Experience

Aaron Courtney is of counsel practicing in the Resources, Development & Environment practice group. He represents energy, municipal, industrial, agricultural and developer clients on compliance, permitting and litigation issues under federal and state clean up laws, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act. Aaron's public sector work includes representing numerous public wastewater treatment entities on water quality and distribution matters. He also applies his extensive practical expertise in conducting environmental due diligence as part of business transactions and advises clients on sustainable business practices.

Representative Work

• Overseeing state and federal environmental and land use permitting (CWA, CAA, NEPA) relating to wind, solar, natural gas, ethanol and other energy development projects throughout the Western United States. This includes advising clients on facility siting, managing generation and pipeline and transmission permitting and construction, and defending project proponents against regulatory enforcement actions and third party environmental lawsuits.
• Serving as general counsel to gravel mining and cement/asphalt process company on permitting and compliance issues for island and several other waterfront facilities in downtown Portland, as well as numerous sites in the Columbia River gorge.
• Representing a 90,000 acre Oregon agricultural operation in permitting one of the largest dairy and organic farms in the United States. The representation included creating a habitat conservation agreement under the ESA, acquiring and trading water rights to achieve mitigation credit for salmon habitat impacts associated with irrigation activities; overseeing dairy (CAFO) permitting; and strategizing on issues related to the development of the farm's unprecedented sustainable, closed loop operations.
• Assisting a wastewater treatment public utility that serves 12 Oregon cities in obtaining and complying with its unprecedented watershed based CWA permit. The permit is based on an effluent trading program within the Tualatin River basin that responds to ESA and total maximum daily load requirements.
• Representing the cities of Gresham, Hermiston and Klamath Falls, Oregon, on treatment plant water quality matters, including pretreatment program, MS4, TMDL and ESA issues.
• Served as lead environmental counsel in the $2.15 billion sale of Longview Fibre Company which included wood products facilities and timber holdings located across the country.
• Provided legal support for the establishment (through federal legislation) of the 20,827 acre Opal Creek Wilderness, the 13,538 acre Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area, and the 3,066 acre Wild and Scenic River corridor, and associated timberland transfers and mine tailings remediation.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Environment Committee, Oregon Business Association
• Former vice chair, Marine Resources Subcommittee, American Bar Association
• Vice Chair, Public Lands Committee, American Bar Association
• Member, Oregon State Bar
• Member, Multnomah Bar Association
• Adjunct faculty, Lewis & Clark Law School

Representative Presentations

• International Conference on Invasive Species, Yokohama, Japan, 2004
• Environmental Law Institute, Annual Environmental Law Bootcamp, Washington, D.C., 2003-2006
• Sea Grant Law Center Conference on Interjurisdictional Fisheries Management, Toledo, Ohio, 2003
• Council of Great Lakes Fishery Agencies 2001 Annual Meeting, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
• Society for Conservation Biology 1992 Annual Meeting, Blacksburg, Virginia
• Regular presenter at regional environmental law seminars

Civic Activities

• Served on Federal Advisory Council, Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area
• Current board member, Illahee—Environmental Forum
• Former board member, Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette
• Former board chair, Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center
• Former coach, Portland Youth Soccer

Publications

• "Ocean Dumping and Marine Pollution Law," Ocean Law and Policy, (American Bar Association 2008)
• "Oregon Greenhouse Gas Reduction" and "Oregon Toxics in Water Reduction," Oregon Insider (Envirotech Publications Oct. 2007)
• "Legal Strategies for Combating Invasive Species," Proceedings of the International Conference on Invasive Species, IUCN (World Conservation Union 2006)
• "Multijurisdictional Regulation of Cruise Ship Discharges," Natural Resources & Environment (American Bar Association summer 2004)
• "Industry Targeted for Compliance with Stormwater Requirements," The Real Estate Finance Journal (West Publications summer 2004)
• "Marine Resources" and "Invasive Species," Year in Review (American Bar Association 2002-2006)
• "Challenging NMFS' 2000 Biological Opinion," The Osprey (Federation of Fly Fishers Sep. 2001)
• "Individual Area Relationships: The Relationship Between Animal Population Density and Area," Ecology (Mar. 2000)
• "Developments in Private Party Cost Recoveries and UST Cleanups," Oregon Environmental & Natural Resources Law News (Oregon State Bar summer 1996)

Education

• University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1992
  Editorial Board and Public Affairs chair, Virginia Environmental Law Journal, 1990-1992
• University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences, M.S., 1993
• University of Virginia, B.A. environmental sciences/ecology and biology, 1989
  Dean's List
  Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Admissions

• Oregon
• U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

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