Since 1995, I have served as an Assistant Regional Counsel with the U.S. EPA, Region 2, negotiating the cleanup of major hazardous waste sites in NY & the Caribbean. Since 2013, I've also served as a part-time Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel. From 2000 through 2011, I served as an adjunct professor at Pace Law School, teaching Hazardous Waste, assisted with the U.S. Brazil Comparative Environmental Law Course & the Brazil-American Institute for Law and Environment (BAILE). In 2007, I served as Visiting Co-Director of the Environmental Law Program at Pace. Prior to these positions, I briefly worked for the NYSDEC, Region 3. I recently served as the Chair of the NYSBAs Environmental & Energy Law Section & co-authored the EPA Update column for The New York Environmental Lawyer for over a decade. I regularly lecture, teach & train on a variety of environmental topics. I'm based in NYC but prefer to be up in the Catskills & Hudson Valley with my incredibly active 8 year old son.
Email:
mwiedernyc@gmail.com
EPA Region:
Region 2 – (NJ, NY, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Year of induction:
2021
Degrees:
PACE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW,
J.D. & Environmental Certificate, May 1993
MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE, Purchase, NY
B.A. in Political Science, May 1990 (accelerated three-year program)
Admissions:
Admitted to practice in New York State.
Professional Societies and Organizations:
Environmental & Energy Law Section, New York State Bar Association, (Served as Chair from June 2018 through June 2019)
Other Environmental Career Experience:
Currently with the NY-Caribbean Superfund Program in the Office of Regional Counsel. Since 2013 also served as half-time Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel. Adjunct Prof. at Pace Law from 2000-2011 (Hazardous Waste), Visiting Co-Director of Pace's Environmental Law Program (2007), NYSDEC, Region 3 (1994-1995). Lots of panels, presentations, lectures in between.
Representative Publications:
Contributing Co-Author, The EPA Update, The New York Environmental Lawyer (NYSBA EELS) (From 2007 but on hiatus during prior administration).
Contributing Author, Implementing Environmental Law, Chapter entitled, Assessing Environmental Governance of the Hudson River Valley Application of an IPPEP Model, The IUCN Academy of Environmental Law series, Edward Elgar Publishing, August 28, 2015. www.e-elgar.comshopimplementing-environmental-law.
Illustrative Projects:
Significant work on the GE v. EPA CERCLA constitutional litigation, the Hudson River PCBs Site cleanup, the GM bankruptcy matter (including the negotiation of the environmental response trust & securing over $120M for the GM Massena Site cleanup), the Tronox bankruptcy matter (& securing over $55M for the GCL Site), Trained to serve with EPA's Incident Management Teams responding to major emergency responses, including natural disasters. Supported EPA's response to Hurricane Irma & Maria in the Caribbean (2017).
Citations of Major Published Cases:
Orange Environment, Inc. v. County of Orange, 811 F. Supp. 926 (S.D.N.Y. 1993) - My beloved CWA - landfill case from my days in the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace Law, which earned me the title of Landfill Lady.