Case Solutions Archive
Saunders Hired as Special Environmental Counsel to Joint Municipal Authority
When the Clarks Summit South Abington Joint Sewer Authority was issued a renewal of its NPDES permit by the Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) which contained discharge limits that would have required costly upgrades to its system and was cited for numerous alleged violations of its permit, it turned to Steve Saunders to represent its interest and assist with a resolution. Acting as the Authority’s Special Environmental Counsel, Saunders developed and led a coordinated legal effort spanning nearly two years which included an appeal of the NPDES permit to the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board. Ultimately, a settlement was achieved resulting in the issuance of an NPDES permit with reasonable discharge limitations and no monetary penalties which the Authority’s outside engineering consultant conservatively estimated saved the client and the customers it serves over $5,000,000. Steve has counseled and continues to represent municipal sewer and water authorities in navigating the in the often complex labyrinth of environmental regulations associated with this industry.
Pipeline Right of Way Agreement Nets Clients Four Times Original Offer
After initially being told to “sign or we’ll just go around you,” residents of Wyoming County retained Steve Saunders to negotiate monetary and non-monetary terms of a proposed natural gas pipeline easement with a major pipeline gathering company. After several months of negotiation and despite the company’s insistence that it would never increase the financial terms above what it initially offered, Saunders secured a payment of nearly $120,000 for the easement – almost quadruple the initial offer – and far more favorable non-monetary terms than the pipeline company had originally proposed. The clients’ payment included reimbursement from the pipeline company of 100% of their legal fees as part of the agreement.