Shannon Broome

Overview

Shannon is the managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office and a trusted advisor to her clients. As the leader of our California environmental practice and co-leader of our nationwide environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practice, Shannon’s prior experience as a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry affords her insights into the development of regulations and counsel on environmental, health, and safety issues. Shannon focuses her work on permitting, enforcement, litigation, climate change, ESG compliance and climate disclosures, and regulatory advocacy for clients in a variety of manufacturing and energy sectors, including oil and gas, renewable energy, chemical, paper, and automotive. Chambers USA 2020 describes her as an “expert in environmental matters” and she is one of only four lawyers nationally ranked by Chambers USA in Band 1 Nationwide for Climate Change. She is also ranked by Chambers in California Environment and Global Climate Change law, was named to The National Law Journal’s 2018 list of “Energy & Environmental Trailblazers,” and repeatedly has been named to the California Daily Journal’s list of Top 100 Lawyers and Top 100 Women Lawyers.

Shannon has more than 30 years of experience addressing the Clean Air Act and climate change matters. She is highly regarded for her litigation practice challenging and defending EPA and California regulations and permits before federal and state appellate courts. Her capabilities resulted in a three year appointment to the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee by the Administrator of the EPA.

As an accomplished female lawyer and engineer, Shannon is devoted to improving diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and frequently speaks on how women can succeed in the workplace. She was appointed to and is currently serving on the governing council of the American Bar Association’s Special Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Section of Environmental, Energy, and Resources Law. She is also the founding and current Co-President of the California chapter of the Women’s Energy Network. And she volunteers as a Berkeley Law School Alumni Guide, where she mentors female law students.

Shannon is a contributor to the firm’s environmental blog, The Nickel Report. She is credentialed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board in the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting, which supports her practice advising companies on ESG issues and disclosures.

Experience

Represents an oil and gas company against climate change litigation claims in cases across the country, from Rhode Island to Hawaii, seeking damages for the effects of climate change.
Represents major construction aggregates corporation in permitting and enforcement by California Air District; achieved resolution allowing construction of a new facility and abeyance of enforcement.
Represents Fortune 500 companies on ESG issues and related corporate disclosures and reporting.
Represents oil, automotive, and energy companies in complex Clean Air Act permitting and enforcement under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration, Nonattainment New Source Review, minor source, and Title V permitting programs.
Represents off-road and light and heavy duty vehicle manufacturers on compliance with Title II federal regulations and California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations.
Represents companies subject to the California Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) and federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) programs on compliance requirements and in enforcement actions.
Represents an industry trade association on EPA’s revision of its risk management plan (RMP) regulations for chemical accidents; argued in defense of a regulation issued by the Pruitt EPA to delay the prior administration’s RMP regulatory revisions before the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.
Represents major trade groups, including automotive, oil and gas, chemical, aerospace, steel, and general manufacturing industry and trade associations before EPA on Clean Air Act rulemakings. Litigate dozens of such regulations in US Courts of Appeals, both challenging and defending Clean Air Act rules.
Represents the steel industry, automotive industry, and turbine manufacturers, among others, in rulemaking to address residual risk and technology reviews under Clean Air Act Section 112.
Represented refinery in incident response to air and ground release that created vapor cloud over resort community, including managing release reporting, permitting implications, and coordination of communication with state and federal regulators.
Represented refinery in interface with federal and state regulators in light of significant equipment malfunction with potential to lead to several days of flaring.
Represents major oil trade association in regulatory advocacy before EPA and in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit related to the agency’s regulations of upstream and midstream emissions of volatile organic compounds and methane.

Accolades

Honors & Recognitions

Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2024: Energy Regulatory Law, Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental, San Francisco
Selected as a member of the Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law (2024)
Named among Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 Top 250 Women in Litigation
Named a 2023 Northern California Super Lawyer
Named among the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business, San Francisco Business Times, 2022
Named among Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” 2022-2023
Recommended for Environment: Litigation (2017-2023), Environment: Regulatory (2019-2023), Energy Litigation: Oil and Gas (2020-2023) and Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas (2020-2023), Legal 500 United States
Recognized as the Environmental/Natural Resources Litigator winner at the Benchmark Litigation US Awards, 2022
Recognized as a Leader in Climate Change, Global-wide, Chambers Global, 2019-2024
Recognized as 2021 Environmental Group of the Year, Law360, January 2022
Recognized as a Leader in Climate Change, USA-Nationwide, Chambers USA, 2012-2023
Recognized as a Leader in Environment in California (2017-2023) and District of Columbia (2012-2016), Chambers USA
Named among the Top Women Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
Named among the Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2014, 2019, 2021-2023
Recognized as an Energy and Environmental Trailblazer, National Law Journal, 2018 (career-based award)
Selected as a member of the Lawdragon Top 500 Environmental and Energy Lawyers (2021) and Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law (2023)
Recognized as Leader for Environment - Climate Change 2020, Who’s Who Legal, September 2020
Named an MVP in Environment, Law360, 2019
Recognized as a Leader for Environmental Law, Who’s Who Legal (12th Edition), May 2018
Selected as a Super Lawyer for Environmental Law, California Super Lawyers magazine, 2014-2020, 2023

Affiliations

Professional

Appointed to the co-chair of the ABA’s Climate Change, Sustainable, Development, and Ecosystems Committee for the 2023-2024 year
Board Member, Co-President, Women’s Energy Network of California (2020-2022); Immediate Past President (2023)
Board Member, Co-President, Women’s Energy Network of California (2020-2022); Immediate Past President (2023)
Special Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, American Bar Association Section on Energy, Environment, and Resources
American Bar Association’s Section on Energy, Environment, and Resources Governing Council Board Member 2019-2022 term,
American Bar Association’s Section on Energy, Environment, and Resources Chair, Climate Change Committee, 2022-2024 term
Executive Director, Air Permitting Forum
Executive Director, Auto Industry Forum
Co-chair, Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Ecosystems Committee, American Bar Association’s Section on Energy, Environment, and Resources, 2013–2016
Vice-chair, Programming of the Air Quality Committee, American Bar Association’s Section on Energy, Environment, and Resources, 2011–present
Member, Environmental Law and Public Law Sections of the California Bar Publications