Maureen Bayer

Maureen Bayer is a featured panelist on day two of the December 9-10 Business & The Environment Conference and Expo. Maureen and her co-panelists, including representatives from Port of Portland and the Oregon DEQ, will cover “Forever Chemicals, Changing Rules: PFAS Regulations, Forensics, and Remedial Responses.”

Tonkon Torp has appointed Maureen Bayer to chair its Environmental & Natural Resources Practice Group. Bayer is a seasoned environmental attorney, regulatory specialist, and litigator with a practice focused on regulatory compliance, site contamination, and business transactions. Clients value her deep understanding of complex environmental challenges and her ability to provide creative solutions for the best possible outcome.

Environmental attorneys Maureen Bayer and Rachel Melissa were featured presenters at last month’s 2025 CoffeeFest Portland exhibition. The two spoke to an audience of coffee industry professionals on how coffee businesses can best navigate Extend Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws in Oregon and beyond.

Maureen Bayer was a panel moderator at a recent Continuing Legal Education webinar hosted by the Oregon State Bar Environmental & Natural Resources Section for an audience of legal professionals. The panel focused on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs and laws that assign producers the responsibility for the end-of-life of products and packaging.

Tonkon Torp environmental attorney Maureen Bayer co-led a continuing legal education webinar, “City and County of San Francisco v. EPA: Implications for NPDES Permits Under the Clean Water Act,” for an audience of attorneys and environmental professionals.

By Maureen Bayer – Environmental inspections are a routine part of operating a regulated facility, but they can still create operational and legal risk—particularly where there have been prior violations, citizen complaints, or ongoing compliance concerns. Preparation and a disciplined approach can help inspections proceed more smoothly and reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings with regulators.

By Maureen Bayer – In July 2025, the National Association of Wholesalers and Distributors (NAW) filed a constitutional challenge in federal court against Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA), alleging that the law unlawfully burdens interstate commerce and improperly delegates regulatory authority to a private organization, the Circular Action Alliance (CAA), controlled by large corporate interests. On February 6, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon granted NAW’s motion for a preliminary injunction, barring the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from enforcing the RMA against NAW or its members pending trial, which is scheduled for July 13, 2026.

By Rachel Melissa and Maureen Bayer – Long known for its progressive environmental policies, Oregon once again became a frontrunner with the 2021 passage of the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA). The RMA is a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law requiring that businesses assume financial responsibility for the ultimate disposal of any packaging associated with their products.

By Maureen Bayer – Construction sites involving the removal of vegetation expose soil to the elements, which leads to soil being carried with precipitation into nearby waterways. The addition of soil and chemicals from construction sites to waterways can be detrimental to water quality and habitat. As such, construction sites that disturb one or more acres and may discharge to surface waters require coverage under a construction stormwater permit. Such permits require careful erosion and sediment controls to manage stormwater and minimize soil leaving the site, as well as to implement soil stabilization and pollution prevention measures. The current National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for discharge of stormwater from construction sites, called the 1200-C permit, expires on December 14, 2025.

By Rachel Melissa and Maureen Bayer – Seven states now have enacted Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws focused on packaging: California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. So far, five of those states have designated Circular Action Alliance (CAA) as the approved Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO): California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, and Oregon. Each state is in a different phase of the process of implementing its new EPR law.