Rachel Saltzman

Rachel provides over a decade of experience in private practice, government service, and as in-house counsel at a top-20 Fortune Global 500 company. With a practice focused on environmental law and sustainability, she helps her clients develop forward-thinking processes to achieve regulatory compliance and advance business goals, including in high-pressure situations. When needed, she defends clients in environmental enforcement actions.

Rachel assists clients with navigating all aspects of environmental compliance and enforcement. As a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforcement attorney and experienced defense attorney, she is well-positioned to guide clients through internal investigations and pursue negotiated resolutions with government agencies. She also has direct experience with designing and implementing compliance programs to prevent or remediate compliance missteps, having played a leading role in developing new compliance processes and management systems while in-house during a monitorship.

In addition to environmental compliance and enforcement defense work, Rachel has first-hand experience working with executive leadership teams on sustainability strategy and ESG risk management. She routinely counsels clients on setting and tracking sustainability targets and reporting on their progress related to a range of subject matter, including decarbonization and climate disclosures, supply chain due diligence, and product stewardship.

Rachel previously served as an enforcement attorney in the EPA’s Region 9 (Pacific Southwest) office in San Francisco, where she led hazardous waste enforcement cases and supervised the legal aspects of Superfund cleanups. Notably, she served as EPA’s lead negotiator in consent decree negotiations concerning cleanup of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, leading to a settlement valued at over $600 million. Rachel also oversaw the US Navy’s remediation of Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard and negotiated environmental protection measures related to the Navy’s transfer of property in the City of San Francisco.

• Serves as strategic environmental counsel for companies in transportation-related industries, including automotive and rail.
• Advises a consortium of automotive companies on hazardous waste policy and regulatory developments.
• Advises consumer goods and packaging companies on developing compliance programs to address new state Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements.
• Advises clients in industries including automotive manufacturing, retail, construction services, electric utility, and financial services on sustainability compliance reporting strategy, e.g., greenhouse gas inventory development, climate-related financial risk reporting, and claim substantiation.
• Advises clients in multiple industries including retail, semiconductor, and chemical manufacturing on chemical compliance processes involving the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); OSHA Hazard Communication Standard; and state restrictions and reporting requirements.
• Advises clients on site remediation issues, with a particular focus on California.
• Advises a waste management company on landfill development and permitting.

• Named a Washington D.C. Rising Star, The National Law Journal Legal Awards 2024
• Named to the “40 & Under List,” Benchmark Litigation, 2024

• Shortlisted for Environment Lawyer of the Year, Women in Business Law Americas Awards, 2024