Ryen Godwin

Experience

Natural Resource and Energy Development 

I navigate complex permitting and regulatory schemes for clients developing natural resources and energy projects on public, private, and tribal lands. I strongly believe developing a sound technical, legal, and regulatory strategy at early stages of planning is the key to successful project implementation.

• Counseled national energy company in permitting for numerous operations in multiple western states and Indian reservations, including vast coal mine operations on federal land, state, and private land.
• Represented hydroelectric pumped storage developer permitting two closed-loop pumped storage facilities under the jurisdiction of a federally recognized Indian tribe including securing federal and tribal approvals for land, water, and rights of way.

• Advised International Natural Resource development company on trans-boundary environmental impacts and related litigation governed by Boundary Waters Treaty between the U.S. and Canada.
• Advise multi-national timber company on federal environmental compliance throughout its vast timberlands holdings in the United States.
• Represented utility in the development of an advanced nuclear reactor. Navigated environmental and regulatory impacts of permitting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, state regulatory agencies, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Defended the state of Washington in Concrete School District et al. v. State where a group of school districts, municipalities, and counties challenged the Washington Department of Natural Resources’ development of a sustainable harvest calculation and the Marbled Murrelet Long Term Conservation Strategy for state timber lands.
• Acted as lead counsel for the Navajo Transitional Energy Company and National Mining Association in Navajo Transitional Energy Company, LLC et al v. Department of the Interior et al. challenging two federal Resource Management Plan Amendments governing public minerals in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming.

Superfund and Remediation

I have extensive experience representing large parties in complex superfund and remediation sites . I navigate alliances with other potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to develop a comprehensive strategy to responsibly and efficiently close sites for my clients.

• Represented PRP at Pasco Sanitary Landfill National Priorities List (NPL) Site in Pasco, Washington, including advising on regulatory compliance to implement a $70,000,000 site remedy and participation in litigation with other performing parties to recover over $20,000,000 in remediation costs from other PRPs.
• Represented PRP at Portland Harbor NPL “Mega Site” in Portland, Oregon, in confidential allocation process to allocate responsibility for cleanup costs exceeding $1,000,000,000 for complex sediment cleanup in the Willamette River.
• Represented PRP at Duwamish River NPL Site in Seattle, Washington, in confidential allocation process to allocate responsibility for costs exceeding $350,000,000 for complex sediment cleanup.
• Represented numerous property owners and operators at industrial, commercial, and residential properties on remediation process and pursued cost recovery litigation to recover cleanup costs.

Fisheries and Fish Processing

I am personally and professionally strongly connected to the commercial fishing industry, so I both counsel individual clients and advocate for the industry as a whole.

• Managed wastewater permitting for numerous fish processing facilities in Willapa Bay and the Columbia River, including permit-related appeals to state environmental review boards.
• Defended fish processing facilities in Clean Water Act enforcement proceedings initiated by EPA, state agencies, and citizen groups.
• Represented commercial fishing industry groups in the Pacific Northwest challenging commercial fishing regulations and seasons for anadromous species of fish under state fish and wildlife regulations, the Magnuson Stevens Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
• Represented Northwest Treaty Tribe in fish allocation proceedings in U.S.  v. Washington.