LC Law alum, Derek Teaney, helps negotiate settlement halting mountain top removal by W. Va. coal company
LC Law alum, Derek Teaney (‘04), working with Joe Lovett at Appalachian Mountain Advocates and many others, helped negotiate a settlement with Patriot Coal company in West Virginia. According to a story in the Charleston Gazette, “Patriot Coal has agreed to phase out mountaintop removal and other forms of strip mining, in a move Patriot officials say is in the best interests of their company, its employees and the communities where it operates. In a deal with citizen groups and environmentalists, Patriot said it would never seek new permits for large-scale surface mining operations, according to details of the settlement that were made public in federal court Thursday afternoon.”
According to the Appalachian Mountain Advocates website: Derek is a Senior Staff attorney and a ninth generation West Virginian.
“ Derek graduated at the head of his class from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2004, where he was Editor in Chief of Environmental Law. He also received the 2004 Bernard O’Rourke Award for Outstanding Writing. After law school, Derek clerked for the Honorable Rex E. Armstrong of the Oregon Court of Appeals. He then joined Appalachian Mountain Advocates as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in 2006. At the end of his two year fellowship, Derek became a permanent staff member. When not litigating complex environmental cases, Derek enjoys skiing, running, acting and home brewing.”
Congratulations to Derek and all the wonderful attorneys and citizens involved in this important settlement.
