilities, petroleum refineries, and natural gas operations, covering issues such as single‑source aggregation, NSPS (Subpart OOOO), New Source Review, and state‑level permitting and emissions reporting.
- Provided guidance to commercial and industrial clients on diverse waste management challenges, including proper waste categorization, adherence to generator standards, identifying necessary permits, and navigating waste transport and disposal requirements.
- Represented national builders in preparing responses to U.S. EPA inquiries regarding compliance with NPDES Construction Stormwater Permit obligations under Section 308 of the Clean Water Act.
Education & Admissions
Education
- Cleveland State University College of Law, J.D., 1987
- The Ohio State University, B.S., 1984
Bar and Court Admissions
- State of Ohio
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Involvement
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Member
- Business Law Section, Environmental Law Committee, Chair (2024 – Present)
- Environment, Energy, and Resources Section
- Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Section
- Infrastructure & Regulated Industries Section
- New Horizon Institutional Review Board, Chairman of the Board (2025 – Present)
- Former Dr. Bob’s Home, Board Trustee and Legal Counsel (2008 – 2012)
Community Involvement
- Grieving Parents and Transformation, Founder
- Stella Maris, Inc., Board of Trustees Member
Publications
- “EPA Requires PFAS Liability Screening for Brownfield Grant Recipients,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (December 2025)
- “Three Pending Superfund Appeals Could Shape CERCLA’s Future Application,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (December 2025)
- “EPA Proposes Significant Narrowing of PFAS Reporting Rule Under TSCA,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (December 2025)
- “EPA Warns Water Utilities Against Cyberattacks,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (November 2025)
- “Supreme Court’s Cert Denials Pave Way for Surge in Environmental Citizen Suits,” (Author) ABA Business Law (August 2025)
- “EPA Grants Two-Year Extension on Coke Oven Air Toxics Compliance Following Industry Input,” (Author) ABA Business Law (July 2025)
- “Former CEO Sentenced in Historic Insider Trading Case Under Rule 10b5-1,” (Author) ABA Business Law (June 2025)
- “SCOTUS Reins in NEPA Scope in Seven County,” (Author) ABA Business Law (June 2025)
- “5th Circuit Establishes New Standard for EPA on Sulfur Dioxide Emissions,” (Co-author) ABA Business Law (June 2025)
- “Sixth Circuit Clarifies CERCLA Statute of Limitations,” (Author) ABA Business Law (May 2025)
- “The End of Chevron Deference: What Does It Mean, and What Comes Next?” (Co-author) ABA Business Law (August 2024)
- “S. EPA’s Hazardous Substance Designation of Certain PFAS Compounds Impacts Real Estate Due Diligence,” (Co-author) HAZMAT Magazine (April 2024)
- “Establishing and Challenging Standing in PFAS Litigation,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (February 2024)
- “PFAS Issues in the Cannabis Industry,” (Co-author) Food Safety Magazine (January 2024)
- “EPA Pushes Back PFAS Hazardous Substance Designation,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (June 2023)
- “EPA PFAS Enforcement Has Begun,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (May 2023)
- “EPA Recommends Cybersecurity Improvements for Water Systems,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (May 2023)
- “EPA’s New PFAS Drinking Water Regs: Are You Prepared?” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (April 2023)
- “The Underground Storage Tank Digest,” Maxicom Publications, Legal Columnist (1993–1995)
- “The Underground Storage Tank Manual,” Hemisphere Corporation, Co-Author (1994)
- “The Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Boards Administrative Regulations,” Ohio Petro Board, Anderson Publishing Company (1992)
- “The Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Administrative Regulations (BUSTR),” Anderson Publishing Company, Contributing Author (1990)
Presentations & Lectures
- “Protecting Against Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Liabilities in M+A Transactions and Property Transfers,” (Co-presenter) American Conference Institute’s Summit on PFAS Regulation, Compliance, and Litigation (May 2024)
- International Elastomer Conference (October 2023)
- “PFAS Panel: The Regulatory Environment and Rubber,” (Panelist)
- “PFAS Mitigation Strategies,” (Co-presenter)
- “PFAS: The Coming Storm?” (Co-presenter) ACC Northeast Ohio CLE (March 2023)
Media Coverage
- Featured in “As Trump Administration Reforms the EPA, Cleanups are America’s Most Toxic Sites are Uncertain,” AP News (February 2025)
- Featured in “PFAS in Manufacturing: Auditing Your Supply Chain for Forever Chemicals,” Manufacturing Dive (December 2024)
- Quoted in “EPA Registers Glufosinate-P as New Herbicide Active Ingredient,” EHS Daily Advisor (December 2024)
- Featured in “Ohio v EPA and the Future of the ‘Good Neighbor’ Rule” 3E (November 2024)
- Featured in “Forever Chemicals, Forever Litigation,” Double Take, (July 2024)
- Featured in “Legal Brief: The Skinny on CERCLA, Superfund, Chevron, and the U.S. Supreme Court,” 3E (January 2024)
- Quoted in “A Republican-Led Lawsuit Threatens Critical US Cyber Protections,” Wired (May 2023)
- Quoted in “Buckle Up for PFAS Regulation, Litigation in 2022, Lawyers Say,” Bloomberg Law (December 2021)
- Quoted in “PFAS are everywhere—and the EPA has a new plan to fight back,” Popular Science (October 2021)
- Quoted in “EPA Mulling PFAS Regulations Under Superfund, Waste Statutes,” Bloomberg Law (January 2021)
- Quoted in “EPA Chief Trumpeting ‘Misleading’ Superfund Metrics, Critics Say,” Bloomberg Law (September 2020)
- Quoted in “3M to Assess Alabama PFAS Risks in ‘Precedent-Setting’ Deal,” Bloomberg Law (July 2020)
- Quoted in “Lack of Perchlorate Standard Paves Way for Superfund Slowdown,” Bloomberg Law (June 2020)
- Quoted in “Feuds Among EPA, Companies Delay Cleanup of Contaminated Harbor,” Bloomberg Law (May 2020)
- Quoted in “Atlantic Richfield Gets Partial Win in Superfund SCOTUS Case,” Bloomberg Law (April 2020)
Representative Experience
- Leading complex environmental matters involving due diligence, cleanup negotiations, litigation, permitting, and compliance.
- Representing industrial facilities, public entities, lenders, and real estate developers in negotiating cleanup and redevelopment agreements with the U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, and the U.S. DOJ.
- Advising clients on compliance with hazardous waste and solid waste landfill EPA regulations.
- Defending and prosecuting CERCLA, RCRA, TSCA, CAA in injunctive, cost recovery and contribution claims.
- Advising pipeline companies on permitting, compliance, and enforcement matters under federal/state energy and safety laws.
- Defending companies in EPA and DOJ criminal/civil enforcement actions and toxic tort litigation.
- Conducting and managing internal investigations and environmental audits.
- Advising clients on TSCA and PFAS-related compliance and litigation risk.
- Advising clients in matters pertaining to Ohio’s Underground Storage Tank Enforcement Program (BUSTR) and Claims Reimbursement Program (PUSTR).
- Defending and prosecuting cost recovery actions under federal Superfund and state Brownfield programs.
- Representing Tier I PRPs at NPL Superfund sites.
- Defending demolition and asbestos contractors facing alleged asbestos and Clean Air Act violations.
- Performing environmental due diligence, negotiating environmental indemnity provisions, and advising clients on environmental considerations that arise in diverse business transactions.
- Advising industrial real estate developers on managing environmental liabilities through federal and state Brownfield programs and assisted in securing government grants and low‑interest redevelopment loans.
- Assisting clients with emergency removal actions; long‑term remedial investigations and feasibility studies, hazardous waste corrective actions, and demonstrating or challenging consistency with the National Contingency Plan; and selecting appropriate remedial measures.
- Helped clients assess and quantify emissions produced by foundry operations and refining processes.
- Advised a major municipal landfill operator on the full scope of NSPS compliance obligations, including permitting procedures, ongoing operational requirements, documentation and reporting duties, and landfill gas control strategies.
- Supported clients in designing and implementing air regulatory compliance frameworks for steel production facilities, petroleum refineries, and natural gas operations, covering issues such as single‑source aggregation, NSPS (Subpart OOOO), New Source Review, and state‑level permitting and emissions reporting.
- Provided guidance to commercial and industrial clients on diverse waste management challenges, including proper waste categorization, adherence to generator standards, identifying necessary permits, and navigating waste transport and disposal requirements.
- Represented national builders in preparing responses to U.S. EPA inquiries regarding compliance with NPDES Construction Stormwater Permit obligations under Section 308 of the Clean Water Act.
Education & Admissions
Education
- Cleveland State University College of Law, J.D., 1987
- The Ohio State University, B.S., 1984
Bar and Court Admissions
- State of Ohio
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Involvement
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Member
- Business Law Section, Environmental Law Committee, Chair (2024 – Present)
- Environment, Energy, and Resources Section
- Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Section
- Infrastructure & Regulated Industries Section
- New Horizon Institutional Review Board, Chairman of the Board (2025 – Present)
- Former Dr. Bob’s Home, Board Trustee and Legal Counsel (2008 – 2012)
Community Involvement
- Grieving Parents and Transformation, Founder
- Stella Maris, Inc., Board of Trustees Member
Publications
- “EPA Requires PFAS Liability Screening for Brownfield Grant Recipients,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (December 2025)
- “Three Pending Superfund Appeals Could Shape CERCLA’s Future Application,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (December 2025)
- “EPA Proposes Significant Narrowing of PFAS Reporting Rule Under TSCA,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (December 2025)
- “EPA Warns Water Utilities Against Cyberattacks,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (November 2025)
- “Supreme Court’s Cert Denials Pave Way for Surge in Environmental Citizen Suits,” (Author) ABA Business Law (August 2025)
- “EPA Grants Two-Year Extension on Coke Oven Air Toxics Compliance Following Industry Input,” (Author) ABA Business Law (July 2025)
- “Former CEO Sentenced in Historic Insider Trading Case Under Rule 10b5-1,” (Author) ABA Business Law (June 2025)
- “SCOTUS Reins in NEPA Scope in Seven County,” (Author) ABA Business Law (June 2025)
- “5th Circuit Establishes New Standard for EPA on Sulfur Dioxide Emissions,” (Co-author) ABA Business Law (June 2025)
- “Sixth Circuit Clarifies CERCLA Statute of Limitations,” (Author) ABA Business Law (May 2025)
- “The End of Chevron Deference: What Does It Mean, and What Comes Next?” (Co-author) ABA Business Law (August 2024)
- “S. EPA’s Hazardous Substance Designation of Certain PFAS Compounds Impacts Real Estate Due Diligence,” (Co-author) HAZMAT Magazine (April 2024)
- “Establishing and Challenging Standing in PFAS Litigation,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (February 2024)
- “PFAS Issues in the Cannabis Industry,” (Co-author) Food Safety Magazine (January 2024)
- “EPA Pushes Back PFAS Hazardous Substance Designation,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (June 2023)
- “EPA PFAS Enforcement Has Begun,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (May 2023)
- “EPA Recommends Cybersecurity Improvements for Water Systems,” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (May 2023)
- “EPA’s New PFAS Drinking Water Regs: Are You Prepared?” (Author) ABA Business Law Today (April 2023)
- “The Underground Storage Tank Digest,” Maxicom Publications, Legal Columnist (1993–1995)
- “The Underground Storage Tank Manual,” Hemisphere Corporation, Co-Author (1994)
- “The Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Boards Administrative Regulations,” Ohio Petro Board, Anderson Publishing Company (1992)
- “The Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Administrative Regulations (BUSTR),” Anderson Publishing Company, Contributing Author (1990)
Presentations & Lectures
- “Protecting Against Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Liabilities in M+A Transactions and Property Transfers,” (Co-presenter) American Conference Institute’s Summit on PFAS Regulation, Compliance, and Litigation (May 2024)
- International Elastomer Conference (October 2023)
- “PFAS Panel: The Regulatory Environment and Rubber,” (Panelist)
- “PFAS Mitigation Strategies,” (Co-presenter)
- “PFAS: The Coming Storm?” (Co-presenter) ACC Northeast Ohio CLE (March 2023)
Media Coverage
- Featured in “As Trump Administration Reforms the EPA, Cleanups are America’s Most Toxic Sites are Uncertain,” AP News (February 2025)
- Featured in “PFAS in Manufacturing: Auditing Your Supply Chain for Forever Chemicals,” Manufacturing Dive (December 2024)
- Quoted in “EPA Registers Glufosinate-P as New Herbicide Active Ingredient,” EHS Daily Advisor (December 2024)
- Featured in “Ohio v EPA and the Future of the ‘Good Neighbor’ Rule” 3E (November 2024)
- Featured in “Forever Chemicals, Forever Litigation,” Double Take, (July 2024)
- Featured in “Legal Brief: The Skinny on CERCLA, Superfund, Chevron, and the U.S. Supreme Court,” 3E (January 2024)
- Quoted in “A Republican-Led Lawsuit Threatens Critical US Cyber Protections,” Wired (May 2023)
- Quoted in “Buckle Up for PFAS Regulation, Litigation in 2022, Lawyers Say,” Bloomberg Law (December 2021)
- Quoted in “PFAS are everywhere—and the EPA has a new plan to fight back,” Popular Science (October 2021)
- Quoted in “EPA Mulling PFAS Regulations Under Superfund, Waste Statutes,” Bloomberg Law (January 2021)
- Quoted in “EPA Chief Trumpeting ‘Misleading’ Superfund Metrics, Critics Say,” Bloomberg Law (September 2020)
- Quoted in “3M to Assess Alabama PFAS Risks in ‘Precedent-Setting’ Deal,” Bloomberg Law (July 2020)
- Quoted in “Lack of Perchlorate Standard Paves Way for Superfund Slowdown,” Bloomberg Law (June 2020)
- Quoted in “Feuds Among EPA, Companies Delay Cleanup of Contaminated Harbor,” Bloomberg Law (May 2020)
- Quoted in “Atlantic Richfield Gets Partial Win in Superfund SCOTUS Case,” Bloomberg Law (April 2020)