Katten's Environmental Practice Co-Chair Nancy Rich is quoted in a recent front-page article in the Chicago Tribune highlighting two of the firm’s cases involving delayed cleanup of toxic sites by utility companies. Along with Katten partner Laura O'Connell, Ms. Rich represented the DeKalb property owner featured in the article, negotiating a buy-back of the property by the utility responsible for cleaning up the contamination. The article also discusses Katten's representation of the Park District of Oak Park in the cleanup of Barrie Park. In this case, the utility company’s first offer was to clean up the park to meet commercial/industrial standards, but Ms. Rich negotiated a residential clean-up—a safer, more stringent and protective standard for the people who use the park. As Ms. Rich explains, “You don't want your kids playing in what’s considered an industrial site.” ("Effort Lags to Clean Up Toxic Land," July 5, 2010)