Of Counsel, Washington DC
1900 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006-1108

TEL: 202.496.7656
FAX: 202.496.7756
EMAIL: tjohnston@mckennalong.com

PROFILE

Tom Johnston is an attorney in the Washington, DC office of McKenna Long & Aldridge. He practices in environmental litigation and regulatory affairs counseling, with particular emphasis on defense of administrative enforcement actions and environmental auditing.

Since joining the firm in 1987, Tom has represented chemical, specialty chemical and electronic component manufacturers and pesticide registrants in a wide variety of actions before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including several of the largest administrative enforcement cases ever brought under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Tom also has acted as counsel and/or auditor to many companies during internal systems and compliance audits under TSCA and FIFRA and regularly advises companies on strategic regulatory initiatives and on compliance with federal and state laws governing chemicals, pesticides and food, including TSCA, FIFRA, EPCRA, the Clean Air Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, the Controlled Substances Act, and regulations governing polychlorinated biphenyls.

Tom has written and lectured on many aspects of the regulation of chemicals and pesticides. He is a principal author of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions of the firm's TSCA Handbook and of the firm’s Pesticide Regulation Handbook (3rd Edition). From 1989 through 1994, he taught TSCA at the George Washington University Law School as part of the University's Masters of Environmental Law program.

From 1979 through 1986, before completing his legal education, Tom served as a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in several capacities with the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs. While at EPA, Tom led teams of scientists and lawyers in the development of the Agency's regulatory positions and standards for registration for various pesticides.