Hannah Hess

• Representing industrial facilities in Clean Water Act lawsuits, including negotiating settlement terms and assisting with ongoing compliance.
• Counseling a cement facility with respect to stormwater permitting and compliance.
• Representing a private university in CERCLA cost recovery claims.
• Defending a private university against state common law claims filed by a city alleging that historical contamination from a federally funded research and development center operated by the university has impacted the city’s drinking water supply wells.
• Counseling a private university on regulatory compliance with RCRA and RCRA regulations.
• Providing regulatory and litigation advice for a natural gas, oil exploration, and production company, which produces nearly 25% of California’s oil and natural gas.
• Representing oil companies challenging a de facto moratorium on the issuance of well stimulation permits by the State of California, including claims that state officials lack statutory authority to adopt a de facto moratorium and that the agency has implemented an underground regulation.

Hannah Hess is an associate in Alston & Bird’s Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. Before joining the firm, Hannah was a litigation associate, where she focused her practice on environmental and general litigation matters. She has experience with depositions and witness testimony for trial.

Hannah previously served as a law clerk for both the Hon. Georgette Castner and the Hon. Anne E. Thompson of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. During law school, Hannah served as a law clerk for the Environmental Law Institute and the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division. She earned her J.D. from George Washington University, with high honors, and received her B.S. in society and environment from the University of California, Berkeley.

Bar Admissions

• California

Education

• George Washington University (J.D., 2020)
• University of California, Berkeley (B.S., 2015)