Biography
Ali Abazari is a partner with Jackson Walker where he practices environmental law. His practice is focused on environmental permitting and compliance assistance, defense of environmental enforcement actions, and environmental aspects of real estate and corporate transactions. He represents a diverse group of clients including mining companies, energy companies, manufacturers, real estate developers, and utilities with an emphasis on CERCLA, RCRA, CWA, SMCRA, OPA, SDWA, NEPA, and their state counterparts. Over the past 20 years, he has also participated in the drafting and development of environmental laws and regulations at the state and federal levels. He has successfully represented clients in contested case hearings in permitting and enforcement matters before various state agencies. Ali was formerly an attorney in the Litigation Division of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) where he represented TCEQ in administrative enforcement matters, and also provided guidance to the various TCEQ remediation programs, including the petroleum storage tank, corrective action and voluntary cleanup programs.
Education
B.A., University of Texas at Austin
LL.M., Tulane University Law School
J.D., Oklahoma City University School of Law
Bar Admissions
Texas, 1996
- Served as counsel to BP America, Inc. at the Unified Area Command Post for the Deepwater Horizon incident
- Secured TPDES wastewater discharge permit in contested case proceeding involving opposition by local governmental bodies and environmental advocacy group
- Defended water district in a complex contested water and sewer rate matter challenging district’s budget data and cost allocation methodology, among other challenges
- Represented major U.S. energy company in evaluating environmental conditions at several refineries, remediation of the sites, and transfer of assets
Areas of Focus
- Mine and reclamation permitting and compliance
- Obtaining Clean Water Act permits, including NPDES/TPDES permits, and providing compliance counselling
- Multi-media environmental auditing
- Brownfields redevelopment
- Environmental assessment and remediation projects
- Transactional matters involving sale and acquisition of contaminated properties
- Management of environmental risks in business transactions
- Analysis of federal and state environmental reviews, wetland jurisdiction, endangered species, cultural resources, and permitting issues for the siting of new projects
- Water and sewer utility certificates of convenience and necessity (CCN) and rate matters
- Defending environmental enforcement actions before various federal and state agencies, particularly the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Railroad Commission of Texas
- Waste permitting, management and compliance counselling
- Underground Storage Tank compliance and remediation
- Permitting of underground injection disposal wells
- Emerging legislative and regulatory requirements for the management of coal combustion residuals, carbon capture and sequestration, and related matters
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2006-2010
- Speaker, “CCR Rule Update,” 2020 Coal Combustion Residuals Conference (August 10, 2020)
- Co-Author, “U.S. Supreme Court Finds That Clean Water Act’s Permitting Requirements Can Extend to Discharges Through Groundwater,” Jackson Walker Insights (April 24, 2020)
- Author, “EPA Issues Temporary Policy on Enforcement Discretion for Noncompliance Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Jackson Walker Insights (March 31, 2020)
- “The Admissibility of Scientific Expert Witness Testimony in Environmental Litigation,” SETAC Conference (November 2003)
- “Landowner Liability Defense and Funding under Brownfields Act of 2002,” Lloyd Gosselink Seminar (November 2003)
- “Understanding Environmental Enforcement in Texas: Practical Tools for Navigating the TCEQ Process” (March 2004; July 2004; and October 2004)
- “Brownfields Redevelopment—A Municipal Perspective,” Texas City Attorneys Association Seminar (June 2006)
- “Defending Against Environmental Enforcement Actions and Negotiating Favorable Settlements, Administrative Law in the Environmental Practice,” Austin Bar Association (June 2006)
- “Accommodating Resource Protection Laws in Construction,” Design Law for Texas Architects and Engineers Conference (March 2008)
- “Natural Resources Protection Laws,” Land Law for Civil Engineers and Surveyors (September 2008)
- “State and Federal Site Contamination Law,” Land Law for Civil Engineers and Surveyors (September 2008)
- “Water Law,” Texas Land Law Seminar (May 2009)
- “Handling Your First (or Next) Environmental Law Matter: Finding Your Niche,” Texas Bar Association CLE on Administrative and Civil Enforcement (December 2019)
- State Bar of Texas – Environmental & Natural Resources Law Section
- Austin Bar Association – Administrative Law and Environmental Law Sections
- American Bar Association – Environment, Energy, and Resources Section
Jackson Walker Advises Regal Oil in Sale of C-Store Assets in West Texas
November 11, 2020