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Greg L. Johnson
Main image for Greg L. Johnson

GREG L. JOHNSON

Shareholder

,
New Orleans

Co-Chair, Energy & Environmental Regulatory Practice Group

T  504.556.4115
gljohnson@liskow.com
Connect with me
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Practices

  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Refinery Incidents & Litigation
  • Carbon Capture & Storage
  • Energy Transactions
  • Solar
  • Wind Energy
  • Judicial Review of Rulemaking
  • Permit Challenge Defense
  • Climate Change
  • Contaminated Sites & Remediation
  • Emergency Response & Disaster Recovery
  • Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Defense
  • Permitting & Defense of Challenges to Permits
  • Rulemaking
  • Wetlands
  • Acquisitions & Divestitures
  • Industrial Project Development
  • Zoning & Land Use
  • Environmental – Regulatory & Litigation
  • Environmental – Transactional
  • Criminal Defense & Government Investigations
  • Emergency & Incident Response
  • Energy Transition
  • Energy – Regulatory
  • Energy – Transactional
  • Environmental Justice

Blogs

  • The Energy Law Blog - Greg L. Johnson

Amelie Whelman

504.556.4082

“My chemical engineering background combined with my 30 years in the industry gives clients a big technical edge in the legal context. I speak the language of environmental regulators and other experts in the field.” 

Overview

Greg Johnson is an environmental lawyer with a long record of helping companies with the environmental aspects of complex, large-impact transactions, litigation, and regulatory compliance issues in Louisiana as well as nationally and internationally. A significant focus of Greg’s practice is representing domestic and international corporations in the environmental permitting for major, high-profile industrial facility projects, including renewable projects, and in the resolution of often-controversial, high-exposure, oil and gas or energy-related disputes, such as claims in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He also is often engaged in environmental criminal matters, several of which he has resolved without the imposition of criminal charges.

Greg draws heavily on his real-world experience and training as a chemical engineer when he counsels clients with transactions involving technical issues, most commonly in spotting latent environmental issues with sales or purchases of industrial or manufacturing sites in the chemical, petrochemical, inorganic, and industrial sectors. During law school and prior to starting his law practice, Greg was a consulting environmental engineer concentrating on permitting, emissions estimation, reporting, modeling, and compliance issues in the oil and gas, chemical, and energy sectors. 

Greg often works on the leading edge of environmental matters. For example, in the representation of a large acquisition of a Louisiana industrial facility, Greg obtained the first-ever confirmation of Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser status in favor of the client, offering it as a statutory defense to federal and state cleanup liability. In addition, Greg helps companies with environmental audits, the pursuit of various environmental permits, and disclosure of enforcement issues to federal and state governmental agencies. More recently, Greg has been involved in renewable and alternative energy projects ranging from CCUS to solar, wind, hydrogen, and battery initiatives.

Additionally, Greg is the long-serving General Counsel to the International Carbon Black Association, an industry trade group comprising all of the manufacturers of carbon black in North America and Western Europe. Greg has helped the association with regulatory matters, including the negotiation and review of Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards for the industry and the procurement of key Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) interpretations. In addition, Greg provides antitrust surveillance and negotiates sponsored-research contracts for the group.

Greg is a co-chair of the environmental practice group at Liskow and is a past chair of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section. He is a frequent speaker, sought-after as a thought leader on energy and environmental topics.

Talks about

#environmental #industrialdevelopment #regulatorymatters #regulatorycompliance #criminaldefense

Highlights

Client Comment

“Greg provides clear, concise guidance on complex issues. A remarkable regulatory lawyer.” – Chambers USA Client Comment, 2022

Experience

Greg serves as the General Counsel to the International Carbon Black Association, an industry trade group whose members include all of the manufacturers of carbon black in North America and Western Europe.

Client Comment

“I primarily work with Greg Johnson at Liskow & Lewis, who is excellent in all aspects!” – Best Lawyers Client Comment, Environmental Law, 2021

Notable Experience

Greg helps major corporations with the evaluation of release-reporting issues, Louisiana public trust issues, environmental-agency rulemaking, and other aspects of environmental and energy law.  These include permitting, compliance, enforcement, and transactional issues, such as the following:

  • South Louisiana Methanol LP (“SLM”) in the appeal of air quality permit modifications by a group of environmental petitioners. Greg and a team of Liskow lawyers helped obtain a ruling in favor of SLM, affirming the decision of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to tailor its public trust analysis for the proposed modification and to issue the modified permits. The permits authorize construction of what would be the largest methanol plant in the world.
  • Gramercy Alumina LLC in its acquisition of the former Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation facility in Gramercy, La. As part of his representation, Greg obtained the first-ever confirmation of Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser status in favor of the company, offering it as a statutory defense to federal and state cleanup liability.
  • Shintech and GTX, Inc., and other companies in their efforts to locate and permit industrial facilities in Louisiana. In these types of cases, Greg prepares permit documents, attends public hearings, represents clients in cases seeking judicial review of the permit decisions, and negotiates with environmental groups on behalf of the companies.
  • A major specialty chemical company, then named Witco Corporation, in the investigation and disclosure of emissions and reporting violations, as well as the handling of subsequent related agency negotiations. Greg’s efforts helped obtain a waiver by the U.S. EPA of all fines and penalties under the applicable federal regulatory programs.
  • General Counsel to the International Carbon Black Association, an industry trade group whose members include all of the manufacturers of carbon black in North America and Western Europe. Greg’s representation covers a wide range of regulatory matters, including the negotiation and review of Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards for the industry and the procurement of key Occupational Safety and Health Administration interpretations. In addition, he provides antitrust surveillance and negotiates sponsored research contracts for the group.
  • Internal investigations and environmental compliance counsel for companies facing whistle-blower allegations, potential fraud, and white-collar criminal conduct charges.

A wide variety of corporations value Greg’s practical, business-oriented perspective with complex air, water, and hazardous waste regulatory issues, Louisiana constitutional environmental law issues and other public-policy and environmental justice issues.

Involvement

Professional

  • Chamber Southwest Louisiana, Environmental Affairs Committee Member
  • Louisiana State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section - Chair, 2008-2009; Vice Chair, 2007-2008; Secretary, 2006-2007; Treasurer, 2005-2006; Council Member, 2001-2005
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Board of Directors 2003-2006; Young Lawyers Section -Chair, 2002; Environmental Committee - Chair, 2000-2001;  Briefly Speaking - Editor, 2000-2001
  • Air & Waste Management Association, Sections and Chapters Council, Vice Chair, 2013-2015; Chair, 2016-2018
  • Air & Waste Management Association, Louisiana Section - Director, 2010-2013; Chair, 2002-2004; Treasurer, 2000-2002; Speaker Chair 2008-2010; Education Chair, 1996-2000
  • The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Member
  • New Orleans, Louisiana State and American Bar Associations, Member
  • Environmental Engineer, Waldemar S. Nelson & Co., Inc., 1992-1995

Recognition

  • Chambers USA – Environment, 2010–2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Environmental Law and Litigation - Environmental, 2012–2025
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Environmental, 2014-2023
  • New Orleans Magazine “Top Lawyer," 2013-2022
  • Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year," Environmental Law, New Orleans, 2020, 2025
  • New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law Award, 2010

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Credentials

Education

  • University of Texas (B.S., Chem. Engr., 1992)
  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1996)
    • Loyola Law Review, Member

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 1996

Court Admissions

  • All State and Federal Courts in Louisiana
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit

Presentations

  • "Louisiana's Voluntary Environmental Self-Audit Program," Air & Waste Management Association Louisiana Section Meeting, October 30, 2024, Baton Rouge, LA
  • "Legal Update Clean Air Act Developments," Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies Spring Meeting, March 25-27, 2019
  • "There and Back Again: EPA's Boiler MACT Rule," Air & Waste Management Association Louisiana Section Meeting, March 17, 2011
  • “Clean Air Act Recent Developments,” Liskow & Lewis 2009 Environmental Law Seminar, Houston, TX, May 7, 2009
  • “The Contractual Issues of Turning Brownfields into Greenfields,” ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, 2009 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 16-18, 2009
  • “Preparing for Greenhouse Gas Regulations,” AIChE 2008 Spring Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 8, 2008
  • “Overview of the Brownfields and LDEQ’s Voluntary Remediation Programs,” Liskow & Lewis and U.S. Risk Management, New Orleans, LA, January 16, 2008
  • “Louisiana Environmental Regulations,” Louisiana Land Law for Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors, New Orleans, LA, July 19, 2007
  • “Hot Air – Recent Developments on Clear Air Act Issues,” Liskow & Lewis, Environmental Compliance: Hot Issues and Recent Developments, New Orleans, LA, April 26, 2007
  • "Louisiana and Texas, Issues Up in the Air:  News for Non-Attainment Areas," Liskow & Lewis, Environmental and Safety Developments Affecting the Energy Industry:  OCS and Offshore, Houston, Texas, January 2006
  • “The Purchaser’s Due Diligence Process,” Liskow & Lewis, Buying and Selling Oil and Gas Properties Seminar, Houston, Texas, May 2005
  • “Environmental Liability Issues for Energy Companies,” International Energy Credit Association, 2005 Spring Education Conference, Dana Point, California, March 2005
  • “Due Diligence in Louisiana – Legal and Technical Issues: Buying Contaminated Property Free From Superfund Liability,” Louisiana State Bar Association, Environmental Law in Louisiana 2004, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 2004
  • “Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (BFPP) Protection,” Air and Waste Management Association, Louisiana Section, Environmental Focus 2004, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, October 26, 2004
  • “Title V Compliance Certifications,” NPRA 2004 Environmental Conference, San Antonio, Texas, September 2004
  • “The Intersection of Criminal Environmental Enforcement and Toxic Torts,” Liskow & Lewis, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 2004
  • “Title V Operating Permits,” Enterprise Products Company, March 2003
  • “RECAP and Brownfields in Louisiana” and “Managing Uncertainty with Louisiana Permit Procedures,” Government Institutes, Inc., December 2002
  • “RCRA and CERCLA Issues on the OCS,” Current Environmental and Other Regulatory Issues Affecting the Offshore E&P Industry, Liskow & Lewis and The Independent Petroleum Association of America, Houston, Texas, November 2002
  • “Environmental Concerns for Developers,” National Business Institute, Louisiana Land Use: Current Issues in Subdivision Annexation and Zoning Laws, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2002
  • “Brownfields Redevelopment,” New Orleans Bar Association, Real Property Seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 2001
  • “Brownfields Redevelopment,” Procrastinators' Program, New Orleans Bar Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 2000
  • “Facility Remediation Policy” and “Managing Uncertainty with Louisiana Permit Procedures,” Government Institutes, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 2000
  • Liskow & Lewis Brownfields Seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 2000
  • “Coping with Environmentally Distressed Properties,” 15th Institute on Real Estate Law, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1999
  • “Pollution Prevention Pays: Economic Benefits Beyond Compliance,” Louisiana Environmental '99, Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1999
  • “Environmental Exposures in the Oilfield” and “Allocating and Insuring Environmental Risks,” (with Mary S. Johnson and Mark D. Latham), Liskow & Lewis Admiralty Seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1998

Publications

  • "President Trump Issues Executive Order Taking Aim at State Laws Hindering Domestic Energy Production," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, April 14, 2025
  • "Fifth Circuit Rules Groups May Continue Suit Alleging Environmental Discrimination in St. James Parish," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, April 11, 2025
  • "CCS Update: Hackberry Carbon Sequestration, LLC Receives Draft Permit for Class VI Well in Cameron Parish," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, April 4, 2025
  • "EPA to Reconsider Previous Administration’s PM 2.5 NAAQS, Continuing its Deregulatory Push," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, March 25, 2025
  • "EPA Announces 31 Historic Actions Publicized as “Greatest Day of Deregulation Our Nation Has Seen," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, March 17, 2025
  • "EPA and Army Corps Issue New Guidance for Implementing WOTUS Definition under Supreme Court’s Sackett Decision," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, March 14, 2025
  • "President Trump Appoints Scott Mason IV as Region 6 EPA Administrator," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, February 11, 2025
  • "NEPA Changes Slated Under President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, February 7, 2025
  • "Senate Confirms Zeldin as EPA Administrator, President Trump’s EPA Begins to Take Shape," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, January 30, 2025
  • "EPA Issues Much-Anticipated Final Rule Establishing National Standards of Performance for Vessel Incidental Discharges," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, October 15, 2024
  • "EJ Analysis Remains Part of Louisiana’s Public Trust Duty," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, September 19, 2024
  • "EPA Releases New Version of EJScreen," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, July 12, 2024
  • "SCOTUS Stretches Statute of Limitations for Challenging Agency Actions Under APA," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, July 11, 2024
  • "SCOTUS Dials Back Chevron Deference in Loper Bright Opinion," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, July 1, 2024
  • "Louisiana Enacts Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act, Establishing Uniformity for Monitoring and Parameters for Data Use," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, June 5, 2024
  • "EPA Issues Civil-Criminal Enforcement Coordination Policy, Changing Approach to How It Handles Collaboration Between the Two Offices," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, May 2, 2024
  • "EPA Sets Limits on Certain PFAS in Drinking Water and Designates Some as Hazardous Substances Under CERCLA, Posing Vast Challenges for Waste and Other Industries," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, April 26, 2024
  • "EPA’s Proposed Rules for Regulating PFAS under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, April 11, 2024
  • "LDEQ Releases Louisiana’s First-Ever Voluntary Environmental Self-Audit Program," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, February 21, 2024
  • "EJ Evolution: Court Enjoins EPA from Imposing Disparate Impact Requirements via Title VI in Louisiana Permitting," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, January 31, 2024
  • "Louisiana Appeals Court Finds Environmental Justice Is Part of the Louisiana Public Trust Duty," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, January 25, 2024
  • "Fifth Circuit Applies U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett Decision to End Long-Standing WOTUS Dispute," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, January 2, 2024
  • "EPA and Army Corps Release New WOTUS Rule,” Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, September 8, 2023
  • "EJ Evolution: Proposed NEPA Regulations Spotlight Environmental Justice," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, August 4, 2023
  • "U.S. Supreme Court Issues Major Environmental Decision Narrowing the Scope of the Clean Water Act," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, May 26, 2023
  • "Louisiana State Court Reverses Issuance of Air Permits, Citing Environmental Justice Concerns," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, September 27, 2022
  • "EPA Biting Off More Than It Can Chew? Agency Publishes First Year Implementation Plan for New TSCA Legislation," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, July 18, 2016
  • "Legislation Breathes New Life into the 40–Year Old TSCA Statute," Liskow's The Energy Law Blog, July 12, 2016
  • "The Status of Greenhouse Gas Regulation – Keeping Your Cool About Hot Air"
  • "Time is Running Out on the Louisiana Brownfields Tax Credits"
  • "Environmental Risks Posed by Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities (with Tom Randolph)," Chapter in Restoration of Oilfield Sites, Remediation Requirements for Major Oil and Gas Producing Jurisdictions (1999)
  • "Select Steel: A Return to Traditional Measurements of Environmental Impact?" (with Robert E. Holden), La. St. B. Ass’n, Envtl. Section Newsl., Winter, 1999
  • "What Environmental Professionals Need to Know," A&WMA, The Monitor, January/February 1998
  • "Air Monitor," La. St. B. Ass’n, Envtl. Section Newsl., Fall 1996
  • Article regarding TMDLs, La. B.J., Environmental Law Section Recent Developments, December 1998
  • "Constitutional Environmental Protection in Louisiana:  Losing the Reason in the Rule of Reasonableness,"  42 Loy. L. Rev. 97 (1996).

After Hours

Greg is the father of triplets, who account for "110% of my free time." Nevertheless, he has found a way to blend his interest in youth sports and photography into parenthood. Greg also gets a lot of personal satisfaction out of his civic and professional involvement and community leadership.

WHAT’S TRENDING WITH Greg

  • Blogs
    04.22.25
    Environmental and Science Advocacy Groups Sue EPA and Other Agencies Over Removal of EJ Tools
    3 minute read
  • Blogs
    04.14.25
    President Trump Issues Executive Order Taking Aim at State Laws Hindering Domestic Energy Production
    2 minute read
  • Blogs
    04.11.25
    Fifth Circuit Rules Groups May Continue Suit Alleging Environmental Discrimination in St. James Parish
    3 minute read
  • Blogs
    04.04.25
    CCS Update: Hackberry Carbon Sequestration, LLC Receives Draft Permit for Class VI Well in Cameron Parish
    2 minute read
  • Blogs
    03.25.25
    EPA to Reconsider Previous Administration’s PM 2.5 NAAQS, Continuing its Deregulatory Push
    4 minute read
  • Blogs
    03.17.25
    EPA Announces 31 Historic Actions Publicized as “Greatest Day of Deregulation Our Nation Has Seen”
    3 minute read
  • Blogs
    03.14.25
    EPA and Army Corps Issue New Guidance for Implementing WOTUS Definition under Supreme Court’s Sackett Decision
    3 minute read
  • Blogs
    02.11.25
    President Trump Appoints Scott Mason IV as Region 6 EPA Administrator
    3 minute read
  • Blogs
    02.07.25
    NEPA Changes Slated Under President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order
    3 minute read
  • Blogs
    01.30.25
    Senate Confirms Zeldin as EPA Administrator, President Trump’s EPA Begins to Take Shape
    3 minute read
View All
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