Brent Ryan practices in the areas of environmental permitting, enforcement, litigation, and counseling. His primary area of practice is legal matters related to solid waste facilities and businesses in Texas, including regulatory work at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, transactional work including business contracts and acquisitions, and related litigation. He regularly advises and represents clients in environmental permitting and registration matters, regulatory interpretation and compliance, and agency enforcement actions. Brent has been the lead attorney for the permitting of more than 30 solid waste facilities in Texas, including landfills, transfer stations, and material recovery facilities. He also has significant experience working on Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permitting for projects affecting wetlands and other waters of the U.S. (Galveston and Fort Worth Districts); air emission issues, including evaluation, control and regulation of landfill gas emissions and air emissions from other types of facilities such as incinerators and waste processing units; contamination of ground and surface water; mineral ownership and attendant rights and the impact of severed mineral ownership on disposal facility sites and nearby properties; and surface water quality issues. Brent’s technical background, experience in assisting private and public clients, and unique perspectives gained from representing both applicants and political subdivision protestants in administrative agency proceedings allow him to effectively and efficiently represent clients in environmental law matters.
