Christopher W. Rich

Chris Rich advises clients on environmental permitting, compliance, enforcement, cleanup and risk management. Over three decades, he has worked with state and federal regulatory agencies as a former Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) enforcement officer and an environmental litigator in private practice. His work spans water quality and stormwater, hazardous waste, air emissions, toxic substances, contaminated property, climate program obligations and the environmental aspects of energy development.

Water quality is a substantial part of Chris’s practice. He advises on Clean Water Act and related state requirements, including permits, compliance, spill reporting, surface-water and groundwater contamination, and water-quality issues affecting data centers. He has handled citizen suits on both sides and negotiated administrative and judicial settlements with agencies and third parties. Recent matters include settlements of Oregon DEQ industrial and construction stormwater permit disputes and Clean Water Act citizen suits without protracted litigation. Chris serves on the Oregon DEQ advisory committee revising the statewide 1200-Z Industrial Stormwater General Permit and speaks and writes about water quality, enforcement, citizen suits and emerging stormwater issues.

Chris also guides clients through agency enforcement and regulatory disputes. Having handled hundreds of enforcement matters and numerous contested case appeals, he helps clients address alleged violations, return to compliance and work with regulators. His permitting and compliance counsel extends to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permitting and closure, Clean Air Act permits, toxic-substances requirements, greenhouse gas and climate programs, clean fuels rules, and related public-records and Freedom of Information Act matters.

For contaminated or potentially contaminated properties, Chris advises businesses and organizations on pre-purchase due diligence, Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, cleanup obligations and transactional protections. He works with consultants, engineers and regulators on cleanup and closure of affected soil, sediment and groundwater, and counsels on All Appropriate Inquiry, prospective purchaser agreements and environmental contract terms. His experience also includes cleanup litigation in state and federal court and the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis process for non-time-critical removal actions on federal land.

Chris’s toxic-substances work covers the management, transportation, storage, disposal and distribution of regulated materials, including matters involving polychlorinated biphenyls, electrical equipment containing dielectric fluids, asbestos and lead-based paint. He has advised on PFAS compliance, regulatory negotiations and risk evaluation. In energy development and operations, he addresses environmental requirements for EV infrastructure, battery energy storage, LNG, wind and solar projects. These matters involve permitting, reporting, stormwater, waste management, spills, remediation, recycling and decommissioning, among other environmental issues. He also connects clients with professionals who advise on related tax, corporate, real estate, offtake and land-use matters.

• University of Denver Sturm College of Law, J.D., 1991
• University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., History, 1987

• Oregon
• Colorado
• U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

• Ranked by Chambers USA, as "America’s Leading Lawyers" for Environment, 2006-2026

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America: Environmental Law; Litigation - Environmental, 2010-2027

• Named the Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" for Environmental Law, 2026

• Oregon DEQ 1200-Z Industrial Stormwater General Permit Rulemaking Advisory Committee, 2019-2020
• Oregon Business Association, Environment and Economic Development Committee, Chair, 2004-2010
• Oregon Environmental Council, Board of Directors, 2005-2008
• Department of Environmental Quality Air Contaminant Discharge Permit (ACDP) and Regional Haze Advisory Committee, 2008
• Department of Environmental Quality, Mercury Rule Advisory Committee, 2006
• Department of Environmental Quality, Enforcement Advisory Committee, 2005
• Department of Environmental Quality, Solid Waste Advisory Committee, 2002-2003
• Environmental Partnerships for Oregon Communities Advisory Committee, 1999-2003