Gerald J Pels

Practice Areas

Gerry Pels, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Environmental Practice Group and leader of the ESG ‎Practice Group, has been one of the leaders ‎of the Texas environmental legal community for over ‎‎30 years. His diverse practice focuses on ‎the areas of environmental permitting, enforcement ‎defense, compliance, and counseling, ESG, and litigation. During his career, Gerry ‎has ‎consistently led teams working on cutting edge matters of environmental law, including ‎resolving ‎the well-known Cooper v. Aviall litigation and arguing Clean Air Act issues before the ‎‎5th ‎Circuit in litigation involving the Texas SIP.‎

Gerry's wide range of experience includes ESG planning, reporting, and program development, ‎agency ‎negotiations, assessing and counseling air, water, stormwater, and waste permit ‎compliance, and ‎representing clients at contested permit, enforcement, and other hearings. He has ‎also provided ‎comprehensive assistance and representation to potentially responsible parties and ‎steering ‎committees at both state and federal Superfund sites. He has been called upon to lead ‎‎environmental litigation teams, internal environmental investigations, and provide strategic ‎‎guidance on corporate compliance policies, sustainability initiatives, stakeholder involvement ‎‎evaluations, and community relations planning, as well as corporate risk assessment and ‎‎mitigation.‎

Gerry works extensively with heavy industry and energy concerns, including power plants, ‎‎petrochemical facilities, drilling.