Varun Shekhar

Varun Shekhar is a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Environmental and Pipeline and HazMat Safety groups. Mr. Shekhar’s Environmental practice emphasizes federal, state and local regulatory matters arising under the Clean Air Act (CAA). He counsels facilities across the country regarding permitting, compliance determination and assurance, CAA Section 114 information requests, enforcement actions by federal and state agencies, environmental audits, and emerging air quality issues including climate change and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, to help clients develop compliance solutions that are practically, technically, and legally sound.

In addition to his experience involving the CAA, Mr. Shekhar frequently advises clients in the areas of radiological safety, water quality permitting and enforcement, health and safety, remediation, and environmental due diligence.

Mr. Shekhar’s Pipeline and HazMat Safety practice emphasizes advising clients within a variety of industries on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration’s (PHMSA’s) hazardous materials regulations, as well as regulations administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). In addition, he provides counseling regarding PHMSA’s pipeline safety regulations for natural gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipeline systems.

Mr. Shekhar graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2013, also attending the University of Michigan Law School during his course of study. During law school, he served as a summer law clerk to Justice Ann Walsh Bradley of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and as a research assistant to Professor Linda S. Greene of the University of Wisconsin Law School. Mr. Shekhar also worked with the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center in conjunction with the Wayne State University Transnational Environmental Law Clinic where he assisted community groups during planning phases of various large-scale construction projects in Detroit.

Mr. Shekhar earned his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering in 2013 from Wayne State University, where he also previously received his Bachelor’s degree in 2007.

Mr. Shekhar is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar associations, and the Air and Waste Management Association.

Mr. Shekhar received a Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch recognition from BL Rankings for Environmental Law for 2025.