Rizzo Mattingly Bosworth successfully represents clients in environmental and toxic tort matters throughout the Northwest. Drawing on our depth of experience in complex litigation, our attorneys regularly assist clients in matters ranging from regulatory compliance through litigation, including insurance coverage for environmental claims, investigation and cleanup of state and federal Superfund sites, environmental enforcement actions by state and federal regulatory bodies, negotiation of potential regulatory fines and penalties, overseeing remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, and litigating private cost recovery and contribution actions under CERCLA and its state law counterparts. Our attorneys are conversant in the many scientific issues affecting environmental and toxic tort claims, and regularly assist clients in negotiating the scope and extent for investigations and cleanups, monitoring environmental consultants and contractors, and obtaining no further action determinations.

• Presently defending an alleged Potentially Responsible Party in the U.S. EPA Portland Harbor Superfund matter.  More +
  The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has alleged that our client may be responsible for historical releases of hazardous substances at numerous facilities and locations within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site and for any associated assessment, site investigation, and cleanup costs under CERCLA. This complex matter involves hundreds of potentially responsible parties, former and current landowners and operators, numerous sources of contamination, and potential costs estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Our representation has entailed extensive factual development and strong advocacy, including determining which historical and current operations may have contributed to the contamination, the numerous sources of contaminants, and the risk based characterization of the contaminants.
• Currently representing a local business in an enforcement action undertaken by the Oregon DEQ.  More +
  This action concerns our client’s alleged responsibility for the investigation of soil and groundwater contamination related to the removal of an underground storage tank at the site of a former gasoline station. To assist and facilitate compliance with the DEQ while protecting our client from potentially greater liability, we have worked in concert with environmental and technical consultants to investigate the magnitude and extent of the petroleum-related contamination. We are working toward negotiating a final work plan with DEQ and a no further action determination on behalf of our client.