(T) (212) 702-5434

  cmckenzie@bdlaw.com
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477 Madison Avenue
15th Floor
New York, NY 10022-5802
New York
Englewood

• Brownfields - Environmental
• Complex Project Permitting
• Environmental Audits and Compliance Assessments
• Environmental Due Diligence
• Environmental Litigation
• Environmental Management
• Hazardous Waste/RCRA
• International Environmental Law
• Multinational Corporate Assessments
• Site Remediation
• Solid Waste and Resource Recovery
• Spill Response and Reporting
• Superfund/CERCLA
• Voluntary Initiatives and Programs
• Wetlands - Environmental

• University of Georgia (B.S., Zoology, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1988)
• Columbia University (J.D., with honors, 1992)
• Editor-in-Chief, Columbia Journal of Environmental Law
• Columbia University School of Engineering (completed coursework in environmental engineering, 1992)

• New Jersey (1992)
• New York (1993)
• District of Columbia (2004)
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
• American Bar Association
• New Jersey State Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association
• Association of the Bar of the City of New York (past Chair, Committee on International Environmental Law)
• U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO/TC 207 on Environmental Management

Since joining Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., in 1992, Chris McKenzie has been involved in a wide variety of environmental and land use projects for corporations and municipal government clients. He has extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental regulatory programs, including solid waste, hazardous waste, petroleum, air, water, and wetlands regulation, as well as toxic and hazardous chemical requirements and product-based regulations. His experience includes the following:

• Obtaining air, water, solid waste, wetlands, and land use permits and approvals for industrial projects, including power production, cogeneration, waste-to-energy, landfill gas conversion and numerous solid waste management facilities. Chris has represented numerous clients in administrative proceedings concerning project permits and approvals.

• Providing legal advice on notification, investigation and remediation issues involving spills of petroleum and hazardous substances, as well as historic groundwater and soil contamination at residential, commercial and industrial sites. Chris has extensive experience negotiating administrative consent orders and decrees, no further action letters, brownfield cleanup agreements and voluntary agreements under various state programs.

• Assisting clients on regulatory compliance matters at industrial facilities, such as hazardous and non-hazardous waste handling, stormwater management, wastewater discharges, air emissions and spill and release reporting under federal, state and local requirements.

• Representing clients on coastal development and permitting issues, including New York State DEC Tidal Wetlands permits, Army Corps Section 10 permits, New York State Coastal Consistency Determinations, as well as enforcement proceedings involving coastal construction.

• Assisting international and domestic corporations with the design and implementation of compliance programs and environmental management systems.

• Conducting due diligence reviews as well as compliance and management system audits of industrial facilities.

• Defending clients in federal and state court litigation regarding appeals of agency determinations, soil and groundwater contamination, construction contract disputes, environmental impact review, and real estate matters.

• Obtaining millions of dollars in state financial assistance for municipal hazardous waste site remediation and solid waste management facility closure costs.

• Negotiating environmental indemnity, liability allocation and disclosure provisions in loan documents, purchase and sale agreements, and real property agreements.

• Representing clients in all aspects of stock and asset purchase transactions, including negotiation, drafting, and disclosure documentation.

• Assisting clients with product-based initiatives and regulatory compliance, including product take-back initiatives, labeling requirements, and meeting environmental goals such as lightweighting, recyclability and recycled content of products and packaging.

• Corporate environmental strategic planning, including the development and implementation of corporate environmental and sustainability policies and supplier standards, evaluation of global positioning against competitors, and the preparation of corporate environmental reports.

Professional Highlights

Chris McKenzie was recognized as one of the world's leading environmental lawyers in "The International Who's Who of Environment Lawyers 2008", and in "The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers," International Bar Association, 2006 & 2007.