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Amy Symonds is an Environment and Natural Resources Group senior counsel in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Her practice primarily focuses on assisting clients with pesticide and chemical regulation and litigation matters. She also focuses on general environmental and administrative law issues.

In her pesticide practice, Amy has assisted both task forces and individual companies by explaining complex state and federal regulatory requirements, drafting contracts for the transfer of pesticide registrations and data, and identifying and mitigating data protection concerns when submitting pesticide data to or relying upon pesticide data in foreign countries. She has represented both data submitters and follow-on registrants in arbitrations regarding data compensation claims involving pesticide data submissions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Amy also defends pesticide companies in enforcement actions brought by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In her chemicals practice, Amy has assisted clients ranging from petrochemical companies and traditional chemical manufacturers to automobile and computer parts manufacturers. She has developed processes for her clients to identify and address applicable Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requirements, and advised clients regarding their obligations to report under TSCA’s chemical data reporting rule in complex factual scenarios.

Amy has conducted audits for her clients to determine and perfect compliance with FIFRA, TSCA, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). She has also assisted clients with various matters arising under the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Animal Welfare Act, and the Federal Select Agent Program. Amy has worked with clients to address the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

During law school, Amy was a member of the Order of the Coif and the George Washington Law Review. In 2014-2021 she was named a “Rising Star” by Washington, DC, Super Lawyers.

Prior to entering private practice, Amy assisted the general counsel of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in presenting policies regarding the protection of nuclear power plants against external threats. During her time at the NRC, she also advised the general counsel on communications with persons suspected of misuse of nuclear materials.

On August 12, 2025, Alaska Marine Lines, which operates barge services to Hawaii and Alaska, announced that it will no longer ship electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on its vessels. The prohibition on EVs and PHEVs took effect immediately for barges to Hawaii, Central Alaska, and Western Alaska, and took effect on September 1 for barges to Southeast Alaska. The company attributed the change to “the increased complexity and fire risk associated with shipping large lithium-ion batteries on vessels at sea.” EV fires pose unique difficulty for firefighters, ranging from the difficulty of extinguishing the fire to the gases released. The announcement comes about two months after a cargo ship carrying thousands of new vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs, caught fire off the coast of Alaska and burned for weeks before eventually sinking.Continue Reading Alaskan and Hawaiian Barges Will No Longer Carry EVs Due to Concerns Regarding Fires

EPA recently published an interim final rule delaying by nine months the time for manufacturers and importers of products containing perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to report to EPA on their past activities. EPA’s PFAS reporting rule requires anyone who manufactured (including imported) any PFAS compound, or who imported any article containing a PFAS compound, at any time between 2011 and 2022, to submit detailed information regarding those past activities. The rule published on May 13, 2025, postpones the start of the reporting period from July 11, 2025, to April 13, 2026. Reporting must now be completed by October 13, 2026, for most manufacturers and by April 13, 2027, for small manufacturers reporting exclusively as article importers.Continue Reading Federal PFAS Reporting Delayed, but Aerospace and Car-Part Companies are not Off-the-Hook

USPS recently announced new packaging requirements for hazardous materials (HAZMAT) or dangerous goods (DG) sent through the mail. USPS regulates HAZMAT that flow through the US mail, and such requirements do not always align with the HAZMAT regulations (HMR) adopted by the Department of Transportation and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.Continue Reading Mailing Hazardous Materials? Check the Updated USPS Requirements.