Stephen C. Zumbrun

Stephen C. Zumbrun
Associate
Environmental

Biography

Stephen is a multi-dimensional energy and environmental, health, and safety attorney.  Stephen’s practice includes:

  • Prosecuting and defending clients’ interests in complex environmental and energy litigation.
  • Defending clients in federal and state agency enforcement proceedings.
  • Counseling clients in environmental, health, and safety regulatory compliance, including Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agency environmental permitting and licensing, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regulations.
  • Counseling clients in property environmental remediation.
  • Advising clients in transactions for environmental diligence and limitation of liabilities.   

Regardless of the level of client sophistication and legal experience, Stephen methodically ensures that each client understands their legal goals and risks associated with their individual matters and issues to make sure the client is thoroughly knowledgeable and aware of the legal implications of a decision, and the pros and cons of the selected legal pathway.  No matter how complex the legal issues may be facing a client, Stephen’s engagement, thoroughness, and thoughtful communication remain the same.   

Stephen is actively engaged in the environmental and energy legal communities and frequently writes and speaks on environmental and energy topics.  For several years, Stephen taught a session at the Environmental Law Institute’s (“ELI”) Boot Camp, which provides an in-depth review of environmental law for new practitioners.  Stephen is a member of the Delaware Valley Environmental American Inn of Court, the Institute for Energy Law, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section and Public Utility Law Section. 

Stephen has been an active member of Blank Rome’s pro bono programs and has represented several clients with their legal issues. Stephen has represented clients seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, asylum, and green cards.  In addition, Stephen has helped senior pro bono clients with wills and powers of attorney and assisted clients with probating wills and transferring estate property.  He also advised the Pennsylvania chapter of the International OCD Foundation, a mental health education and advocacy nonprofit, through an organization restructuring.

Outside the Firm

A two-sport athlete in college, Stephen was a two-year starter on the football team, earning ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District distinction, and was a captain of the track and field team.  Outside of work you can find Stephen playing pick-up basketball at the local YMCA or serving as a coach for his daughters’ soccer, basketball, or softball teams.

Experience

  • Secured a bench trial victory in a case involving significant gasoline contamination in groundwater and soil.  Following an eight-day bench trial, the court awarded damages, including cost of remediation, to our client.
  • Received a favorable order that dismissed our energy generation and public utility clients from a case where the landlord sought indemnification against our clients for civil penalties issued against the landlord by the City of Philadelphia.
  • Secured regulatory approval from the Public Utility Commission for our public utility client to build a district regulating station.  Case involved novel issues regarding the Pennsylvania Environmental Rights Amendment and climate change. 
  • Represented major energy companies in defending federal citizen suit claims under the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and related state tort claims.  This case involved a release from a petroleum pipeline that impacted surrounding soil and groundwater.  Both cases were successfully settled with favorable outcomes following several years of litigation.
  • Assisted utility client’s in-house trial team win a trial defense verdict in catastrophic injury case.  Case involved claims brought by an unaffiliated employee of a contractor significantly injured in an accident at a third-party non-utility owned substation.  
  • Represent private-equity client in litigation to challenge state OSHA citations involving employee death.  
  • Successfully represented utility to settle dozens of formal complaints by a municipality and several residents against the company related to the company’s system upgrade project.    
  • Represented utility to settle claims by Public Utility Commission’s enforcement bureau against the utility related to injury of second party contractor.
  • Represented client in seeking approval to transfer radioactive materials licenses from over twenty state agencies and the U.S. Nuclear Energy Commission.
  • Represented clients in settlements involving U.S. EPA, State environmental agencies, and federal and state OSHA. 

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

2021–2022, Ones to Watch, Environmental Law, listed in Best Lawyers in America©

Affiliations

Memberships

  • Delaware Valley Environmental American Inn of Court
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee
  • Environmental Law Institute
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, Energy Law Committee
  • Institute for Energy Law
Professional Activities

Stephen is a Committee Member of the Institute for Energy Law’s Energy Dispatch Publication and member of the 2020 cohort of the Environmental Law Institute’s Emerging Leaders Initiative, which was formed to connect, support, and foster dialogue amongst the next generation of rising stars in environmental law and policy. The Emerging Leaders are a diverse group selected from across the country and from a variety of practices to further bring together those who will shape the future of environmental law and policy.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court - Western District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Western District of Pennsylvania

Education

  • The College of Wooster, BA, cum laude
  • University of Pittsburgh School of Law, JD, cum laude

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

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