Susan M. Cooke

Overview

Susan M. Cooke advises clients on US and international environmental regulatory, compliance and policy matters and on domestic and cross-border hazardous material transportation requirements. Her practice includes regulatory analyses and counseling, enforcement actions, permitting and registration activities, brownfields redevelopment, transactions, and development of legislative and regulatory proposals. Previously, she served as an enforcement attorney in the New England Regional Office of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and also worked as a patent attorney in the private sector.

Susan has represented clients before agencies and authorities on a variety of issues, including the permitting and siting of hazardous and solid waste facilities, manufacturing facilities and various petroleum operations, redevelopment of brownfields sites, development of waivers under chemical regulations and identification of exemptions from state and federal chemical registration requirements, and analyses of various hazardous material and hazardous waste mandates and their application to particular factual situations. She also has advised clients on compliance with a wide range of environmental and safety matters ranging from accidental chemical releases to the storage and disposal of radioactive wastes and registration of chemicals under international programs.

Susan has represented clients charged with liability for the cleanup of contaminated sites and redevelopment of brownfields sites. She has chaired groups of potentially responsible parties, led Superfund negotiations, and conceptualized and achieved innovative cleanup settlements. In addition, she has represented and counseled clients involved in regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, including those related to the storage, transport and processing of hazardous waste and hazardous materials.

Susan is one of the originators of environmental opinions used in many large corporate and real estate transactions, and of numerous due diligence protocols. As lead lawyer, Susan has conducted environmental due diligence reviews of industrial and commercial properties such as wind farms, power plants, multi-use waterfront developments and large residential developments. She also has authored a number of legislative and regulatory proposals, including parts of the EPA’s confidential business information regulations and a prototype of the so-called “Gore factors” utilized under the federal Superfund law.

Susan has been the general editor and principal author of a leading treatise, The Law of Hazardous Waste, as well as a co-editor and contributing author of two editions of the Massachusetts Environmental Law Handbook.

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Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America 1989 – 2021, Environmental Law
Chambers USA
The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers

Community

American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL), regent
American Bar Association, Business Section; Committee on Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources Law, past chair of the Hazardous Waste Subcommittee, and member of the Distinguished Environmental Advocates Advisory Group
Zoo New England, past board member