Susan Hearne Richardson concentrates her practice in the area of environmental law, including regulatory and compliance counseling, due diligence for real estate and corporate transactions, permitting, enforcement and hazardous site remediation. Ms. Richardson has significant experience in advising clients with regard to wastewater permitting and enforcement issues, particularly as applicable to municipal governments.
Ms. Richardson was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Environmental Law in 2019 and the 11 years immediately preceding. She is listed in the 2018 and the nine years immediately preceding editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Environmental Law. Ms. Richardson was recognized in the 2009 Legal 500 US and named to The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers for 2009. She was named a Georgia “Super Lawyer” in Environmental Law in 2016 and the seven years immediately preceding by Super Lawyersmagazine. Ms. Richardson has been named as one of Georgia Trend’s 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018 “Legal Elite” for Environmental Law and is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.*
*CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedure’s standards and policies.
Experience:
- Represent City of Atlanta with regard to implementation and issues presented by two federal consent decrees and related wastewater issues regarding the City’s separate and combined sewer systems. This work included negotiation of a 13-year extension to the compliance schedule under the Consent Decree pertaining to the City’s separate sewer system; negotiation of terms and conditions of NPDES permits for the City’s Combined Sewer System Facilities and counseling the City with regard to a recent EPA Office of Inspector General Audit of the City’s compliance with its CSO Consent Decree.
- Represent Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) with regard to a significant federal project – the Savannah Harbor Deepening Project. This representation includes ongoing advice and counsel regarding NEPA issues and regulatory compliance issues, including conformance with a Settlement Agreement negotiated with the State of South Carolina and numerous non-governmental organizations.
- Represent the City of Jackson, Mississippi with regard to negotiation of an extension to a Federal Consent Decree that requires improvements to the City of Jackson’s wastewater treatment and collection system. The work involves continuous interface with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, including monthly environmental compliance calls, development of financial models and development of a new compliance schedule.
- Represent chemical manufacturer with regard to a variety of environmental issues including NPDES permitting and CERCLA and EPCRA Release Reporting.
- Represent Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County with regard to negotiation of Consent Order with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding CERCLA and EPCRA release reporting violations.
- Represented textile manufacturer with regard to settlement of a wastewater enforcement action brought by Region IV of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
- Represented Knoxville Utilities Board with regard to wastewater compliance issues including negotiation of a comprehensive federal consent decree resolving EPA, Tennessee and citizen suit enforcement actions against KUB’s wastewater collection, transmission and treatment system.
Education:
- Tulane University Law School, J.D. (1991)magna cum laude, Order of the Coif
- University of Tulsa, B.S., Biology (1988) cum laude
Admissions:
- Georgia (1994)
- Texas (1991)
Court Admissions:
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (1994)
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (1991)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (1994)
Cost
Rate : $$$