Biography: Environment

David T Buente is a partner in Sidley's Washington, DC office where he is head of the firm's environmental group. Mr Buente represents clients in complex federal environmental litigation, and rule-making matters, with an emphasis on Clean Air Act, Superfund, environmental criminal and toxic tort matters.

From 1985 to 1990, Mr Buente was the chief of the environmental enforcement section of the environment and natural resources division within the US Department of Justice. Prior to that, he handled a broad range of federal environmental trial and appellate litigation for Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies as a Justice Department trial attorney, and also served with the Department of the Interior and the Pennsylvania attorney general's office.

Mr Buente has represented a number of corporations in complex federal environmental enforcement matters with the Department of Justice and EPA, as well as in environmental tort cases including American Electric Power, Cinergy, Duke Energy, General Electric, Georgia Pacific, Ford Motors, Honeywell, Norfolk Southern and Tyson Foods, and advised a number of trade associations on diverse environmental issues.

He is a member of the American Bar Association's sections on environment, energy and resources and on litigation, and has served as vice chair on numerous ABA committees. He is currently vice chair of the environmental litigation committee. He is also a fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers.

Mr Buente received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1975 and his BS from Lehigh University in 1968. He is admitted in the District of Columbia.