Christopher Boyle

Christopher W. Boyle assists clients with environmental law and land use matters, with a focus on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, land development, brownfields development, regulatory compliance and enforcement. He was formerly a practicing licensed Professional Civil Engineer and currently is chair of the firm’s Environment and Energy Group.

Chris evaluates environmental liabilities and helps quantify the risks associated with corporate, real estate and financing transactions. For a single-site property deal, private equity platforms, multimillion-dollar brownfield developments or multibillion-dollar international manufacturing transactions, Chris assists clients in developing and implementing the appropriate scope of environmental due diligence for both divestitures and acquisitions.

He counsels clients on the structuring of deals, preparing transactional documents, allocating business risks, negotiating insurance policies and matters related to post-closure environmental compliance, investigations and remedial activities.

Chris works in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale play negotiating contracts to support drilling and transmission lines and negotiates gas leases. Where appropriate, he negotiates with the federal and state agencies to secure liability protections and funding related to brownfields redevelopments.

Chris has experience obtaining funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Innovative Technology Risk Sharing Program, potentially saving clients and insurers millions of dollars in cleanup costs.

Chris counsels public and private companies, private equity funds, industrial manufacturers, developers and lenders on contract matters, construction contracts, risk management programs, compliance and the economic impact of federal and state environmental regulations.

He assists clients with issues involving land use permitting for large manufacturing facilities, the siting of environmental/energy projects, internal management and audit initiatives as well as issues that arise from the day-to-day operations.

Chris handles permitting and compliance matters related to waste handling and disposal, air and water pollution issues, storm water permitting and issues involving storage tanks, wetlands, asbestos, radon and lead-based paint.

Chris has extensive experience in coordinating the crisis management of high-risk, public exposure situations for commercial and residential settings including real time counseling in emergency situations and managing potential exposures to hazardous materials including lead laden dust, asbestos, indoor air pollution and contaminated drinking water.

He regularly represents clients in indemnification disputes and engages in state and federal negotiations on both private and multi-party levels in complex environmental enforcement and litigation matters.

He has represented clients in permit enforcement appeals before the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board and in Superfund litigation involving defensive prosecution of private party cost recovery access.

Chris has served as special counsel to technical steering committees and often is involved in overseeing the economic evaluation of engineered resolutions for remedial investigations, feasibility studies, risk assessments and remedial action plans.

As a former practicing licensed professional civil engineer, Chris applies his education and practical experience in construction, engineering, contract administration for civil engineering projects, including dams, bridges, water supply and sanitary sewer and treatment facilities, to his client’s business matters.

Experience :

• In separate matters in California and Florida, assisted clients in responding to requests for information in connection with violations of the state air regulations, including violations under a Title V permit.
• On behalf of a buyer, coordinated all environmental due diligence for a Pennsylvania steel manufacturing facility and provided ongoing environmental counseling for day-to-day operation, including water, waste and potential investments in emerging energy technologies.
• On behalf of the buyer, coordinated all environmental aspects for the due diligence, deal documentation and financing for the acquisitions of 11 long term health care facilities in the New England region and six long-term health care facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region.
• On behalf of buyers, coordinated all environmental aspects for the due diligence, deal documentation and financing for the $1B + acquisition of a nationwide automotive dealership company with 120 + facilities and $0.5B acquisition of steel manufacturing company with 17 world-wide manufacturing and distribution centers, including Mexico and Peru with compliance issues for Prop 65, the EU and NAFTA.

Education :

• Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1991
• Villanova University, M.Civ.Eng., 1988
• Drexel University, M.B.A. Program 1982-1985
• Villanova University, B. Civil Engineering, 1982

Bar Admissions : New Jersey, Pennsylvania