Scott leverages his extensive environmental, energy and natural resource experience to advise clients in the national and international public policy arenas.
Scott’s practice is broad in scope, covering a wide range of high-profile and high-risk issues across the nation and in overseas jurisdictions. He is often the first line of defense for domestic and multinational clients, leveraging his power plant operations background and natural resource economics consulting experience to help clients navigate complex regulations and policy issues affecting their business operations. He develops comprehensive strategies addressing legislative and regulatory policy advocacy, defending government enforcement and NGO litigation, and shepherding complex permitting and transactional matters. Scott has sophisticated experience advising clients with respect to domestic and international project development and M&A due diligence.
Well-known for his international insights, clients based in Asia, Canada, Europe and the United States look to Scott for his creative, business-oriented solutions. He also interacts frequently with industry trade organizations, nongovernmental research and policy organizations, and US and foreign agencies, ministries and delegations.
Scott has managed cross-border projects, transactions and disputes in multiple jurisdictions, and has a working knowledge of the Korean language.
Scott also contributes regularly to the firm’s Nickel Report blog, including an influential post on the EPA CERCLA 108(b) hard rock mining financial assurance rulemaking proposal and posts related to environmental, health & safety and social (EHSS) considerations in cross-border transactions and due diligence.
Relevant Experience
Representative Enforcement & Litigation Experience
- Defense of multi-media civil and criminal allegations involving virtually every major federal environmental program including claims brought pursuant to the CAA, CERCLA, CWA, EPCRA, SDWA/UIC, RCRA and related state law involving numerous petroleum refineries, terminals, upstream oil and gas exploration & production operations, mining, mineral processing and chemical manufacturing facilities in California and across the United States.
- Defended US and international NGO allegations related to Asia-based client’s Indonesia forestry, palm oil, and energy operations.
- Defended high-profile class action lawsuits brought by plaintiffs’ counsel associated with Erin Brockovich and Johnnie Cochran asserting personal injury and property damage claims related to a Japan-based client’s Florida mining and chemical manufacturing subsidiary, and similar claims related to Canada-based client’s Idaho mining and chemical manufacturing subsidiary.
- Defended Canada- and Japan-based clients respecting state and federal investigation of several rail and highway chemical release incidents in various states, including Idaho, Kansas and Washington.
More Legal and Business Bylines From P. Scott Burton
- What Most Employers in Washington D.C. Need to Do Before October 31 - (Posted On Friday, October 14, 2022)
- NYC Amends Salary Transparency Law; Delays Effective Date - (Posted On Thursday, May 19, 2022)
- D.C.’s Ban on Non-Competes Delayed Again - (Posted On Tuesday, April 05, 2022)
- NYC Requires Employers to Disclose Salary Ranges In Job Advertisements - (Posted On Tuesday, February 01, 2022)
- Could Mexico’s Mid-Term Elections Signal a Return to Energy and Environmental Policy Rationality? - (Posted On Wednesday, August 11, 2021)
- EPA Enforcement Policies Prioritize Environmental Justice and Embrace “NextGen” Compliance Tools - (Posted On Monday, May 10, 2021)
- With ZEVs and Air Toxics in Mind, CARB Seeks to Inject Itself into SCAQMD’s Lawsuit Against Port of LA - (Posted On Monday, November 09, 2020)
- BSEE Renews Offshore Platform Decommissioning Guidelines - (Posted On Thursday, September 24, 2020)
- EP4 – What’s New and What’s Next for the Enhanced Equator Principles? - (Posted On Thursday, July 09, 2020)
- CalEPA, Stepping into the Perceived Breach, Issues COVID-19 Regulatory Compliance Statement - (Posted On Friday, April 17, 2020)