Meli is representing clients both in environmental litigation and environmental permitting and review. She has particular experience with brownfield redevelopment. She has defended cases under the Clean Water Act and the state and federal Superfund laws, and is assisting clients in fisheries matters and in issues involving climate change and energy.
She earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Cornell Law School, and her Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, from Colgate University.
Representative Experience
- Assisting a client in redeveloping a former sawmill and service station into the national headquarters for an international technology company. Successfully recovered cleanup costs from a former owner through litigation.
- Minimizing the potential liability of a municipality facing a multi-million dollar cleanup of a formerly owned contaminated landfill. Helped the client establish that other parties were the source of groundwater contamination, thereby minimizing the client’s exposure. Helped to establish insurance coverage to eliminate even the client’s lesser exposure.
- Representing a parts manufacturer in Oregon with the investigation of potential historical releases at its manufacturing facilities, negotiating with state regulators, and pursuing additional potentially responsible parties at the site.
- Representing local governments with a $30 million groundwater cleanup in New Mexico, including negotiating with EPA in designing and performing site work and pursuing other potentially responsible parties.
- Assisting in the defense of a large mining company faced with a Clean Water Act citizen suit.