Overview
Veronica Keithley specializes in helping clients wade through the murky waters of environmental regulation for NPDES permitting, water quality, stormwater, wastewater, and wetlands. Having extensive skills in finding practical legal solutions to complex environmental matters, she advises clients on environmental permitting and regulatory compliance, and defends clients in enforcement proceedings and litigation, including citizen suits under the Clean Water Act.
Veronica works extensively with a wide range of clients in Washington and Alaska, including industrial, transportation, commodity, energy, and resource development companies, as well as ports and dam operators. She provides counsel on environmental issues related to operations, construction, and development projects, focusing on water issues.
Clients turn to Veronica for her strong grasp of environmental law influenced by her science and environmental consulting background. With undergraduate and graduate degrees in forestry and environmental science, she brings a deep understanding of the environmental issues and legal matters her clients face.
A member of a fifth-generation oil and gas family from Oklahoma, she also has extensive knowledge of complex large-scale development projects. Prior to becoming an attorney, she worked for over a decade as an environmental scientist and project management consultant to energy and natural resource companies. In this role, she served as on-site project manager on oil and gas, mining, land development, and timber projects, often living in the communities to work directly with local project teams, municipalities, and stakeholders. She was inspired to become an attorney after she saw firsthand how legal solutions must be integrated into project development and implementation for the project to succeed.
Veronica is recognized as a legal authority on the Clean Water Act and is a frequent presenter on the topic, including at the Northwest Hydropower Association’s 2021 Hydro Camp Annual Conference and the Seminar Group’s 2021 Mighty Columbia Conference.