Michael Sommer’s specialty is investigating the source of oil spills and toxic waste sites to see that those responsible for the pollution are penalized, the people harmed receive proper compensation, and the toxic mess gets cleaned up so the environment can heal.

Background as a scientist and educator gives Sommer the expertise he needs to do this work. His love of nature and involvement in environmental protection and justice give him the passion to persevere in the investigation of pollution cases and reveal the source. “I’ve been a naturalist since I was a kid,” Sommer says, “and I have an extremely strong commitment to having an environmentally sound world.”

Sommer received his doctorate in geochemistry and his master’s in geology from the University of Tulsa. He is president and director of GeoDynamics, Inc., a company that provides technical support for the analysis of organics in soil, water, air and product purity. He was a geology professor for many years before deciding to work as a forensic environmental chemist. Much of his work today is litigation support, which involves simplifying complex issues in environmental law suits to convince a jury or judge that the litigant’s position is correct.

The laboratory is the main tool Sommer uses in his environmental detective work. “The techniques for analyzing gases coming from a volcano are not that much different from analysis for an environmental case,” Sommer says. “Instead of looking for natural gases, you’re looking for gases coming out of a chemical plant.”

Sommer transitioned from being a professor at Florida State University to environmental chemist after developing a technique for fingerprint analysis. The technique enabled investigators to find the nature of substances in a fingerprint – where they came from and who emitted them. After publishing this work, Sommer received requests for help in determining where oil spills came from and what company was responsible for them.

“A lot of companies I studied as an activist are now companies I’m involved in litigation against,” Sommer says. Sommer’s is an environmental activist, and he is committed to a non-prejudicial process that lets science get to the bottom of who is right and who is wrong. “Yes, I’m a tree hugger, but I can separate myself from advocacy versus science,” he says. “Then you have a high moral ground, and the high moral ground can never be defeated.”

Sommer says his niche is to fight against the most grotesque examples of toxic waste exposure, including the exposure of people to carcinogens that leads to illness and death.

He says the story of unregulated disposal of toxic waste, always in rural communities, repeats itself over and over again. “One name that comes up all the time is Exxon,” Sommer says. “They find 100 acres somewhere and, with complacency of the state of Texas, they pollute the land, water and air. This occurs constantly, and it is environmental racism,” he adds. “It’s always in a community where poor whites and blacks live, and they think they can get away with it. The state knows and does nothing about it.”

In addition to environmental sleuthing, Sommer spends a lot of time doing pro bono environmental education, explaining the facts about environmental degradation, injustice and the irresponsible action of companies and the state of Texas. He says he appreciates being involved with Citizens League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN). “The primary function of CLEAN is education. Houston has been greatly influenced by Jane (Jane Dale Owen, CLEAN president) and CLEAN,” he says. “The Houston Chronicle has fundamentally changed its view regarding the environment,” Sommer adds.

Sommer’s love of nature and dedication to a sound environment extends into his personal life. He lives with his wife, Karen, an environmental scientist and yoga instructor, in a home they built on Galveston Bay. “Our daughter is a rottweiler, and she hates polluters,” he says. Other friends and neighbors include deer, coyote, bobcats and raccoons. Injured critters, as well as stray dogs and cats find their way to Sommer’s doorstep for care.

Even though they live only 100 yards from the water, Sommer, Karen, friends and pets stayed at home during Hurricane Rita. With a generator and a window air conditioner, Sommer says they weathered the storm just fine.