David Buente

Practice Areas

DAVID BUENTE is senior counsel in Sidley’s Environmental group who represents clients in complex environmental, with an emphasis on Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act, CERCLA (Superfund), RCRA, NEPA/wildlife statutes, environmental criminal and toxic tort litigation. Building upon his 15 years as an environmental prosecutor, including at the Department of Justice (DOJ) where he served as Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, corporations—including AES, American Electric Power, Birla Chemicals, CSX, Duke Energy, Exxon Mobil, Ford Motors, General Electric, Harley Davidson, Honeywell, Norfolk Southern and Tyson Foods and YPF—turn to David for representation in complex federal environmental enforcement matters with DOJ and EPA and in defending toxic tort claims by states and private parties. David also has defended the permitting of numerous infrastructure projects, such as dams, power plants, pipelines, real estate development and wind farms from challenges under NEPA, ESA, MBTA, and Clean Air/Water Act over permitting issues by federal agencies.

David has tried over 80 cases and briefed or argued over 20 appeals in federal and state courts. He has advised clients on many industrial accidents including on release reporting, emergency response management, government investigations and enforcement, and litigation both by governments and tort claimants arising out of these accidents. He has resolved numerous other cases under the Administrative Procedures Act on summary judgment.