Patrick Traylor, partner at Vinson & Elkins in Washington, D.C. Patrick Traylor, partner at Vinson & Elkins in Washington, D.C.

Patrick Traylor, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator who focused on Clean Air Act civil enforcement, joined Vinson & Elkins on Tuesday as a partner in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his two-and-a-half years at the EPA, Traylor spent 20 years at Hogan Lovells, where he was a partner in the firm's environmental practice, also based in Washington.

Traylor was the principal negotiator for the EPA in the recent Fiat Chrysler diesel engine emissions case that ended earlier this year with a settlement valued at about $800 million.

At the EPA, he was the deputy assistant administrator for the office of enforcement and compliance assurance. In that role, he supervised the EPA's nationwide Clean Air Act civil enforcement docket, and was involved in developing enforcement policy. Also, he was responsible for coordinating and communicating the EPA's oil and gas policies with stakeholders including environmental groups, state regulators, tribes, and EPA offices and national programs, Vinson & Elkins said.

Traylor said he talked with a small number of law firms, but it was an easy decision to move to Vinson & Elkins, in part because he is a Houston native who graduated from Texas A&M University and South Texas College of Law.

"My entire practice for close to 25 years now has been at the intersection of energy and environments. V&E has such experience and such expertise in both of those," he said.

Traylor said he has known D.C. partner Ron Tenpas for many years and looks forward to practicing with him. Tenpas, a former assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, joined the firm in 2018.

As for the timing of his departure from the EPA, Traylor said, "There was no pressing reason for me to leave other than that's the normal lifespan for that kind of position."

He said he is proud of his work at the EPA overseeing and supporting the Clear Air Act docket nationwide, and also leading an effort inside the enforcement program to engage with state agency counterparts, because most environmental enforcement work happens in the states.

Larry Nettles, the Vinson & Elkins partner who leads the firm's environmental and natural resources practice group, said Traylor's knowledge of the Clean Air Act is a "valuable asset" for the firm and its clients.

At the firm, Traylor's practice will focus on civil environmental litigation and compliance investigations under the Clean Air Act and other major federal environmental programs, along with assisting clients with permits needed for construction projects.

Despite his Texas ties, Traylor said he and his wife are "firmly rooted" in the nation's capital and don't plan to move back to the Lone Star State. However, he expects to do considerable work in Texas and will maintain a desk in the firm's Houston office.

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