Steve Wiegand’s practice focuses on complex regulatory issues impacting onshore and offshore energy and industrial operations. 

In the offshore arena (including the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific), he advises clients on a wide range of regulatory matters, including compliance with operational and safety requirements, appeals of Incidents of Non-Compliance and civil penalty assessments, incident response and associated agency investigations, lease suspensions, and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit compliance.  

Steve has handled numerous administrative appeals before the Department of Interior Board of Land Appeals and has represented clients in administrative matters before the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and United States Coast Guard. 

Steve’s offshore experience also includes:

• Handling matters related to facility decommissioning, including challenging agency decommissioning orders and negotiating agreements with the Department of Interior related to decommissioning activities;
• Litigating matters involving challenges brought by NGOs and coastal States to offshore operations under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, and Endangered Species Act;
• Advising clients on liability issues arising under the Oil Pollution Act and the Clean Water Act, including regulatory issues associated with the OPA claims process;
• Advising clients in matters involving the regulation of offshore air emissions; and
• Advising clients on regulatory matters related to the construction of offshore renewable energy projects. 

Onshore, Steve has experience handling environmental regulatory matters arising under federal and Louisiana law, including matters before the Environmental Protection Agency, Corps of Engineers, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.  Steve has extensive experience with the Coastal Use Permit Program administered by the DNR, Office of Coastal Management and has represented clients seeking to establish site-specific trust accounts administered by the DNR, Office of Conservation.  Steve has also handled a variety of Corps of Engineer permitting matters, including matters related to wetlands mitigation and mitigation banking.