Baker Botts L.L.P., a leading international energy, technology and life sciences law firm, announced today that Alexandra (Alex) Dapolito Dunn, the former Assistant Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, has joined the firm’s Environmental, Safety & Incident Response (ESIR) Section of the Litigation Department in the Washington, D.C. office.

“Adding a former, high-ranking EPA official like Alex to our team further strengthens the differentiation of our market-leading ESIR group,” said John Martin, Managing Partner of Baker Botts. “Alex is nationally known in the environmental industry, with decades of experience in and out of government, trade groups, and environmental non-profits. We are delighted to welcome her to Baker Botts.”

In November 2017, Ms. Dunn was appointed to serve as the EPA’s Regional Administrator for Region 1 (New England). In 2019, she was promoted and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the Assistant Administrator of the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention.

While at the EPA, Ms. Dunn played a key role in numerous important initiatives, including:

• Developing the first-of-their-kind approaches for the identification and cleanup of PFAS-contaminated sites;
• Advancing the regulatory framework to implement the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act or “TSCA”;
• Overseeing strategic development and implementation of the first new Endangered Species Act assessment methodology in decades for agricultural applications;
• Reviewing dozens of cutting-edge crop protection tools to advance safe and healthy domestic agriculture;
• Leading Agency-wide initiatives focused on environmental justice, community revitalization, and risk communication; and
• Streamlining the approval for use of numerous disinfectant products, many representing the frontier of American innovation, to fight Covid-19.

Before joining the EPA, Ms. Dunn was the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), a non-profit environmental trade group that represents the interests of state environmental agency heads on matters of environmental law and policy. She also was the Dean of Environmental Law Programs and an Adjunct Professor of Law in environmental justice at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. At Pace, Ms. Dunn led efforts to create the nation’s first L.L.M. in Environmental Law focused on climate change.

“Alex is a highly respected environmental lawyer in Washington, D.C. whose practice has focused on chemical regulation, agriculture, environmental justice, green infrastructure, water quality issues, and other issues of critical importance to our clients,” said Scott Janoe, Chair of Baker Botts’ ESIR Section. “Her addition will help us grow our practice even further as environmental-related issues become even more important under the Biden Administration.”

“As someone who has spent my career problem-solving at the most complex intersections of local, state, and federal requirements, there was no place better for me after EPA than Baker Botts,” said Ms. Dunn. “The attorneys in the ESIR Section are highly regarded for developing practical, creative and thoughtful solutions for clients under the most time-sensitive and high-pressure circumstances.”

Ms. Dunn is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, a former member of the Executive Committee of the Environmental Law Institute, and was the second youngest chair of the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources.

The Baker Botts Environmental, Safety and Incident Response team advances and protects its clients’ interests during the permitting process, before regulatory agencies, in the courtroom, and when a crisis hits. The team’s lawyers bring sound commercial judgment to clients’ most challenging environmental matters, along with a deep understanding of the varied legal, technical and policy issues that they face.