Category: Random Musings

A Look Back at 2019 and Resolutions for 2020

Resolutions List

Happy New Year!  Here are my thoughts on the big stories of 2019, some highlights for C Bishop Law in 2019, and my resolutions for 2020.

  • PFAS – EPA and states are continuing to become more aware of PFAS chemicals. More states are starting to require testing for PFAS as part of an investigation, and many states have set very low limits for certain PFAS.   I see this trend continuing in 2020.
  • Agency staff lack of experience – As I mentioned in my blog about TCEQ going rogue, many agency staff are inexperienced and ask for additional information that is not legally or technically required.  I also, unfortunately, see this trend continuing in 2020.
  • Commercial real estate is hot – I am working on a lot of commercial real estate transactions. Buyer and sellers need to be aware of environmental impacts to avoid surprises by doing a Phase I Environmental Site assessment and possibly an environmental compliance audit.  Read my blog post for more information on this topic.

2019 Highlights for C Bishop Law PC

Resolutions for 2020 (in random order)

  • Reduce time on social media for non-work related topics.
  • Don’t multi-task. Every client deserves my undivided attention.
  • Keep pushing back on agency actions.
  • Continue to reduce clutter (in my house and at the office).
  • Enjoy life more (including devoting more time to my garden.  See my results for 2019 below).
Pepper Relish Ready to Can
2019 Pepper Relish
Canned pepper relish
Thirty half pints!

 

Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2020!

Cindy Bishop – cbishop@cbishoplaw.com

Has TCEQ Gone Rogue?

Rambo Going Rogue

Webster dictionary defines rogue as “resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable.”  I think Rambo is a better example.  Lately, it seems that some of the project managers at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have gone rogue. Continue reading Has TCEQ Gone Rogue?

Super Lawyers Recognizes Cindy Bishop as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas

Cindy Bishop, founder and president of C Bishop Law, has been named to the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas by Super Lawyers for 2018.

To earn a spot on the top 50, attorneys must first be named to the Super Lawyers list in their state; inclusion is based on a four-step process that includes nominations, a peer review process, independent research and a final selection. The female attorneys with the most votes are added to the top 50. Cindy has been included on the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since 2014.

In her practice, Cindy assists clients across the country in resolving their environmental issues. A licensed professional engineer, Cindy worked as an environmental consulting engineer before transitioning to a legal career. In her capacity as an engineer, she completed air permits, removed underground storage tanks and conducted asbestos inspections.

Now well into her 25-year legal career, Cindy applies her knowledge as an engineer to finding innovative, risk-based environmental solutions for her clients – from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, commercial developers to airlines. She helped one client save more than $4 million in estimated cleanup costs and has reduced or eliminated state and federal penalties for other clients through the Texas Audit Privilege Act and EPA’s self-disclosure policy.

Other recognitions throughout her legal career include D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas, Best Lawyers in America, a Chambers USA ranking for environmental law, and a selection to Best Law Firms published by U.S. News and Best Lawyers.

The Best of the Offshore Technology Conference

I attend the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) last week in Houston.  After walking more than 11 miles and visiting almost every booth (thank goodness for the best conference app I have used),  here are the coolest things I saw and the best swag I received:

Coolest Products

  • AbTech makes Smart Sponge that adsorbs oil rather than absorbing it.  The result is that oil doesn’t drip from the sponge when squeezed.  They sell it for socks and in square blocks to put in subfloor drains. I found it ironic that AbTech is located in arid Scottsdale, AZ
  • Mont demonstrated a neat Bristle Blaster that removed corrosion from pipes without using grit.  Pretty cool.
  • Noke makes bluetooth-enabled locks that you can open with an app on your phone.
  • Gaston Mille sells anti-slip and steel-toed slip on shoe covers.  This would be  more convenient for visitor shoes, and easier to carry yourself if visiting a plant. They are new to the US.

Coolest Swag

Most booths had the usual pens, coozies, mints, and beer (well,  isn’t beer is always a a cool swag?).  Among the thousands of booths, I found a couple of cool swag items:

  • Draeger do rag.  Who doesn’t want to look like a cool “gansta” with a do rag emblazoned with the Draeger logo?
  • Moscow Mule copper cup.  Although I’m not a fan of the drink (too sweet), the cup is still cool. From Copper State Rubber.
  • A keychain with a flashlight AND three small tools to fix your eyeglasses.  Provided by TTS Group ASA

Best Slogan

As a bonus for those who have read down this far, the best slogan was from a company that makes hydraulic and pneumatic wrenches:  “tools for studs with big nuts”

 

Did I get any business or prospects from OTC?  Probably  not, but it was quite an experience and worth attending once.

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

How long has lead in soil and groundwater been regulated?  Since environmental regulations first came out.  So, imagine my surprise when I learned that in December (yes – last month), the FDA issued GUIDANCE for the lead concentration in lipstick.lipstick

FDA has suggested that lipstick contain no more than 10 ppm lead, stating “[w]e determined that exposure to 10 ppm lead from incidental ingestion of cosmetic lip products is very small and cannot be measured in routine blood testing.”

Compare that to environmental regulations for lead.  TCEQ has set the residential lead concentration in soil to protect leaching into groundwater at 3 ppm.

So, explain to me why it’s okay to have 10 ppm in lipstick that will be ingested, but it is not okay to have 3 ppm lead soil that could leach and then get diluted in groundwater?  Is 10 ppm too high or is 3 ppm too low?

Rant over.