Date of Death:  November 30, 2014

Thomas B. Johnston, lawyer Thomas B. Johnston, 60, a lawyer in the Washington office of McKenna, Long & Aldridge who specialized in environmental and regulatory law, died Nov. 30 2014 at a hospital in Arlington VA. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Alicia Johnston. Mr. Johnston, a resident of Arlington VA, was born in Akron, Ohio. He joined McKenna, Long & Aldridge in 1987. Earlier he worked for the firm of Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, and the Environmental Protection Agency. He was an adjunct professor of environmental law at George Washington University law school. Washington Post, December 10, 2014
 

Thomas B. Johnston practices in environmental litigation and regulatory affairs counseling, with particular emphasis on defense of administrative enforcement actions and environmental auditing. He also counsels clients on nanotechnology regulatory issues.

Since joining the firm in 1987, Mr. Johnston has represented chemical and specialty chemical manufacturers, fuel additive manufacturers, pesticide registrants, and developers of emerging technologies in a wide variety of actions before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including defending 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). Mr. Johnston 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 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. 

Notable Engagements

·         Defense counsel in EPA's largest administrative enforcement action ever filed under TSCA.

·         Defense counsel in EPA's largest enforcement action involving pesticide exports.

·         Defense counsel in EPA's largest enforcement action involving cross-contamination of a pesticide with other pesticides.

·         Counsel in EPA's largest investigation of contamination of food by a plant-incorporated pesticide.

·         Counsel for first comprehensive audit of a major chemical manufacturer's compliance with TSCA Section 8(e).

·         Conducted first comprehensive audit of a pesticide registrant's compliance with EPA's FIFRA Section 6(a)(2) reporting regulations.

Education

·         J.D., The George Washington University National Law Center, 1986

·         M.S., The Ohio State University, 1979

·         B.S., College of William & Mary, 1976

Bar Admissions

·         District of Columbia