Gary Sheehan

Gary R. Sheehan Jr. provides representation and counseling services on a wide range of environmental issues associated with complex regulatory, transactional and litigation matters. Mr. Sheehan has significant experience with Clean Air Act matters, including federal and state air quality permitting, enforcement actions, rulemakings and compliance strategy development. Other areas of his practice include substantial experience with RCRA, CERCLA and Clean Water Act matters, as well as EPCRA and DOT/FAA enforcement actions.

Mr. Sheehan also has extensive experience with significant transactional matters for corporate, real estate and financial services clients. A portion of his practice is also devoted to providing guidance to his clients on issues associated with the developing climate change and sustainable development regulatory movements.

Mr. Sheehan has been named a Georgia “Rising Star” in Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation and Administrative Law every year since 2006 by Super Lawyers magazine. He is listed in the 2017 and the six years immediately preceding editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Environmental Law.

Mr. Sheehan was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Environmental Law in 2019 and the six years immediately preceding. He was named a 2012 “Legal Elite” for Environmental Law by Georgia Trend magazine.

Experience:

• Provide full-service environmental counseling for a major national food products manufacturer in all areas of environmental compliance including Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, EPCRA, RCRA, CERCLA, etc., for its food processing and manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States.
• Represented international building materials company with performance of environmental air quality audits at concrete production facilities nationwide.
• Successfully appealed an adverse summary judgment ruling against a major electric utility company in a Clean Air Act citizen suit case involving opacity, MACT and emission offset claims. Also defended company from EPA enforcement action involving NSR and NSPS claims.
• Represent Liberation Capital, a global private equity fund specializing in project finance for renewable energy projects, in the construction and start-up of GenAgain Technologies’ first renewable energy facility which will convert mixed waste plastics into synthetic crude oil and other petrochemical products. Numerous and complex air, waste and water issues have been encountered during the construction and commercial start-up process.
• Represented a car parts manufacturer, with revisions to and renewal of their State Air Operating Permit and negotiation of key terms related to the installation and operation of a new pollution control device and corresponding monitoring and reporting parameters. Simultaneously advised company on potential litigation with property owners adjacent to the facility.
• Represent Oldcastle Materials Group in a series of asset purchases of mining, aggregate, building products and cement companies located throughout the United States. We also assist with environmental permitting and compliance issues at the operating plants.
• Represent Southeast Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA), a trade association with approximately 125 independent lumber manufacturer member companies, in a wide variety of environmental issues including: the appeal of EPA’s recent Major Source and Area Source Boiler MACT Rules to the D.C. Circuit; opposition to EPA’s proposed Startup, Shutdown and Malfunction Excess Emissions Rule; judicial and legislative developments with the permitting of forest roads under the Clean Water Act; and many other air, waste and water issues facing members at a national, regional and/or local level.
• Represent major subsidiaries of Rollins Inc., Western Fumigation and The Industrial Fumigant Company, in response to ongoing federal and state Clean Air Act permitting and enforcement of actions related to the companies’ use of methyl bromide in its fumigation activities.
• Represented a major turkey processing company in performance and evaluation of environmental compliance audits at major production operations in the United States.
• Represent Greenleaf Environmental Group in the asset sale of its environmental remediation business including the sale of its solid waste processing and hazardous waste storage facility in Macon, Georgia.
• Represents a multinational manufacturer of chemicals, glass, fiberglass and coatings by providing environmental legal services. We provide environmental counseling to the client in many areas of environmental law, including water quality, waste management, and in particular on air quality matters. Most recently, we have assisted with its response to several significant EPA Clean Air Act Section 114 requests related to their glass and fiber glass manufacturing operations.

Education:

• Emory University School of Law, J.D. (1998)with highest honors
• University of Virginia, B.A., English (1993)

Admissions:

• Georgia (1998)