Eric Boyd

Partner

Chicago
312 580 2214 312 580 2214 direct

OVERVIEW
INSIGHTS
NEWS & EVENTS
RELATED INFORMATION

PRACTICES

Education
- Indiana University Maurer School of Law,
  
  J.D., cum laude, 1986
  
  Executive Editor, Indiana Law Journal
- Northwestern University,
  
  B.S., with honors, 1981
Admissions
- Illinois
- Illinois USDC, Northern District
- Illinois USDC, Southern District
- Indiana USDC, Northern District
- US Ct Appeals, 7th Circuit (Covers IL, IN, WI)
- US Ct Appeals, DC Circuit
Affiliations
- American Bar Association
  
  Past Chair, Air Quality Subcommittee
  
  Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources Law Committee, Business Law Section
- Air and Waste Management Association
  
  Past Chair, Lake Michigan States Section
- Chemical Industry Council of Illinois
  
  Past Co-Chair, Associate Committee
  
  Board Member
Recognitions
- Listed in Chambers USA (by Chambers & Partners) for Environmental Law in Illinois, 2009, 2013-2023
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2007-2025
- Listed in Illinois Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters), 2015-2016
Employment
- Thompson Coburn LLP
  
  Partner, 2013-Present

Eric represents clients in litigation, regulatory compliance, and transaction matters with respect to all of the major environmental programs.

He prepares comments and testimony on proposed regulations, and obtains variances and site-specific relief for his clients. He helps obtain favorable permits under air, water, wetland, solid and hazardous waste, hazardous material, and underground injection control (UIC) programs. He defends clients facing local, state, federal and citizen suits alleging violations of environmental requirements, and represents clients in other environmental litigation as well.

Eric is known for his focus on Clean Air Act litigation. He has represented numerous clients in New Source review (NSR) and Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) enforcement, as well as matters involving indoor air quality, new source performance standards (NSPS), national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAPs), risk-management plans (RMP), off-site releases, and odor and dust nuisance. He has substantial experience with EPA's air enforcement, "next generation," and environmental justice initiatives, and has assisted clients with DHS's Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS).

Eric also has worked on significant Clean Water Act matters. He has defended industrial and governmental clients in water enforcement actions, including citizen suit challenges to real estate and highway projects. He has negotiated NPDES and pretreatment permits, and appealed water quality standards (WQS) and WQS-based effluent limits and dry and wet-weather permit requirements (including relating to combined sewer overflows (CSOs)).

Eric also has represented clients in enforcement matters involving alleged violations of the hazardous material and solid and hazardous waste requirements. Such matters have involved material characterization, generator and TSD requirements, DOT shipper requirements, PCBs, vapor intrusion, and site closure. He has also represented clients in litigation involving contaminated sites.

Eric helps to close real estate and corporate transactions in which environmental compliance and contamination issues play a role. He has assisted clients to resolve contamination concerns through insurance products, no-further remediation (NFR) letters via voluntary clean-up programs, contract indemnity language, and EPA Prospective Purchaser Agreements. He also has helped clients obtain "clean slates" using the U.S. EPA's "Self- Disclosure Audit Policy" and the "Interim Approach to Applying the Audit Policy to New Owners."

In recent years, Eric has assisted with emerging environmental issues, including matters involving renewable energy (including landfill gas, wind, hydro, and solar energy projects) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, "green" marketing and carbon sequestration.

Thompson Coburn Publications

Federal Trade Commission to seek comments on Proposed Updates to its “Green Guides” December 15, 2022

Maine’s PFAS product reporting deadline is quickly approaching: Are you ready? December 5, 2022

New administration, new priorities: Preparing for the Biden-Harris Administration’s key environmental focus areas January 8, 2021

EPA recommends new requirements in NPDES permits to address PFAS in wastewater and stormwater December 15, 2020

EPA Final Rule may keep projects at existing major sources from triggering stringent pre-construction permitting requirements October 23, 2020

‘Dark Air': Why industries should prepare for regulation of PFAS air emissions January 16, 2020

The sky’s the limit as the EPA releases a flurry of 2019 air permitting guidance and proposals December 20, 2019

Air rules to watch for in second half of 2019 May 23, 2019

EPA announces ‘adjacent’ under Clean Air Act now limited to physical proximity September 10, 2018

5 points to remember before relying on the EPA’s new NSR guidance on projected future emissions December 14, 2017

New circuit split raises questions about ‘permit shield’ defense in Clean Water Act cases January 6, 2017

Shipping hazmats by air? Follow the rules or pay the price: FAA imposes substantial penalties for hazardous materials violations October 3, 2014

Supreme Court overturns EPA’s 'Tailoring Rule,' upholds GHG BACT for 'anyway' sources June 23, 2014

Publications

Co-Author, "FTC Issues Revised 'Green Guides'";
Client Alert, October 11, 2012

Contributing Author;
Environmental & Safety Law Update Blog

Co-Author, "Hazardous Material Enforcement is Spilling Into Unexpected Areas";
ACC Docket, May 2012

Presentations

"Political Perspectives on Environmental/Health Crises";
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, August 2019

"Citizens Get Active: Vapor Intrusion, Environmental Justice and Emerging Litigation",
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois Annual Hot Topics Seminar, June 2019

"Environmental Enforcement Today"; Environmental, Health & Safety Audit Center, November 2018

"As Good as the Paper it's Written on - Using Guidance Documents vs Rulemaking to Change Interpretations of Air Regulations";
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois Air Program, June 2018

“Large Quantity Generator Closure – RCRA Closure & Vapor Intrusion”;
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois' Annual RCRA Training Seminar, March 15, 2018

“Measurements and Monitoring – Regulatory and Enforcement Recent Trends”;
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, November 2017

Emerging Contaminants and Water Quality Issues;
Chemical Industry of Illinois Water Issues Seminar, October 2017

"Environmental Justice: Integrating Environmental Justice Principles/USEPA Plan: Issues and Opportunities";
ISBA 15th Annual Illinois Environmental Law Conference, May 2016

"Clean Air Act Issues Arising under EPA's Next Generation Compliance Initiative and Fence-Line Monitoring Rules";
ISBA 15th Annual Illinois Environmental Law Conference, May 2016

"Evolving Federal/State Relations and the Role of Regulated Entities and their Associations";
Chemical Industry Council of Illinois- Clean Air Act Conference, September 2015

Co-Chair of the 2010 Fall Air Quality Management Conference;
Lake Michigan States Section of the Water and Waste Management Association, November 2010

"Legal Issues for Waste Generators";
Lake Michigan States Section of the Air and Waste Management Association, May 2011