Steve Barnett

Of Counsel, Roseland Office

85 Livingston Avenue

Roseland, New Jersey 07068

Phone:  (973) 535-0500

sbarnett@connellfoley.com

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Published Decisions
Publications
Professional Activities
Representative Experience
Environmental Web Blog

Steve Barnett is an experienced litigator who practiced as a Professional Engineer and Certified Industrial Hygienist prior to attending law school. An attorney since 1995, he has represented multinational companies, large New Jersey corporations, smaller businesses, and individuals in all areas of environment, health and safety.  His clients have included plaintiffs and defendants in litigation, regulated entities in compliance activities and enforcement proceedings, and parties to real estate and other commercial transactions.

 

In addition to his Connell Foley experience, Mr. Barnett was also Counsel - Health, Safety & Environment, for the British specialty chemicals company Elementis PLC, where he had global responsibilities for environmental, health and safety in litigation, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, real property and regulatory compliance. He managed and supported business transactions for Elementis ranging in value from $1 million to $60 million. Mr. Barnett also served five years for the United States Air Force as a Bioenvironmental Engineer and was honorably discharged with the rank of Capitan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice Areas:

Environmental Law

Insurance Law

 

Admitted to Practice:

State of New Jersey

State of New York

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

 

Education:

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1986)

University of Utah (M.S., Public Health, 1991)

University of Colorado, Boulder (J.D., 1994)

 

Certifications

Registered as a Professional Engineer in New Jersey

Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), American Board of Industrial Hygiene

 

Affiliations:

Executive Committee of the National Brownfield Association New Jersey Chapter

New Jersey State Industrial Safety Council

New Jersey State Bar Association Environmental Law Section

New Jersey State Bar Association Business Law Section Environmental Law Committee

 

News:

Barnett on program committee,  National Brownfield Association, Tri State Conference (June 2009)

Barnett to Speak on OSHA Compliance in Construction in November (November 2007)

Barnett Moderates a Panel at Rutgers Business School Conference on Alternative Investments (November 2006)

Barnett Hosts and Presents at an OSHA Seminar for New York & New Jersey Real

Barnett to be a Featured Speaker at NJBIA’s Environmental Compliance Seminar (October 2006)

Barnett named a member of the New Jersey State Industrial Safety Committee

Steve Barnett Elected Chair of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Region II / New Jersey Industry Communication Alliance


Published Decisions

Carvalho v. Toll Bros. & Devel., 143 N.J. 565 (1996) (Amicus Curiae)

Elementis Chemicals, Inc. v. TH Agriculture and Nutrition, L.L.C. et al., 373 F.Supp.2d 257 (S.D.N.Y. 2005)
State v. Elementis Chemical, Inc., 152 N.H. 794 (2005)

Publications

Author, "Your Property Might Not Be As Clean as You May Think" New Jersey Law Journal (January 2010)
Author, "Critical Issues The ABCs of LSRP Law" published in Real Estate New Jersey magazine (August 2009)
Author, "The Grandparent Effect: DEP adopts new site clean-up standards" published in the New Jersey Law Journal (November 2008)

Author, "OSHA Inspections for Consideration in 2007" in Construction Executive magazine (2007)

Co-author, "NJDEP Jurisdiction Expanding: Proposed revisions to stream encroachment permit rules" published in the New Jersey Law Journal (2007)
Author, "Compliance Checkup" in the New Jersey Law Journal (2007)
Co-author, "Rapanos: The feds and intrastate waters" in Re: The Magazine from New Jersey Lawyer (2007)
Author, "The Brownfield Priority: 'Brownfield' Does Not Only Mean Loans, Grants and Tax Credits" published in the New Jersey Law Journal (2006)
Discussion on, "New Jersey's Chemical Security: Best Practices and Open Questions" in The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (2006)

Author, "Controlling Global Warming, States Keep Their Cool and Take Action" published in Environmental Protection magazine (June 2006)

Author, "Responding To OSHA Inspections" (2001)

Author, "Local Citizen Inspection Law: Taking "Right-To-Know" Too Far?" for the Washington Legal Foundation (1998)
Presents paper, "Environmental Requirements and Consequences Related to the Closing of United States Military Bases in Europe" at The Fourth International Symposium and Exhibition on Environmental Contamination in Central and Eastern Europe, held in Warsaw, Poland (1998)
Author, "New Jersey Supreme Court Expands Liability for Engineering Professionals" (1996)

Professional Activities

Risk Management and Loss Prevention Committee, Licensed Site Remediation Professional Association (LSRPA)

Co-Chair, OSHA/New Jersey Industry Communication Alliance

Former Public Defender for the Borough of Glen Ridge

Past President, New Jersey Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association

Former Chairman, Professional Conduct Committee of the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers

Representative Experience

  Litigation

Represented clients in CERCLA (Superfund) and state environmental remediation matters nationwide;

Managed & defended 1000+ asbestos and other product liability & toxic tort cases in NJ and nationwide;

Represented plaintiff in federal case recovering $6,500,000 and favorable future environmental terms at 14 sites nationwide;

Represented plaintiff in federal court in TX against adjacent petrochemical refinery recovering $1,300,000 past environmental costs and future indemnification;

Defended suit by State of NH seeking $1,500,000 for hazardous waste violations – the Court dismissed all claims after a trial on the merits;

Negotiated for prior property owner to perform environmental remediation at 7 facilities in 7 states resulting in savings to client of $2,000,000 over three years;

Defended construction contractor in case resulting from NJ power plant explosion and fire involving three fatalities and seeking $50,000,000 in damages;

Represented acetylene gas plant manufacturer in investigation by U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and personal injury litigation resulting from NJ plant explosion involving four fatalities and multiple injuries.

  Mergers and Acquisitions

Directed environmental due diligence investigation of the sole active chromium ore refining facility in US and drafted & negotiated environmental terms of purchase for $40,000,000;

Drafted and negotiated terms & directed environmental disclosures in sale of NJ adhesives business for $16,000,000;

Negotiated and drafted terms of sale of aluminum chloride manufacturer in PA for $3,000,000, directed environmental disclosures, and arranged for recycling of 300,000 lbs of off-spec aluminum chloride realizing $300,000 savings;

Negotiated and drafted terms of sale agreement for driers and antiskinning product inventory and associated non-compete agreement and trademark license for US and Canada;

Drafted and negotiated documents for construction of $2,000,000 chromium chemical processing unit in NC and related service and supply contracts and confidentiality and trade secret agreements;

Directed environmental due diligence investigations for: purchase of chemical manufacturing plant in Netherlands for €48,500,000; mothballing of site in Newcastle, England; three acquisitions in which client advanced to second round of bidding; termination of joint venture site in Nashville, TN; and sale of industrial latex rubber manufacturing business with facilities in Malaysia, Australia, US, UK, Netherlands and South Africa.

  Real Property

Represented owner of NJ property used for WWII munitions testing during munitions investigation and remediation and in subsequent suit for business interruption;

Represented developer of NJ golf course and condominium project on site of former petroleum product refinery in obtaining environmental and condominium law approvals;

Represented owner of multiple properties in environmental investigation and remediation and transfer for development and construction of new Prudential Center in downtown Newark, NJ, home of New Jersey Devils hockey team;

Represented developer in environmental due diligence, acquisition and consolidation  of 20+contiguous urban parcels and subsequent sale for in excess of $100 million;

Directed remediation and marketing, drafted & negotiated terms of sale, for $1,000,000 of Brownfield property in NJ;

Negotiated and drafted terms of pipeline leases and easements for transportation of oil and petrochemicals to/from Port of Corpus Christi, TX in exchange for rent & indemnities for client;

Directed environmental investigation & drafted and negotiated sale terms for Vancouver, BC site for CA$2,300,000 and Toronto, ON Brownfield site for CA$2,100,000;

Advised on remediation & negotiated and drafted terms of sale of industrial Brownfield properties in NJ, GA, NC and Toronto;

Advised on environmental issues in connection with mothballing of chromium chemical manufacturing plant in Corpus Christi, TX and color pigments manufacturing plant in East St. Louis, IL.

  Regulatory Compliance

Advised on federal and state, and foreign, environmental, health and safety regulations pertaining to manufacture, sale and distribution of specialty chemical products worldwide;

Defended and successfully resolved air permit violations in NJ, IL, TN, & TX, wastewater violations in IL, MO, NJ, & WV, and EPA PCB information requests, groundwater & soil compliance issues, and DOT requirements in TX;

Routinely advise clients on compliance with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requirements, including hazardous substances, site remediation, land use, and air permitting, including defense of enforcement actions (AONOCAPA's);

Routinely advise clients on compliance with OSHA requirements for worker health and safety, including response to inspections and notices of violations;

Conducted 20+ health, safety and environmental audits of facilities in US and Europe to OSHA & EPA requirements, comparable EU standards, and corporate best practices;

Solicited highest levels of USEPA to grant pesticide registrations for chromium-containing products and participated in OSHA rulemaking in regards to hexavalent chromium including litigation against OSHA and SBA hearings;

Defended USEPA enforcement action under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) seeking $433,000 for alleged violations of Inventory Update Rule (IUR) and Premanufacture Notice (PMN) requirements and improper import certifications;
Defended Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enforcement action pursuant to USDOT Hazardous Materials Regulations;
Defended bulk chemical supplier in NJDEP hazardous waste enforcement action pursuant to RCRA relating to a garbage truck fire and resulting emergency response action.