Kristen Ellis Johnson

Kristen has substantial experience advising clients on environmental regulatory requirements and permit compliance under federal, state, and local laws. Her practice is a balance of regulatory, transactional, and litigation work dealing with solid and hazardous waste laws, Superfund/CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. She also has experience serving the rail and transit industries, which are highly regulated and often have issues requiring unique analyses. She has worked through regulations in rail and over-the-road transportation, ranging from shipping hazardous waste, to air emissions from mobile sources, to import inspection regulations administered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Her familiarity with regulatory framework across the environmental and transportation sectors allow her to efficiently navigate complex issues.

She also represents clients across sectors and provides counseling on day-to-day activities to ensure compliance with environmental requirements. She frequently advises clients on spill and release reporting issues, air and water permitting compliance, Spill Prevention Countermeasure & Control (SPCC) plan compliance, and voluntary self-disclosure of discovered non-compliance under EPA's audit policy. When needed, she assists clients through the process of inspections, negotiations, and enforcement actions and is experienced at negotiating settlements to reduce potential penalties arising due to alleged non-compliance at the state and federal levels. She has helped effectively handle environmental agencies' information requests and settle administrative enforcement actions at the federal and state level. Kristen helps clients protect their confidential and proprietary information when responding to requests for information by agencies or navigating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

Kristen represents municipalities who manage power plants and public drinking water systems to stay abreast of the ever-changing environmental frontier, including compliance with the Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule, PFAS monitoring, and changes to Navigable Waters standard and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits requiring consideration of groundwater. Kristen has also represented clients owning landfills and managing solid waste in various stages of Superfund litigation, permit compliance, and compliance disclosure reporting.

Before joining Stinson, Kristen spent several years focused on handling the environmental portions of complicated transactions. She understands the necessity of thorough environmental diligence and is skilled at navigating issues as they arise. Kristen regularly works with Stinson's Corporate Finance and Real Estate teams on environmental due diligence during complex transactions, where her broad-based experience lends itself well to issue-spotting and establishing protective contract terms. She is also involved with environmental diligence for new market tax credits and energy-related developments, such as solar farms and carbon dioxide capture and sequestration projects.

As a full-service environmental practitioner, Kristen has also been a key team member in litigated cases, including cases dealing with water rights, agency permitting decisions, RCRA exemptions, Superfund PRP suits, and endangered species and critical habitat.

Kristen gives back to the community by providing pro bono services in the family court and participating in the Election Protection voter hotline. She was recognized in 2021 as a Pro Bono Champion by Stinson for devoting more than 100 hours to pro bono service. She also sings soprano in a well-known Kansas City choir, Te Deum, in her spare time. 

Named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America list, 2022-2025

Citizens of the World Kansas City, Former School Board Director and Secretary