Mark A. Norman
Cincinnati Office
Mr. Norman is a partner in the Vorys Cincinnati office and a member of the energy and environment group. His practice includes all areas of environmental law, including litigation, and dispute resolution, business and transactional matters and advising on regulatory issues.
Career highlights include:
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
- Serving as environmental counsel for a client that was asked by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to implement anthrax decontamination of the U.S. Senate Office Building and the U.S. Postal Service facilities
- Serving as regulatory counsel in a leaking chemical railcar case with thousands of residents evacuated and roads closed, negotiating with multiple regulators and law enforcement officials and handling risk management, public communication, corporate advising and coordination with litigation counsel
- Representing a manufacturer in an emergency testing and evaluation as to whether an operating factory must be evacuated
LITIGATION/DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- Serving as counsel in Siemens v. Koncelik before the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Committee (ERAC) regarding the scope of Ohio's Voluntary Action Program
- Representing a major potentially responsible party in U.S. v. Terminix, et al., a Superfund matter, tried on contribution issues
- Representing a major potentially responsible party and group in U.S. v. Pristine - a group of multiple Superfund cases
- Representing a sewer district owner in the negotiation and implementation of a Consent Decree in U.S. v. Board of County Commissioners, et al., a multi-billion dollar Clean Water Act case
TRANSACTIONAL/BUSINESS
- Participating in the issuance, to clients and interested parties, of over ten Ohio EPA Covenants Not to Sue under the Ohio Voluntary Action Program
- Representing clients that have obtained multiple grants resulting in major remediation and redevelopment projects under the Clean Ohio Fund
- Serving as counsel to developers, sellers, end-users, lenders, and public funding entities in transactions involving brownfield development in multiple states
REGULATORY
- Leading and managing multi-media and single-media audits of a wide variety of factories and regulated facilities, including filing self-disclosures with the USEPA and state agencies and presenting the results to corporate leadership and regulatory agencies
- Representing clients in significant CSO/SSO (combined sewer overflow/sanitary sewer overflow), wetland, industrial discharge, and drinking water matters
- Serving, for over 20 years, as counsel for RCRA (Resource Conservation Recovery Act) corrective action sites and as lead counsel for potentially responsible parties (owners, operators, generators, transporters) on issues relating to solid waste permitting and licensing, construction and demolition, and debris permitting and licensing
- Managing a multi-state search for contaminated waste oil, negotiating cleanups with USEPA Headquarters and Regions on behalf of property owners and remediation companies, advising on new chemical uses, importation/ exportation, polymer, and other TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) issues, including enforcement
Mr. Norman is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Cincinnati Bar Association and the National Brownfields Association.
Mr. Norman has given speeches for over 20 years to numerous organizations including the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, and multiple local bar associations, trade associations, clients, businesses, universities and law schools. He also co-taught multi-day environmental law and regulation seminars to environmental professionals for over five years.
Mr. Norman received his J.D. cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center where he was Phi Beta Kappa, and his B.A. with honors from George Washington University.
Publications
- Mark A. Norman & Frank L. Mink, "Negotiating Practical Risk Assessments with Governments and in Business Transactions," Natural Resources & Environment, Summer 1994 (publication of the American Bar Association Section of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law)
- “RCRA and Superfund: A Practice Guide With Forms,” 2001 (2d. ed.)
Professional and Community Activities
- Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
- Hamilton County Environmental Action Commission, Member since 1992
- Crossroad Health Center, Cincinnati, Co-founder, Board member since 1992
Honors and Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law, 2006-2008
- Ohio Super Lawyers, Environmental, 2004-2008
- Chambers and Partners, Leading Lawyer in Natural Resources and Environment, 2005-2008