Benjamin G. Stonelake

Benjamin G. Stonelake
Senior Counsel
Environmental

Biography

Ben Stonelake has a national reputation in the area of environmental law, was listed in the International Who’s Who of Environmental Attorneys for many years, and continues to be listed in Best Lawyers in America.

He assists commercial, financial, industrial, and entrepreneurial clients and local government agencies and authorities, with all aspects of environmental law, including:

  • Air and water pollution control and wetlands regulation
  • Regulation of solid and hazardous wastes and toxic substances
  • Superfund and hazardous waste site cleanups
  • Risk-based remediation strategies
  • Brownfield redevelopment
  • Toxic tort litigation
  • Environmental matters affecting bankruptcy proceedings

Ben was an attorney for the Middle Atlantic Region (Region 3) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and was the chief enforcement attorney for that Region from 1979 to 1981. In addition, he has authored numerous articles and presented many lectures on various environmental law topics.

He assists clients with the purchase and sale of regulated facilities and contaminated properties and represents them in permitting new and existing facilities regulated under environmental laws. He also represents them in administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement proceedings and litigation to recover or apportion costs to clean up contaminated properties.

Experience

  • Successfully opposed EPA’s proposal to list the properties of several clients on the Superfund National Priorities List.
  • Convinced EPA to amend a Superfund Record of Decision to eliminate a very costly and potentially polluting incineration remedy.
  • Convinced a state environmental agency to amend its Statement of Decision to substitute an alternative remedy for a more expensive and less effective pump and treat remedy and to settle its cost recovery claim for only 10 percent of its past cleanup costs.
  • Convinced a local citizens group, a state environmental agency, and EPA to forgo their demands for a costly and potentially polluting afterburner to settle Clean Air Act enforcement litigation involving two incinerators.
  • Conceived and supervised an award-winning project to control erosion of PCB-contaminated soil in stormwater runoff from a Delaware HSCA site.

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

  • AV Preeminent®, listed in Martindale-Hubbell®
  • 1995–2025, Environmental Law and Litigation - Environmental, Philadelphia, listed in Best Lawyers in America©
  • 2004–2013, listed in International Who’s Who of Environment Lawyers

Affiliations

Professional Activities

Ben is the former chair and vice-chair of the Environmental Law Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a past President of the Delaware Valley Environmental American Inn of Court.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey

Education

  • University of Notre Dame, BSME
  • University of Notre Dame Law School, JD

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.

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