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Area of Emphasis
Sean McGovern is an associate in the Environmental, Health and Safety Services and the Natural Resources Development Groups of Babst Calland. Mr. McGovern’s practice involves counseling clients on a variety of federal and state regulatory issues related to coal mining, as well as conventional, coal bed methane, Marcellus, and other unconventional shale gas well development, production, midstream activities, storage, and transportation. He counsels these clients on a wide range of environmental matters, including water withdrawal and disposal, erosion and sediment controls, air and water permitting, and other issues related to the disposal of produced fluids and other wastes generated by these industries. In addition, he regularly handles industrial wastewater, waste management, and storage tank issues, as well as site reclamation and remediation. Mr. McGovern also has experience with environmental transactions, including due diligence activities, and the river basin commissions located in Pennsylvania.
Background
Mr. McGovern graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a focus in mathematical modeling and was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. For the two years prior to attending law school, he was an environmental scientist at a consulting firm located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, assisting with environmental risk assessments and exposure modeling, as well as drafting federal environmental regulations.
In 2006, Mr. McGovern graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill, earning his J.D. While in law school, Mr. McGovern was a member of the Holderness Moot Court’s Environmental Negotiation Team that won the Robert R. Merhige, Jr. National Environmental Negotiation Competition in 2006. In addition, he was an Articles Editor for the law school’s Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, as well as a Dean’s Fellow Counselor and the Chair of the Student Body Association Leadership Speaker Series.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Mr. McGovern worked as an associate for a Harrisburg law firm where his practice included food industry, trademark, international and Internet law.
Memberships and Affiliations
Mr. McGovern is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and the United States District Courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. Mr. McGovern is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section and a member of the American Bar Association’s Construction Industry Group (Division 10). He is also a member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA), the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.
Publications/Presentations
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McGovern, Sean M. and Passero, Ashley, “Draft Clean Water Act Guidance by the Environmental Protection Agency Could Significantly Expand Clean Water Act Permit Requirements for the Construction Industry,” 2 x 4 x 10, Division 10 of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry, Summer 2011.
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Bruderly, Lisa M. and McGovern, Sean M., “Don’t Forget an Upcoming Reporting Deadline for Two Environmental Programs!,” The PIOGA Press, February 2011.
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Contributor, “Construction Law Update: Case Law & Legislation Affecting the Construction Industry (2010),” Federal Update, Environmental Law and Administrative and Executive Sections, Division 10 of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry, Spring 2011.
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Contributor, “Construction Law Update: Case Law & Legislation Affecting the Construction Industry (2009),” Federal Update, Environmental Law and Administrative and Executive Sections, Division 10 of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry, Spring 2010.
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Co-Presenter, "So You Have the Funding and Rights of Entry - What's Next?," 35th Kentucky Mineral Law Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, October 2010.
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Panelist, “Environmental Impact of the Marcellus Shale,” Washington County Bar Association, Washington & Jefferson College, September 2010.
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McGovern, Sean M., “Watch Your Back: Domain Names Are Feeling the Pinch,” Hospitality Upgrade, Fall 2008.
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