Lisa Uselton Dyar

Lisa practices environmental law and litigation on behalf of clients in a variety of industries to advance clients’ business objectives. Lisa has extensive experience in all areas of environmental law, including permitting, compliance, auditing, enforcement, and rulemaking matters. She also represents clients in obtaining permit authorization through Texas’ contested case hearing process.

Early in her career, Lisa served as a senior enforcement attorney in the Litigation Division of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. There, she was recognized for her outstanding leadership as lead counsel for some of the agency’s most complex and high-profile air and multimedia enforcement cases, and for drafting statewide consolidated environmental enforcement legislation, now codified in Chapter 7 of the Texas Water Code.

Lisa has served clients on a wide range of environmental issues, including:

PERMITTING

• Representing clients before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency in applications for air, water, and waste permit applications for major projects
• Leading and supporting clients in contested case hearings before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
• Providing legal representation to obtain air and water permits for construction of world scale petrochemical complex
• Advising clients on Title V compliance matters
• Developing and advocating air quality permitting strategies for chemical companies
• Collaborating with engineering, modeling and toxicology experts related to air issues

ENFORCEMENT

• Representing industrial clients and businesses in environmental enforcement cases
• Strategic counseling and assistance related to regulatory investigations
• Representing major energy client in Clean Air Act federal citizen suit
• Extensive experience related to episodic air emissions events
• Negotiating administrative and civil enforcement settlement agreements

PUBLIC INFORMATION

• Protecting confidential business information, including trade secrets, under state and federal public information statutes

REGULATORY

• Managing and supporting environmental compliance audits
• Interpreting questions regarding NAAQS implementation
• Preparing comments to proposed rulemaking, legislation, and advocacy initiatives
• Counseling clients regarding waste and recycling operations

• Chambers & Partners USA, Environment, Band 4, 2020
• Listed in Chambers and Partners USA Guide to America, 2019
• Outstanding Leadership Award, Outstanding Women in Texas Government, 1998
• Alpha Phi Omega Active Service Award, 1988

• Author and Co-Presenter, If You Want to Play in Texas: SB 709 – Who’s In Your Band?, 30th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference, Austin, Texas
  August 2, 2018

• Co-Author, Environmental Citizen Suits – A General Overview, NRMCA ConcreteWorks 2015
  September 21, 2015

• Co-Author, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste: Solid and Hazardous Waste Issues, 27th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference
  August 6, 2015

• Co-Author, You Can Lead Legislators to the Watering Hole, But You Can’t Make Them Drink: Environmental Highlights From the 83rd Regular Legislative Session, 25th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference
  August 1, 2013

• Presenter, Introduction to the Control of Air Quality Enforcement in Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin, Texas
  January 2001

• Presenter, Air Quality Issues: Upset/Maintenance, 12th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference, Austin, Texas
  August 2000

• Presenter, Introduction to the Control of Air Quality Enforcement in Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin, Texas
  July 1999

• Panel Member, Upset/Maintenance, malfunctions, Startups and Shutdowns, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 Conference
  May 1999

• Co-Author, 1993 Water Quality Update, State Bar of Texas Advanced Environmental Law Seminar
  January 1994

• Author, The Cost of Household Hazardous Waste Hits Home, 22 St. B. Tex. Envtl. L. J. 189
  1992

• Author, CERCLA Settlements and Potential Future Liability, 23 St. B. Tex. Envtl. L. J. 98
  1992

• State Bar of Texas, Environmental and Natural Resources Section, Executive Committee Member and Education Committee Co-Chair
• Austin Bar Association, Environment, Natural Resources and Water Law Section
• Central Texas Food Bank
• Mobile Loaves & Fishes
• Young Men’s Service League