Environmental Auditing: Overview of Laws, Advantages, Procedures and Pitfalls of Conducting an Environmental Compliance Audit

Erich Birch, J.D., P.E., Arbitrator, Mediator Attorney

This presentation on environmental self-audits will explain the benefits, procedures, and pitfalls of conducting an environmental audit. The presentation will also provide an overview of the state and federal laws and policies that provide immunity from penalties and other incentives for facility’s that choose to voluntarily conduct an audit and the interaction between environmental audits and regulatory enforcement.

Presented by Erich Birch, J.D., P.E.

Erich Birch is an environmental lawyer with the firm of Birch, Becker & Moorman, LLP, where he assists clients with permitting, enforcement, environmental audits, contested hearings, and other environmental and regulatory matters. He has extensive substantive experience with air quality, industrial and hazardous waste, stormwater, municipal solid waste, petroleum storage tanks, used and waste oils, Superfund, and recycling issues. Erich is a former attorney with the Texas Water Commission, and prior to practicing law he was an engineer in the chemical industry. He is on the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas, is the former Chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section of the Bar, and serves on the Council of the Bar’s General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm Section. He provides ADR services to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is an arbitrator on the panel of the American Arbitration Association, a Credentialed Mediator, and an insurance Umpire. He is also a Professional Engineer in Texas. Erich has a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.