Mary Ellen Ternes, an attorney of counsel with the law firm of McAfee & Taft, has been named to the inaugural edition of The International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers 2004.
Ternes is one of only 285 attorneys to be named to the highly selective list of pre-eminent environmental lawyers worldwide, and her selection automatically qualifies her for inclusion in Who’s Who Legal 2004/5 – The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers.
In her law practice, Ternes routinely represents and counsels clients regarding sophisticated federal and state environmental issues and complex regulatory, enforcement, transactional, and litigation matters.
Prior to becoming a private practitioner, Ternes gained significant insight and expertise in the field by working as a chemical engineer and on-scene coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Emergency Response Program, a hazardous waste incinerator permit writer for the EPA, and an environmental manager for the commercial hazardous waste incineration industry. During law school, she also clerked for the EPA’s Office of General Counsel summer honors program in the Air and Radiation Division.
In addition to her legal practice, Ternes is a frequent speaker and author on environmental topics, particularly air and hazardous waste law, regulation, permitting, and enforcement. She has held numerous leadership positions with the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, most recently serving as chair of the industry’s largest annual environmental law conference. She also serves as editor-in-chief of the ABA Air Quality Committee’s newsletter.