The POWER List 2022: Amy L. Wachs

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Husch Blackwell, St. Louis

With more than a quarter century of experience, Amy Wachs is well-prepared to advise clients on regulatory compliance in a wide variety of environmental, health and safety issues.

A 1983 University of Wisconsin alumna, Wachs has been at Husch since 1990 after a stint as vice-president of Hazardous Waste Enterprises, Inc. and as a hazardous waste specialist in a university extension position funded by an EPA grant.

Today, she helps companies plan and implement compliance measures and defends against regulatory enforcement actions while advising on potential environmental aspects of transactional matters. From Superfund sites to brownfield statutes to voluntary cleanup programs, she has wide experience in a dauntingly complex and potentially costly area of law for corporate entities.

As a primary environmental compliance counsel to a nationwide food products manufacturer, she helped the company resolve wastewater discharge violation actions in multiple jurisdictions while avoiding plant shutdowns. She represented a major airport in various matters including the negotiation of a new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System storm water discharge permit. From representing a century-old manufacturer in the appeal of a cleanup order for 200 houses to dealing with the environmental aspects of the sale of a gas station chain, Wachs has proven herself a valuable resource for companies of many descriptions.

In the larger community, Wachs is a member of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association Environmental Council.