Having served as an attorney with the California Air Resources Board, an inspector with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and an environmental, health, and safety manager for a manufacturing company, Julie A. Cress brings multiple perspectives to her client’s regulatory advocacy, enforcement defense, and compliance needs.
With over 15 years of experience in both the private and public sector, Julie marries multiple viewpoints with reasoned analysis to counsel her clients on regulatory development as well as environmental enforcement matters.
She has extensive experience related to California air quality and greenhouse gas regulations and on the federal and state regulations related to accidental release prevention and mitigation and process safety. She also has defended major Clean Air Act enforcement matters, including for mobile sources.
Prior to joining the firm, Julie served as staff counsel to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), where she focused on a range of matters, including CARB’s consumer products, fuels, vapor recovery, mobile source and portable equipment regulation and enforcement.
She also advised CARB regarding numerous incentive programs including the Carl Moyer Program, hydrogen grant program and loan incentive programs. Julie also played a key role in overseeing local air district hearing board activities related to variances, abatement orders and permit disputes.
In addition to her legal experience, Julie has held managerial positions in the manufacturing sector as a health, safety and environmental manager for a steel manufacturing company, responsible for compliance for the company’s California plants.
In that role, she implemented environmental and workplace safety requirements and was responsible for interfacing with regulators and managing government inspections. She has extensive experience implementing federal, state and local air permitting, water permitting and waste requirements.
Before her work in the private sector, Julie served as an inspector with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, where she was responsible for conducting annual inspections, investigating complaints and responding to/investigating air pollution releases at permitted facilities, including refineries, chemical plants and other Bay Area manufacturing facilities.
Experience:
- Prosecution of violations of regulatory requirements on behalf of the California Air Resources Board.
- Lead attorney on regulation development for the California Air Resources Board on several proposed and final regulations.
- Lead attorney on California Air Resources Board enforcement advisories involving fuels (vapor recovery, predictive model), off-road engines, consumer products and portable equipment/engines.
- Respond to EPA Requests for Information in various substantive areas, including renewable fuels (RFS) and mobile source regulation (aftermarket parts, EPA enforcement of CARB mobile source regulations, importation of equipment and engines).
- Pursue variance requests before the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
- Advise clients on complex Clean Air Act permitting under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration, Nonattainment New Source Review, minor source, and Title V permitting programs.
- Advise clients on compliance requirements associated with the Renewable Fuel Standard and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
- Implementation of health and safety requirements at two steel manufacturing facilities.
- Management of all environmental permitting and compliance requirements for two steel manufacturing facilities.
- Provision of advice relating to the air pollution component (dispersion and deposition of particulate matter) of a CERCLA litigation involving a former lumber mill.
- Defense of a public entity and private clients in resolution of Notices of Violation issued for various allegations including illegal burns, failure to comply with dust mitigation plan and failure to permit/comply with NOx and CO emission standards for stationary internal combustion engines.
- Rulemaking advocacy on behalf of oil and gas/chemical trade group surrounding federal Risk Management Plan amendments.
- Rulemaking advocacy on behalf of manufacturing trade group surrounding amendments to federal NESHAP regulations.
- Rulemaking advocacy on behalf of major oil company surrounding California air district regulations including South Coast AQMD’s RECLAIM program.
- Defense of foreign mobile equipment manufacturer in resolution of EPA investigation and enforcement action related to importation of nonroad engines.
EDUCATION:
- JD, Golden Gate University School of Law, 2006
- BS, Illinois State University, 2001
BAR ADMISSIONS:
- California
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE:
- Staff Counsel, California Air Resources Board
Cost
Rate : $$$