Peter W. McGaw

Of Counsel

Direct: (415) 227-3568
Fax: (415) 227-0770
Email: [email protected]
Offices: San Francisco
Bar Admissions: California

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Peter McGaw brings to his clients decades of experience on a wide range of environmental issues. He is a member of Buchalter’s Energy & Natural Resources, Real Estate, and Government, Regulatory & Administrative Practice Groups. He represents private businesses and public agencies from the Firm’s San Francisco office.

Mr. McGaw has guided clients through permit proceedings and defended them against enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and their California analogs.

When compliance issues arise, Mr. McGaw addresses the applicable legal requirements and available defenses while simultaneously guiding his clients’ effort to improve their performance when necessary with the knowledge and pragmatism that comes with years of hands-on experience. Whether the issues involve NPDES permits, storm water discharges, TMDL development, jurisdictional wetlands, unanticipated air emissions, certification of automotive parts, management of hazardous waste, or reverse logistics, Mr. McGaw has the experience to provide his clients with practical legal advice and help them develop workable solutions that can be implemented for years to come.

In addition, his expertise in California’s unique warning scheme, “Proposition 65,” is recognized nationally. He has participated in efforts to amend Proposition 65 to curb abuses by the private enforcement industry and he provides training to his clients’ workforce and guides his clients through the maze that can trap even the most sophisticated out-of-state manufacturers and retailers. Mr. McGaw is a co-author of the Proposition 65 Guidebook for the Crop Protection Industry. He has a long history of giving pragmatic advice regarding compliance with Proposition 65 and mounting proactive defenses against the many private enforcement claims that Proposition 65 has spawned.

His leadership as a part of the Environmental Task Force for the East Bay Council has resulted in him being named “Outstanding Task Force Chair” twice and receiving the Council’s Distinguished Service Award. He has been recognized for his service on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Environmental Justice Working Group and has received commendations from elected officials both within California and nationally.