Robert L. Coco

Taylor Porter Partner Robert Coco’s practice covers a broad range of environmental matters, including regulatory, counseling, compliance and permitting in all environmental media, with a specific focus on air permitting and compliance and Chemical Accident Prevention matters. Mr. Coco regularly represents clients before the LDEQ and EPA and has extensive experience in advising clients regarding radiation issues (NORM and Atomic Energy Act Materials), OSHA Standards, including Process Safety Management, EPA Chemical Accident Prevention, and site investigation and remediation under CERCLA/RECAP.

He also provides routine regulatory guidance regarding USDOT administered programs, including PHMSA, FMCSA, and the FRA.

Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Coco worked as an engineer for two major utilities. Mr. Coco was an onsite construction engineer during the design and construction of the Waterford III Nuclear Station, and later was employed as a plant systems engineer and reactor engineer at the River Bend Nuclear Station.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Coco served as staff counsel with the Louisiana Attorney General and with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). While at the LDEQ, Mr. Coco represented the Office of Air and Radiation (Permitting and Enforcement) and provided legal guidance in drafting air and radiation permits and regulations. He also handled enforcement actions for all media with a specific focus on air and radiation enforcement actions. During this period, Mr. Coco also worked extensively with the LDEQ Inactive and Abandoned Sites Division and EPA Region VI to facilitate the remediation of hazardous substance sites through enforcement and cooperative agreements.

Mr. Coco possesses decades of experience in counseling clients with regard to regulatory compliance and permitting. He works with counsel and facility personnel on the interpretation of environmental regulations, permits and OSHA standards on a daily basis.

Mr. Coco is an active member of the Louisiana Society of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

He has been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America in Environmental Law.

• Successfully represented manufacturing, shipbuilding, and waste management clients in Title V and state air permit appeals.
• Defense of industrial clients before OSHA, including defense of Process Safety Management Standards citations, and counseling clients regarding compliance with OSHA standards.
• Represented a forest products company on responding to a CAA 114 request and led successful subsequent negotiations with EPA.
• Representation of a client on a Notice of Probable Violation issued by the Federal Railroad Administration and negotiation of resolution with FRA.
• Representation of clients in administrative matters before the Louisiana Department of Health.
• Representation of clients in obtaining multi-sector stormwater permits and water discharge permits.
• Representation of clients in obtaining jurisdictional determinations from the US Army Corps of Engineers.

• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert School of Law, J.D., 1988
• Louisiana State University, Masters of Science, Nuclear Engineering, 1982
• Louisiana State University, Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, 1979

• Louisiana, 1988
• Texas, 1990

• Louisiana Society of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

• Best Lawyers in America – Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation