Steven E. Soule

BP West Coast Products in a civil enforcement action brought by the South Coast Air Quality Management District alleging violations of multiple air pollution rules including rules on aboveground petroleum tanks with floating roofs, fugitive emissions, flare testing and wastewater tanks.

BP West Coast Products in a 400-plaintiff toxic tort case alleging personal injury and property loss due to exposure to emissions from BP’s Carson, California Refinery. The plaintiffs, both adults and children, live in the neighborhood adjacent to the refinery and allege that its airborne emissions have caused numerous illnesses, including cancer, asthma and other respiratory problems.

Representing a major petroleum company in an investigation by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) into its mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and achieving a favorable settlement despite CARB initially claim that the company engaged in the largest and most significant reporting errors in California history.

The Irvine Company in a declaratory relief action brought by The Irvine Company against Orange County seeking confirmation that the county bore responsibility for remediation of an a landfill under a contract between the parties. The county argued that The Irvine Company was not properly controlling methane and other gases from the landfill causing fires and exposing nearby residents.

Strategic Materials in a civil enforcement action by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) alleging improper recycling and waste disposal practices at the company’s current and former California glass recycling facilities.

GATX Corporation in multiple personal injury lawsuits, including a jury trial, involving thousands of plaintiffs, arising from a train derailment, pipeline explosion and resulting hydrocarbon and other chemical releases, which allegedly were public and private nuisances.

Represented the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes and its subsidiary in litigation stemming from the 2015 blowout of SoCalGas’s Natural Gas Storage Well in Aliso Canyon, California. Kirkland replaced existing counsel and defeated defendants’ summary judgment motions, including for nuisance and trespass. Favorable settlement achieved.

A major California public utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, regarding environmental and CEQA issues related to the divestiture of a majority of its fossil fuel power plants resulting from the deregulation of California’s electric industry.

BP West Coast Products in litigation and a bench trial relating to an alleged multimillion dollar violation of The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reformulated fuels regulation. CARB is alleging that oil shipments from BP’s Cherry Point refinery failed to meet California regulations. This case was the first major CARB enforcement trial under the recently enacted SB 1402.

Boeing in litigation brought by a dozen individuals claiming cancer allegedly caused by environmental contamination from manufacturing operations of Boeing and McDonald Douglas in Long Beach, California.

Raytheon and General Dynamics in several consolidated federal court actions alleging liability for soil and groundwater contamination under CERCLA and other statutes and common law theories and in a related state court action.

ARCO and BP in a series of federal, state and local lawsuits and investigations relating to underground storage tank (UST) and hazardous waste compliance issues and UST upgrade issues across California and neighboring states and alleging public nuisance claims relating to USTs.

Tosco Refining Company in an action brought under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act and unfair business practice statutes alleging failure to warn of exposure to petroleum coke and related toxic substances in the Port of Long Beach area and property damage to nearby businesses and residences.

Owner of a chemical manufacturing facility in a toxic tort case brought by residents of a housing project adjacent to the facility. Several hundred plaintiffs alleged exposure to chemicals in the groundwater and airborne emissions from the facility and claimed to suffer a wide variety of injuries.

O'Melveny & Myers LLP, 1994–2006

Senior Deputy District Prosecutor, SCAQMD, 2007–2008