Steve concentrates his practice on environmental litigation and has broad experience litigating a wide variety of environmental matters including toxic tort defense, administrative appeals of agency permitting and enforcement actions, defense against citizen suits under federal and state laws, and cost recovery actions.  Steve has litigated numerous matters relating to large or controversial infrastructure or development projects, which frequently involve litigation across multiple forums – state, federal, and local – and before administrative agencies.  He has extensive experience in administrative litigation, including challenges brought against federal agencies under the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as challenges to agency action before the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, the Delaware River Basin Commission, the Delaware Environmental Appeals Board, and the Delaware Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board, as well as under Article 78 in New York. 

Steve is a magna cum laude graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law. During law school, he also served as a federal judicial extern for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and as a judicial intern for the Honorable Pamela A. Ruest on the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York, Steve works out of Western New York where he frequently explores the outdoors and cheers for the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.  He currently serves on the board of directors for the Buffalo Orienteering Club. 

Representative examples of Steve's experience include the following:

• defense of pipeline company in citizen suit under the federal Clean Water Act brought by environmental group seeking to compel company to obtain NPDES permit for pipeline project, resulting in dismissal of case on summary judgment and precedent that oil and gas pipelines are exempt from NPDES stormwater permitting (Delaware Riverkeeper Network et al. v. Sunoco Pipeline, L.P., Dkt. No. CIV-18-2447 (E.D. Pa., April 16, 2020) (Diamond, J.) 
  
  
• defense of plastics fabricator in putative class action in federal court alleging personal injuries and property damage arising out of a warehouse fire, obtaining complete dismissal of all claims asserted against the company with prejudice, including novel failure-to-warn/products liability claims (Callihan v. Surnaik Holdings of WV, LLC, et al., C.A. No. 2:17-cv-04386) (S.D. W. Va. Dec. 3, 2018) (Johnston, C.J.) 

• Best Lawyers® "Ones to Watch" listing (commercial litigation), since 2021. The Best Lawyers list is issued by Woodward/White Inc. Click here to view the selection methodology.
  
  Pennsylvania Super Lawyers “Rising Star” listing (environmental litigation), since 2018. The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. Click here to view the selection methodology.
  
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"Placing Your Company on (Litigation) Hold" presented at the Association of Corporate Counsel's In-house Counsel Conference, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2023

Penn State Law's Environmental Law Society's Career Panel, presented virtually, February 22, 2023

"Pennsylvania Water Laws and Regulations: Compliance and Enforcement," a HalfMoon Education webinar, April 28, 2022

"PFAS:  A Family of Emerging Contaminants" presented at the Delaware State Bar Association, Wilmington, DE, May 30, 2019

"Putting Your Best Face Forward: Managing Your Social Media Presence" presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's A Day on Real Estate, Philadelphia, PA, August 1, 2019

"Putting Your Best Face Forward: Managing Your Social Media Presence" presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Real Estate Institute, Philadelphia, PA, December 7, 2018

"Putting Your Best Face Forward: Managing Your Social Media Presence" presented at the Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia, PA, November 29, 2017

"Putting Your Best Face Forward: Managing Your Social Media Presence" presented at the Kentucky Mineral Law Conference, Lexington,KY, October 18, 2017

"Putting Your Best Face Forward: Managing Your Social Media Presence" presented at the 9^th Annual Oil & Gas Law Colloquium, Washington, PA, June 21, 2017

"What Did I Say? The Intersection of Social Media and Employment Law" presented at the Penn Law Black Law Students Association's 29^th Annual Sadie T. M. Alexander Conference - Social Media and the Law, Philadelphia, PA, February 11, 2017

"Putting Your Best Face Forward: Managing Your Company's Online Presence" presented at the Association of Corporate Counsel Greater Philadelphia Chapter - Ethics & Compliance Institute, Philadelphia, PA, December 1, 2016