Rachel Saltzman, an experienced environmental attorney who served as a top legal advisor for global automotive manufacturer Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) and as an enforcement attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has joined Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s nationally recognized environmental practice as a partner in Washington, D.C.
“Rachel brings to the firm an extensive and impressive background advising on a range of complex matters, including development of environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs, environmental enforcement defense, site cleanup and waste management and product compliance issues,” said Deidre Duncan, leader of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s environmental practice. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the firm.”
At VWGoA, Saltzman held the position of Senior Director of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability. In that capacity, Saltzman led a cross-disciplinary team that was responsible for spearheading a new approach to sustainability management, while also overseeing the company’s ongoing environmental and occupational safety compliance efforts.
Under her leadership, Saltzman’s department launched a Sustainability Steering Committee composed of senior company leaders and led an intensive cross-functional effort to develop a comprehensive set of environmental, social and governance (ESG) key performance indicators (KPIs) and create a prioritization framework for future sustainability initiatives at VWGoA.
Saltzman collaborated with VWGoA’s legal department to confront emerging regulatory requirements and litigation trends as part of sustainability materiality assessment and worked to ensure that data collection and reporting structures were designed to facilitate both regulatory reporting and claim substantiation.
Prior to her appointment as senior director, Saltzman served for three years as the department’s Assistant General Counsel and was responsible for the full range of environmental, climate change, sustainability and related issues associated with VWGoA’s manufacturing facilities, warehouses, ports and related infrastructure, products, the company’s transition to electric vehicles, and the related global supply chain, among other issues.
Before joining VWGoA, Saltzman practiced at two AmLaw 100 firms and, from 2013 to 2016, served as Assistant Regional Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco. At the EPA, she negotiated several settlements involving the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act as well as advising on various cleanup cases.
Notably, Saltzman served as EPA’s lead negotiator on a consent decree concerning cleanup of over one hundred abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, leading to a settlement valued at over $600 million. She also supervised the U.S. Navy’s remediation of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and negotiated environmental protection measures related to the Navy’s transfer of property to the City of San Francisco.
Saltzman earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Yale University and is licensed to practice in California and the District of Columbia.
“With her frontline experience in government enforcement, in private practice and serving as a trusted legal advisor to a Global 500 company, Rachel is a welcome addition to the firm. Her valuable insights, sophisticated approach and dedication to excellence are an ideal fit for the team,” said Eric Murdock, head of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s administrative law group. “We are excited to welcome Rachel to the firm and to our D.C. office.”
Hunton Andrews Kurth’s global environmental practice of over 50 attorneys have assisted with development and financing of new energy sources and retirement of traditional energy sources, participated in the policy development process, helped clients navigate regulatory changes affecting the industry, and counseled clients on strategic opportunities to diversify their energy portfolios and achieve a greener economy. The practice and many of its lawyers are ranked Band 1 nationally by Chambers USA and Chambers Global, as well as by many other well-respected ranking publications.
