Susan M. Franzetti

Susan M. Franzetti has extensive experience in compliance counseling, regulatory and litigation matters. Ms. Franzetti has extensive experience in water pollution matters under both federal and state programs, including issues relating to NPDES and industrial pretreatment discharge permits, effluent toxicity, TMDLs, use attainability analyses, wetlands, CSO’s/SSO’s, rule-making proceedings, variances/site-specific relief, mixing zone demonstrations, antidegradation, antibacksliding, and other wastewater issues. She represents both industrial dischargers and POTWs and has successfully handled NPDES permit appeals, as well as defending against citizen suits under the Clean Water Act.

On solid waste matters, Ms. Franzetti has counseled clients on RCRA permit and compliance issues, including the negotiation and implementation of consent agreements for RCRA corrective action matters and addressing unilateral corrective action orders. She has assisted clients in obtaining favorable agency determinations on the beneficial reuse or recycling of used industrial materials. Ms. Franzetti also has assisted clients in obtaining NFR determinations under state site cleanup programs, as well as supervising environmental due diligence assessments and negotiating environmental issues in connection with real estate and corporate transactions. She has represented companies in numerous federal and state CERCLA matters on a national basis, including acting as PRP Group lead counsel on several sites.

As an experienced litigator who has successfully represented clients in both civil and criminal jury trials in federal and state courts, including a $41.7 million federal jury verdict in favor of a chemical manufacturing company, she brings that experience and judgment to her work on enforcement defense matters under CERCLA, RCRA, EPCRA, Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act in various U.S. EPA regions and under equivalent state statutes and regulations. Ms. Franzetti has achieved successful results for clients through negotiated settlements with U.S. EPA and state environmental agencies, as well as persuading environmental regulators not to pursue criminal investigations against her clients.

Ms. Franzetti received her J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago in 1979, and her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1976. She is admitted to the Illinois Bar, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and is a member of the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Franzetti is an elected Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). She also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Little Sebago Lake Association.