George O. Wilkinson, Jr.

Successful trial and appellate defense of an oil company sued by another oil company for CERCLA contribution arising from a large plume of hydrocarbon in the ground water attributed to historic operations at a refinery and tank farm

Defended a large integrated refinery and chemical plant against Clean Air Act citizen suit enforcement litigation

Defended a large integrated refinery and chemical plant against an EPA flare control enforcement initiative under the Clean Air Act

Member of defense team for response to federal investigations and criminal prosecution arising from a major refinery explosion

Member of defense team for the defense of toxic tort actions against a pipeline company sued by approximately 18,000 people in approximately 80 different suits following a pipeline rupture and fire; plaintiffs claimed damages for personal injuries, property damage, fear of future disease, and medical monitoring; part of the trial team in the successful defense of the first case to be tried arising from the pipeline ruptures; the case involved a trial class of 14 plaintiffs who claimed personal injuries and property damage, and sought millions in punitive damages; following a twelve-week trial, a Jefferson County (Beaumont), Texas jury rendered a unanimous verdict of no liability and causation

Defended an offshore operator against a False Claims Act suit

Defended an operator’s claim under an oil and gas joint operating agreement for costs related to a groundwater contamination claim in underlying litigation

Assisted with the defense of a large toxic tort class action suit and approximately 200 individual claims against an agricultural chemical company

Part of trial team for the successful defense of a lumber mill sued by downstream landowners after a large pile of bark chips caught fire and the runoff from fire fighting operations allegedly befouled private lakes downstream from the mill; drafted the brief which preserved the victory on appeal

Assisted with the defense of a medical device manufacturing facility sued for groundwater contamination allegedly arising from historic operations; plaintiffs claimed over $100 million in lost profits as a result of the contamination

Defended refiner subject to enforcement under EPA’s petroleum refinery initiative

Defending a refinery on EPA Petroleum Refining Initiative Consent Decree compliance issues

Defended a refiner against claims that its Benzene Waste Operations program is and was not in compliance with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

Defended a chemical manufacturer subject to administrative enforcement action for alleged Clean Air Act Risk Management Plan General Duty Clause allegations arising from an explosion

Defending an E&P operator in response to a BSEE investigation, third-party investigation, third-party SEMS audit, CSB inquiry, Congressional inquiry, and federal grand jury investigation arising from an incident on a production facility in the Gulf of Mexico

Defended a state enforcement action involving alleged RCRA and Clean Air Act violations at a pipeline terminal

Defended and counseled a major pipeline company investigated for Clean Water Act violations

Advised a contractor supporting oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico on a BSEE investigation related to produced water discharge compliance matters

Defended an oil and gas operator in the Gulf of Mexico against criminal prosecution related to oil spills and NPDES compliance reporting

Assisted with the defense of a refinery operator prosecuted by the United States following a major industrial accident

Defended the owner of a paint manufacturing company investigated for, and charged with, numerous RCRA criminal violations; obtained a very favorable result at sentencing that avoided a jail term for the individual

Defended a major pipeline company charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

Defended a refiner being investigated for alleged violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act and RCRA

Defended an individual charged with water discharge and hazardous waste felony violations

Defended a warehousing company charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

Defended a used oil recycling company charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

Defended a petroleum distributor charged with criminal violations of state water pollution laws

Worked on the defense of an agricultural chemical company investigated for federal environmental criminal violations at the same time the company was defending significant private party litigation

Worked on the defense of a refinery investigated for, and charged with, Clean Water Act criminal violations

Defended the principal shareholder of a company investigated for Clean Water Act violations

Defended the manager of a pre-stress concrete plant charged, along with his employer, with violations of the Texas Water Code

Obtain dismissal of felony indictments alleging used oil and hazardous waste violations against an oilfield services company