Robert E. Holden • Shareholder, New OrleansMr. Holden is the section head of the environmental regulatory practice group at Liskow & Lewis. He provides environmental advice and counsel to natural resources, petrochemical and industrial companies. His energy litigation experience encompasses oil and gas regulatory litigation, royalty and related litigation and landowner/mineral lessee disputes. Some of his practice areas and representative cases are discussed below.
Mr. Holden has worked extensively on environmental issues related to oil spills. He has served as lead environmental counsel in the response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He has extensive experience with the Oil Pollution Act and similar state statutes and Oil Spill Financial Responsibility requirements. In addition to the Deepwater Horizon incident, he has worked on oil spills from terminals caused by Hurricane Katrina and oil spills from pipelines.
Mr. Holden devotes a substantial part of his practice to environmental permitting requirements. For example, Mr. Holden has acted as lead environmental counsel for the permitting under the Deep Water Port Act of the Freeport Main Pass Energy Hub in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, Mr. Holden has provided energy companies and trade associations with environmental counseling and representation for facilities operating in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, Mr. Holden has served as lead environmental counsel for the environmental permitting of chemical plants in St. James and Iberville Parishes, and of a commercial hazardous waste incinerator located in St. Mary Parish.
Mr. Holden devotes a substantial part of his practice to the representation of companies with regulatory issues related to historical contamination of industrial and other properties. For example, Mr. Holden serves as lead counsel for groups of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) in connection with the remediation of the Combustion and Dutchtown superfund sites in Louisiana. In addition, Mr. Holden represents a wide range of companies with remediation issues addressed under the Louisiana Risk Evaluation, Corrective Action Program (RECAP).
Mr. Holden devotes a substantial part of his practice to the representation of energy companies and chemical companies in a wide variety of federal and state environmental enforcement matters. For example, Mr. Holden represents several energy companies in enforcement proceedings with EPA Region 8 concerning Clean Air Act compliance issues within Indian air sheds in Utah. These proceedings involve complex compliance issues involving MACT standards, New Source Performance Standards, and Title V permit requirements. Mr. Holden has represented a wide variety of companies in environmental enforcement proceedings before EPA Region 6 and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ).
Mr. Holden’s environmental practice has involved extensive work with all major federal and state environmental statutes, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). He also teaches a seminar on the Clean Air Act at the Loyola Law School (New Orleans).
Mr. Holden devotes a substantial part of his practice to the representation of companies in environmental and insurance litigation. For example, he represents the Port of South Louisiana in litigation concerning the release of odors allegedly affecting a neighborhood in St. John the Baptist Parish. He represents another company in litigation involving allegation of environmental contamination from historic cattle raising activities.