Environmental Law

The Sheena Law Firm handles litigation concerning environmental issues such as air pollution, water contamination, chemical and nuclear waste, oil spills, and other related matters.

Our experience and understanding of how to litigate ground water contamination, toxic exposure and environmental statutory enforcement actions, along with our dedication to always providing the client with objective advice and information

The US government passed the National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) in 1970 to help protect the environment from public and private actions such as corporate pollution or excessive logging. The Environmental Quality Improvement Act as well as the Environmental Education Act and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are other measures taken by the federal government to ensure protection of the environment, and the quality of water and air.

What is environmental law?

Environmental law is a very broad area of the law consisting of federal and state statutes, regulations, and case law relating to the prevention and cleanup of contamination of the environment--including the ground, water, and air--by chemicals, hazardous wastes, and other pollutants.

It is dominated, but not completely controlled, by federal and state governmental agencies. These include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and state agencies, such as the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), who administer a large body of federal laws and regulations.

Environmental law also includes private actions which can be brought by citizens to force the cleanup of contamination or pollution. Such suits are provided for in a number of federal statutes.

Environmental lawsuits can also be brought under the common law for damages to person or property resulting from contamination of water, land, or air, or exposure to harmful substances.

Most individual lawsuits for environmental harm caused by a third party are brought pursuant to state common law and include claims seeking recovery for damages to property, for personal injury, or bodily harm. Such lawsuits are often based upon several theories of liability, including nuisance, trespass, negligence and/or strict liability.

We have worked on virtually every type of imaginable environmental dispute, including cases involving:

• Asbestos Hazards
• Benzene Exposure
• CERCLA or Superfund

• Challenges to federal and state environmental regulation

• Chemical Poisoning

• Cost Recovery and Reimbursement

• Endangered Species Act 

• EPA and Citizen Suit Enforcement Actions

• Factory & Air Pollution

• Insurance Coverage

• Lead Poisoning

• NEPA

• Oil Pollution Spills

• The Clean Air Act

• The Clean Water Act

• Toxic Mold
• Toxic Mold in Schools

• Toxic Torts (e.g. asbestos, mercury, PCBs and the like)

• Toxic Waste

• Underground Storage Tanks 

• Water Contamination