Edward L. Strohbehn Jr.

Of Counsel

Edward L. Strohbehn Jr. represents clients in:

complex and novel contaminated site remediation and Brownfield Development matters;
corporate stock and asset acquisitions;
environmental enforcement and permitting actions by federal and California environmental agencies;
federal and state legislative and regulatory electronic waste recycling activities; and
environmental compliance, enforcement and business planning.

In 2012, Legal 500 US reported that “Clients said ... Edward Strohbehn ‘ranks in the top 5 percent in terms of knowledge and ability to evaluate complex legal situations from a variety of perspectives.’”

His legal career includes substantial government and public interest sector experience. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a Washington, D.C., nonprofit environmental law and policy nongovernmental organization. He co-founded and served as a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (1970–1977). He was executive director of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Executive Office of the President (1977–1981). He has been a director of ELI since 2005 and was a director of Resources for the Future (RFF), a Washington, D.C., economic policy think-tank, from 1995–2004. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (2001 to present). He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Earl Warren (then-retired), United States Supreme Court (1969–1970).

In July 2011, he was elected a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers.

In October 2010, Edward, along with three Yale Law School classmates, was awarded the Yale Law School’s highest honor — the Yale Law School Association Award of Merit. He and his classmates were cited for their pioneering role in founding the Natural Resources Defense Council and their extraordinary careers in environmental law.

In April 2013, he, along with two co-authors, was selected by The Burton Awards to receive the 2013 Distinguished Legal Writing Award for the article Allocating Environmental Risks and Liabilities in Commercial Transactions that was published in the Bloomberg BNA Environmental Daily Reporter. The Award is given to 30 articles from entries submitted by the nation’s 1,000 most prestigious and largest law firms.

Edward helped draft the ASTM E 2600-10 vapor encroachment screening standard, issued in 2010. He was a member of the ASTM Vapor Intrusion Task Group. He is a member of the ASTM Phase I Environmental Assessment Task Group. He helped revise the ASTM Phase I Environmental Assessment Standard. The Standard is used in conducting commercial real estate transaction environmental assessments and is typically required by banks for financing commercial real estate loans.

He lectures at conferences held by the American Bar Association (ABA), Practicing Law Institute (PLI), California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), State Bar of California Environmental Law Section, RTM Communications Inc. and Strafford Publications.

Events
Publications
Memberships
Awards

Events

EPA Endangerment Finding and Its Implications, for the CLE International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Law and Policy, Los Angeles, Calif. (April 9, 2013)
Hydraulic Fracturing: State, Regional & Federal Policy, for the webinar series on Environmental Impacts of Shale Development and Hydraulic Fracturing: Key Legal Issues and Future Directions, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education Group (ALI CLE) and Environmental Law Institute (ELI) Webinar (Dec. 14, 2012)
Allocating Environmental Risks and Liabilities: Structuring Contract Provisions to Limit Risk in Commercial Transactions, Strafford Publications Webinar (Sept. 13, 2012)
Vapor Intrusion: Evaluating and Managing VI Risk in Commercial Contracts, for the webinar on Vapor Intrusion: Using Negotiation and Drafting Techniques to Protect Interests in Real Estate Transactions, Strafford Publications Webinar (June 13, 2012)
Vapor Intrusion: The Ever Changing Regulatory Environment for the program on Sustainable Property Transactions: Business Strategies for Distressed Assets and Dynamic Energy Opportunities, RTM Communications, Boston, MA (May 3, 2012)
Vapor Intrusion Hot Topics: Recent Federal/State Regulatory Related Actions, for the program on Environmental Regulation 2012: Hot Topics, Commercial Implications and Management Strategies, Practising Law Institute (PLI), New York City, (also broadcast as a nationwide webinar) (March 29, 2012)
Drafting Environmental Provisions in Business and Real Estate Transactions, for the program on Environmental Regulation 2012: Hot Topics, Commercial Implications and Management Strategies, Practising Law Institute (PLI), New York City, (also broadcast as a nationwide webinar) (March 29, 2012)
Prospects for Regulation of GHGs in California, for the program on California Tackles Climate Change, Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif. (Nov. 4, 2011)
Vapors Rising: What’s Happening With Vapor Intrusion, for the program on Sustainable Property Transactions: Managing Distressed Assets and Renewable Energy Opportunities, RTM Communications, San Francisico, Calif. (May 20, 2011)
Whither Climate Change Regulation, for the program on Environmental Regulation 2011: Managing in the Face of Rapid Change, Practicing Law Institute (PLI), San Francisco (also broadcast as a nationwide webinar) (April 6, 2011)
Into Thin Air: The Increasing Importance of Vapor Intrusion – What’s Happening, for the program on Environmental Regulation 2011: Managing in the Face of Rapid Change, Practicing Law Institute (PLI), San Francisco (also broadcast as a nationwide webinar) (April 6, 2011)
Evaluating Vapor Intrusion/Vapor Encroachment in Real Estate Transactions: Recent Federal/State Guidance Actions; Key Industry Guidance for the webinar on Vapor Intrusion: Liability and Risks Under Evolving Standards – Managing Vapor Intrusion Risks in Real Estate Actions and Avoiding Claims, Strafford Publications Webinar (March 30, 2011)
Vapor Intrusion Evaluation: Recent Federal and State Guidance, for the webinar on New ASTM Vapor Encroachment Standard and Recent Vapor Intrusion Guidance, Strafford Publications Webinar (Sept. 8, 2010)
EPA Climate Change Regulatory Actions, for the program on Environmental Regulation and Commercial Implications 2010, Practicing Law Institute (PLI), New York, N.Y. (also broadcast as a nationwide webinar) (May 7, 2010)
Business Transactions and Vapor Intrusion: Identifying Risk with Current Guidance, for the program on Environmental Regulation and Commercial Implications 2010, Practicing Law Institute (PLI), New York, N.Y. (also broadcast as a nationwide webinar) (May 7, 2010)
Real Estate Transactions and Vapor Intrusion: Identifying Risks with Current Guidance, for the webinar on Vapor Intrusion: Liability and Litigation Under Evolving Standards, Managing Vapor Intrusion Risks in Real Estate Transactions and Defending Claims, Strafford Publications Webinar (May 5, 2010)
Vapor Intrusion: Key Developments and Current Guidance, for the program on Sustainable Property Transactions: Retooling the Business of Contaminated Site Redevelopments, RTM Communications, Philadelphia, Pa. (April 16, 2010)
SEC Issues Interpretive Guidance for Climate Change Disclosures, Bingham Webinar, (Feb. 19, 2010)
Vapor Encroachment Screening Under the Proposed Revisions to ASTM Standard E 2600, for the program on Sustainable Property Transactions: Reconfiguring the Business of Contaminated Site Redevelopments, RTM Communications Conference, San Francisco, Calif. (Oct. 28–30, 2009)
Proposed September 2009 Revisions to the ASTM E 2600-08 Standard Practice For Vapor Intrusion Screening, ASTM Vapor Intrusion Task Group and E:50:02 Subcommittee, Atlanta, Ga. (Oct. 21, 2009)
ASTM Vapor Intrusion Assessment Standard: Inappropriate Presumptions, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, Los Angeles, Calif. (Oct. 23, 2008)
ASTM Vapor Intrusion Assessment Standard: Inappropriate Presumptions, 2008 Environmental Law Conference, State Bar of California Environmental Law Section, Yosemite, Calif. (Oct. 17, 2008)
ASTM Vapor Intrusion Assessment Standard: Inappropriate Presumptions, 2008 Meeting of ASTM Vapor Intrusion Task Group and E:50:02 Subcommittee, Miami, Fla. (Oct. 2, 2008)

Publications

Co-author, “Allocating Environmental Risks and Liabilities in Commercial Transactions,” Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report (Dec. 17, 2012)
Co-author, “EU ETS Puts International Flights on Hold,” Bingham.com (Nov. 15, 2012)
Co-author, “CARB Proposes Amendments to State Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting,” Bingham.com (Aug. 17, 2012)
Co-author, “Contract Provisions to Allocate and Limit Environmental Risks and Liabilities in Purchase Agreements for Commercial Transactions,” Practicing Law Institute, Real Estate Law and Practice Course Handbook Series, N-599 (February 2012)
“Vapor Intrusion and Contaminated Site Remediation: An Overview,” Practicing Law Institute, Real Estate Law and Practice Course Handbook Series, N-599 (February 2012)
Co-author, “EPA Releases Final Health Assessment of TCE — Results in Lower Screening Levels,” Environmental Bankers Association News Alert (Dec. 21, 2011)
Co-author, “DTSC Issues Final Guidance for Vapor Intrusion Evaluation and Mitigation ,” Bingham.com (Nov. 11, 2011)
Co-author, “CARB Approves Final Revised AB 32 Cap-and-Trade Regulation,” Bingham.com (Oct. 27, 2011)
“Vapor Intrusion, Site Remediation, and Recent Guidance,” Practicing Law Institute Real Estate Law and Practice Course Handbook Series, N-587 (February 2011)
“Vapor Intrusion and Contaminated Site Remediation: An Overview,” Praticing Law Institute, Real Estate Law and Practice, Course handbook Series, Number N-580 (Ord #24052) (2010)
Co-author, “CARB Adopts First U.S. GHG Emissions Cap-and-Trade Program,” Bingham.com (Dec. 23, 2010)
Co-author, “Roadmap for Disclosure or Recipe for Boilerplate? The SEC Issues Interpretive Guidance for Climate Change Disclosures,” Bingham.com (Feb. 8, 2010)
Co-author, “CARB Issues Preliminary Draft Regulation for a California Cap-and-Trade Program,” Bingham.com (Dec. 3, 2009)
Co-author, “EPA Adopts National Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rules,” Bingham.com (Oct. 13, 2009)
Co-author, “EPA Issues Proposed Endangerment Finding for Emissions of CO2,” Bingham.com (April 22, 2009)
“ASTM Vapor Intrusion Assessment Standard: Inappropriate Presumptions,” BNA Environmental Reporter, (June 5, 2009); and Environmental Due Diligence Guide (BNA) (March 2009)

Memberships

Fellow, American College of Environmental Lawyers (2011–present)
Council Member, ABA Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources (1998–2001; 1976–1979); Chair, Strategic Planning Committee (2000–2002)
Board of Directors, Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C., Chairman of the Board (2012–present), Director (2005–present); Executive Committee (2007–present); Search Committee for President (2011), Chair, Nominating Committee (2006–2011; Member–2005); Member, Development Committee (2005–2011)
Board of Directors, Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C. (1996–2004); Chair, Development Committee (1996–1998)
Board of Directors, Lawyers Alliance for World Security, Washington, D.C. (1991–1996)
Leadership Council, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. (2001–present)
Advisory Committee, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, U.C. Berkley Law School (2007–present)
Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy: Advisory Committee (1994–1997)
Board of Advisers, Journal of Environmental Law and Practice (1994–2000)

Awards & Honors

Award of Merit, Yale Law School Association (Oct. 10, 2010)
The Best Lawyers in America, leading lawyer in Environmental Law (2010–2013)
Legal 500 US, leading lawyer in Environmental Law (2012)
Super Lawyers, Northern California (2004–2012)
Lawdragon 500, Leading Lawyers in America (2005–2006; 2009–2011)
Top Rated Lawyers 2012, Washington D.C. & Baltimore’s Top Rated Lawyers
Who’s Who Legal: California (2007–2010)
Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers (2010)
Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (2006–2008, 2011)
Yale Law Journal (1966-1969); Articles and Book Review Editor (1968–1969)
Phi Beta Kappa, Yale University

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