Michael Dunning

Practice Areas

Environment, Energy & Resources

Environmental Litigation

Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure

Land Development

Career

Environmental lawyer Michael Dunning has particular experience in matters involving contaminated sites (aka "dirty dirt"). He previously served for more than a decade as an assistant attorney general for the state of Washington and acted as lead counsel on some of the state's most challenging and complicated contaminated sites and cases.

As the former section chief of the Washington Attorney General's Hazardous Waste Cleanup section, Mike led a team supporting the state's Department of Ecology on all aspects of contaminated sites. His insider's view informs his innovative solutions for business, local government, and nonprofit clients in litigation, transactional, and permitting matters. Mike's depth of knowledge of Washington's superfund law, the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), includes experience as an expert witness.

For clients with cleanup sites and brownfield redevelopment projects, Mike has negotiated numerous complex settlements under state and federal cleanup laws. He has helped clients obtain millions of dollars in cleanup cost funding, enabling successful redevelopment of contaminated properties. Mike has pioneered a new approach to brownfield cleanup and funding for nonprofit affordable housing developers that clears traditional obstacles to contaminated site redevelopment.

Environmental compliance counseling and audits are also part of Mike's practice. He works with clients in a wide range of industries, assessing compliance with environmental permits and regulations, as well as helping them design and implement environmental management systems.

Mike's clients span industries including manufacturing, food and beverage, technology, energy, solid waste and recycling, apparel, sports and entertainment, local governments, for-profit and nonprofit developers, transportation, mining, natural resources, and agriculture.