Services Environmental Contamination Claims Related to Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Operations

Kean Miller is at the forefront of complex litigation matters involving evaluation, restoration, and maintenance of oil and gas and petrochemical sites. Kean Miller’s attorneys have extensive trial experience in cases involving alleged environmental contamination of soil, sediment, and groundwater, having tried oilfield contamination cases and secured multiple defense verdicts.

Kean Miller partners with clients to develop and execute proactive strategies to reduce risk and combat excessive claims and has earned the trust of clients by providing exceptional service and leveraging our legal acumen of upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas activities and petrochemical operations to their benefit. Our legal teams have produced positive results in hundreds of diverse cases.

Kean Miller also assists clients in analyzing insurance policy coverage associated with site cleanup coverage and frequently negotiates and litigates with insurance carriers to secure coverage for clients.

Representative Experience

• Representation of global energy clients in jury trials and appeals involving claims by landowners of contamination related to historical exploration and production activities. Kean Miller attorneys have secured multiple defense verdicts in these high-stakes matters often involving claims in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Representation of oil refinery clients in the U.S. Virgin Islands involving environmental compliance issues by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Representation of global energy client in defense of suit alleging personal injuries and property damage from fracking operations in Ohio.
• Representation of global energy clients in administrative agency proceedings before panels of regulatory experts.
• Representation of local, independent and major oil and gas clients in oil field contamination cases alleging soil, sediment and groundwater contamination with a range of constituents including Non-Hazardous Oilfield Wastes and oilfield NORM. The cases include upland locations and locations in marsh/wetland settings.
• Representation of a major international oil clients in cases involving environmental contamination claims associated with fear of exposure to contaminated seafood.
• Representation of oilfield services client in suit by adjacent property owner alleging migration of a groundwater chlorinated solvents plume.
• Representation of a major waste disposal client in mass toxic tort exposure claim involving over 2,000 plaintiffs in Mississippi.
• Representation of a major industrial chemical client in cases involving claims for personal injury and property damage arising from alleged contamination of property by a cesium-137 radiation source.
• Representation of major oil and pipeline clients in cases involving alleged wetland damage from contamination releases in coastal settings.
• Representation of individual clients and trade group clients on legislative and rulemaking actions concerning the development of standards for oilfield remediation.
• Representation of major chemical client in class action resulting from release of ammonia and oleum.
• Representation of energy generating companies involving federal and state air emissions including New Source Review/Prevention of Significant Deterioration, Mercury and Air Toxic Standards and Clean Air Interstate Rule/Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and claims resulting from a Consent Decree with EPA and DOJ.
• Representation of oil and gas client in suit alleging loss of royalties and damage to an oil and gas reservoir.
• Representation of clients involving damages to agriculture, crop loss and timber impacts.
• Amicus briefs on behalf of API, LMOGA, and LOGA regarding oil field contamination and NORM cases.