Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Laura Keller has over 27 years of environmental law experience. She played a significant role shaping Kentucky's surfacing mining statutes and regulations.

Since coming to Stites & Harbison from the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, she has represented a variety of manufacturers, energy providers, mining companies, and real estate developers. She has counseled on civil and criminal enforcement actions, regulatory compliance, environmental due diligence, and regulatory development.

Laura is listed in The Best Lawyers in America^® (2009-2012) for Environmental Law.

Recent Assignments

• Successfully defended an air permit issued to a gas-fired peaking power plant challenged by a well-financed citizen’s group through administrative hearing and appeal.
• Advised numerous manufacturing facilities regarding compliance with EPCRA reporting and assisted with self-reporting to take advantage of EPA audit penalty policy. 
• Advised chemical manufacturing facility regarding response to RCRA inspection/NOV/Section 3013 order by EPA.
• As counsel for a trade association, led affected industries’ five-year information gathering and regulatory negotiation process with representatives of USEPA for development of tolerable hazardous air pollutant area source regulation for metal fabricators.
• Guided large manufacturer through federal and state efforts to investigate the company and generate criminal charges relating to hazardous waste and water discharges. U.S. ended up dropping the case after nearly five years.
• Advised large aluminum manufacturers about compliance with primary and secondary MACT regulations for hazardous air pollutants and responses to EPA’s information demands.
• Negotiated various Clean Air Act Consent Decrees with USEPA and state agencies to settle enforcement actions concerning, among other matters, hazardous air pollutants, new source review allegations, risk management, and operating without a valid permit.
• Advising cellulosic sponge manufacturer in Title V permitting concerning MACT and PSD compliance.
• Demonstrated that notices of noncompliance for hazardous waste violations were inappropriate because the wrong waste characterization methodology was used by the state.
• Initiated a citizen suit on behalf of an industry client affected by an adjacent industry’s contamination of its property, which migrated onto client's land.  The suit led to acceptable settlement terms.
• Oversaw RCRA Facility Investigations for an airport, a cement kiln and a chemical company.
• Assisted international municipal waste collection and disposal company on issues ranging from landfill expansions and local solid waste management plan amendments to citizen suits, sale of several landfills, including permit transfers, and satisfaction of key personnel reporting requirements.
• Worked out closure of a pre-law county landfill in connection with transfer of the landfill tract.
• Advised numerous clients regarding minimal required measures to reduce liability associated with decades-old landfill sites.

Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications

• "Lender Liability for Environmental Problems," 13th Annual Environmental Law Institute, U.K. College of Law, March 22, 1997, Lexington, Kentucky
• "Environmental Considerations in Real Estate Transactions" (revised) (with W. Patrick Stallard), Kentucky Real Estate Law and Practice, University of Kentucky College of Law, 1996

Before Stites & Harbison

Ms. Keller was an attorney for the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet and executive assistant to the Commissioner of the Department of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. She played a major role in developing Kentucky's surface mining statutes and regulations. She frequently represented the Cabinet before legislative committees and participated in negotiated rulemaking with the Office of Surface Mining in Washington, D.C.

More than Stites & Harbison

Ms. Keller serves on the board of the Actor's Guild of Lexington and has been active with Planned Parenthood and the Kidney Foundation.

Besides Stites & Harbison

She has a passion for gardening and travel, sometimes joining her globetrotting husband on his business trips to Europe and Australia.