Practice Focus

Jonathan Martel concentrates his practice on Clean Air Act matters, environmental litigation and counseling. Mr. Martel's recent work includes representation of electric utilities, consumer products, automotive, nonroad equipment, and other diversified manufacturers in Clean Air Act regulatory, permitting and enforcement matters, as well as other environmental litigation and regulatory matters. He rejoined Arnold & Porter LLP's Washington, DC office in 1994 after serving for three years at the Office of General Counsel of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While at the EPA, he was involved primarily in the implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

Mr. Martel was an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center in 1995 and 1996, where he taught courses on the Clean Air Act and environmental law, and has also lectured at the University of Michigan Law School, Vanderbilt Law School, and Villanova Law School. He has contributed the Clean Air Act chapter to the American Bar Association's 2007 book Global Climate Change and US Law, and a chapter on the fuels provisions of the Clean Air Act for the American Bar Association's Handbook for the Clean Air Act.  He writes and speaks frequently on environmental, climate change and administrative law matters. Mr. Martel is a graduate of Yale Law School, and served as a law clerk for Judge Levin H. Campbell on the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Representative Matters

• Clean Air Act enforcement, litigation, and counseling. 
• Defense and 2007 resolution of EPA enforcement action with respect to one of the largest coal-fired electric generating plants in the West.
• Mosaic Fertilizers LLC. Ongoing representation of leading fertilizer manufacturer in multiple Clean Air Act enforcement investigations.
• Defense and resolution of 1998 EPA enforcement action under Clean Air Act, and guidance through 10 years of fundamental changes to diesel engine industry and emissions regulations.
• Masada. Developed Clean Air act permitting strategy and then successfully defended of challenge to permit to construct waste-to-ethanol facility in New York State in US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
• Honeywell. Provide regulatory and transactional assistance across all environmental statutes and regulations to aerospace and transportation systems businesses.
• Pro bono civil rights litigation. Won important victory for post-9/11 detainee, Rabih Haddad, subjected to secret immigration proceedings establishing due process right to public hearings in US District Court in Detroit.