Tim Sowecke is a Shareholder at GableGotwals, where his practice focuses on state and federal litigation and regulatory compliance and enforcement related to energy and environmental law.
He represents energy, chemical, manufacturing, real estate, and agricultural clients in state and federal permitting and regulatory compliance and enforcement matters. His comprehensive environmental practice addresses federal and state regulations under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Toxics Release Inventory program (TRI), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Tim also frequently assists clients with drafting and submitting comments to proposed rules and regulations related to state and federal environmental laws.
Tim has extensive experience in complex environmental contamination issues related to water, soil, and air. He regularly works with consulting and testifying experts (e.g., engineers, geologists, geochemists, hydrologists, lab technicians) and other scientists at state and federal agencies on investigations, analyses, and interpretations of large data sets in the context of administrative and civil enforcement actions and state and federal litigation. He regularly guides his clients through permitting, compliance, and enforcement actions in front of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), and Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB), as well federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Department of Interior (DOI), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
In addition to Tim’s comprehensive environmental practice, he regularly writes and speaks on issues related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals.” He works with a range of laboratories and experts to assist clients with investigations and response measures related to PFAS.
His energy practice focuses on litigation related to environmental pollution and contamination issues related to upstream oil and gas operations, midstream (i.e., pipelines), and disposal of oil field wastes, including assisting clients with issues related to Underground Injection Control (UIC) wells falling under federal and state jurisdiction. He also regularly assists land departments in upstream and midstream oil and gas companies with title issues and securing various easements, rights of way, surface use agreements, and other agreements related to energy development, including brine production leases for iodine, lithium, and other minerals.
With Tim’s broad expertise in energy and environmental issues, he also assists clients with environmental due diligence, specifically American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Phase I and II environmental assessments and otherwise assisting clients with the management of environmental risks and allocation of indemnities associated with the acquisition and divestiture of various assets. Though evaluating environmental risks has always been a part of Tim’s practice, more and more he is assisting clients with formal evaluations of environmental risks for purposes of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) assessments and disclosures.
In addition to his energy and environmental practice, Tim is committed to pro- and low-bono service related to criminal justice reform matters, and he also assists small local non-profits with a variety of legal issues.
He is an active member of the Mineral Lawyers Society of Oklahoma City and is also a member of the American Bar Association, Wyoming Bar Association, and Oklahoma County Bar Association.
Tim previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Kate Fox of the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Recent Publications
- EPA Regulations – PFAS as Far as the Eye Can See, The Journal Record (November 6, 2023)
- Gavel to Gavel: As PFAS Regulations Loom, Time to Update Due Diligence, The Journal Record (January 25, 2023)
- EPA Proposes PFAS Hazardous Substance Designation, The Journal Record (September 9, 2022)
- McGirt and the Oklahoma Midnight Rider, The Journal Record (January 21, 2022)