Environmental Law
Why Attend?
Environmental law as we know it is about to undergo significant change. Major legislation and regulatory initiatives and policies are just around the corner, and your clients/agency/organization expect you to be up-to-date on what is happening and how it impacts them. Even if your practice is specialized, this comprehensive program provides you with a broad overview of all the latest developments arising in each of the major areas of environmental law, so that you not only have an understanding of the “big picture,” but are also on alert to changes in other intersecting facets of environmental law that may affect your practice.
This year's top-flight faculty includes EPA's General Counsel Scott Fulton and Assistant Administrator Steve Owens, as well as Counselor to the Secretary of the Interior, Steve Black!
What You Will Learn
The 40th anniversary presentation of this annual, advanced course of study, featuring over 16 hours of instruction, particularly looks at legislative initiatives, regulatory changes, and new precedent issued during the first year of the Obama administration.
A series of optional introductory lectures on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Superfund, and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on the Wednesday evening before the first full day of the course provide some grounding for newer attorneys and a refresher for more experienced attorneys.
A faculty of more than 30 seasoned practitioners, federal government representatives (including the EPA, DOJ, State Department, Interior, and CEQ), law professors, and counsel and other professionals at advocacy organizations also bring you up-to-date on:
Clean Air and Clean Water Acts
Climate change in the U.S. and abroad post-Copenhagen
The new government enforcement initiatives and citizen suits
National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and environmental justice
Endangered species and public lands
Congressional and U.S. Supreme Court developments
Chemical management developments
CERCLA and hazardous waste developments
Ethical issues (one hour)
A reception on Thursday evening provides additional opportunities to network with the faculty and other registrants. The reception is followed by another optional lecture on Global Environmental Law. Time is reserved throughout the program to address questions from the registrants.
Who Should Attend
Attorneys, private and governmental, who are engaged in, or are planning to engage in, the practice of environmental law. While designed principally for the practitioner with considerable experience, the course also serves attorneys seeking to enter the field, in part through the series of optional introductory lectures.
Planning Chairs
Pamela R. Esterman, Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C., New York (also on faculty)
Daniel Riesel, Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C., New York (also on faculty)
Faculty
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Scott C. Fulton, General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
FROM THE GOVERNMENT
Andrea L. Berlowe, Senior Counsel, Law and Policy Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Susan Biniaz, Deputy Legal Advisor, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Steve Black, Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
Edward A. Boling, Senior Counsel for Environmental Policy and Public Information, Council on Environmental Quality, Washington, D.C.
Thomas Hassenboehler, Counsel, Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
Randy Hill, Deputy Director, Office of Wastewater Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Adam M. Kushner, Director, Office of Civil Enforcement, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Walter E. Mugdan, Director, Emergency and Remedial Response Division, Region 2, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York
Stephen A. Owens, Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
B. Suzi Ruhl, Senior Attorney Advisor, Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
James M. Stuhltrager, U.S. Army Installation Management Command - Environmental Law Branch, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
NON-PROFITS AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS
Leslie A. Carothers, President, Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C.
Richard A. Denison, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C.
Robert G. Dreher, Vice President for Conservation Law and Climate Change, Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, D.C.
Annie Petsonk, International Counsel, Climate and Air, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C.
Manik Roy, Ph.D., Vice President, Federal Government Outreach, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Washington, D.C.
John D. Walke, Senior Attorney and Director, Clean Air Project, National Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C.
LAW PROFESSORS
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Assistant Dean of Environmental Law Programs and Adjunct Professor of Law, Center for Environmental Legal Studies, Pace University School of Law, White Plains, New York
Michael B. Gerrard, Professor of Professional Practice and Director, Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School, New York
Oliver A. Houck, Professor of Law, Tulane University Law School, New Orleans
Richard J. Lazarus, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
James R. May, Professor of Law, H. Albert Young Fellow in Constitutional Law, Professor of Graduate Engineering (Adjunct), Associate Director, Environmental Law Center, Widener University, Wilmington, Delaware
Robert V. Percival, Robert F. Stanton Professor of Law and Director, Environmental Law Program, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore
PRIVATE SECTOR
Ari Altman, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Washington, D.C.
Lynn L. Bergeson, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., Washington, D.C.
William M. Cohen, Of Counsel, Perkins Coie LLP; Adjunct Professor of Law, Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, D.C.
E. Donald Elliott, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Washington, D.C.; Adjunct Professor, Yale Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Robert D. Fox, Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
David Gardiner, Principal and President, David Gardiner & Associates, LLC, Washington, D.C.
Paul E. Hagen, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., Washington, D.C.
Karen M. Hansen, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., Washington, D.C.
Steven P. Quarles, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, D.C.
Alison L. Taylor, Vice President, Sustainability, Americas, Siemens Corporation, Washington, D.C.
ALI-ABA Staff Attorney: Amy S. Weinberg, Assistant Director, Office of Courses of Study
Program Schedule
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010
5:30 p.m. Early Registration
WEBCAST SEGMENT A - OPTIONAL INTRODUCTORY LECTURES ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (included in course tuition)
6:00 p.m. The Clean Air Act - Mr. Altman
6:45 p.m. The Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act - Professor Dunn
7:30 p.m. Networking Break
7:45 p.m. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) - Mr. Stuhltrager
8:30 p.m. Adjournment for the Day
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010
7:45 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:40 a.m. Introductory Remarks - ALI-ABA Staff
WEBCAST SEGMENT B
8:45 a.m. Course Overview - Ms. Esterman and Mr. Riesel
9:00 a.m. Congressional Developments - Ms. Carothers, Mr. Hassenboehler, and Dr. Roy
10:00 a.m. Keynote Address - Mr. Fulton
10:45 a.m. Networking Break
11:00 a.m. CERCLA/RCRA Developments - Messrs. Fox, Mugdan, and Riesel
12:15 p.m. Lunch Break
WEBCAST SEGMENT C
1:30 p.m. Endangered Species Act and Public Lands Developments - Messrs. Black and Quarles
2:30 p.m. Enforcement Initiatives and Citizen Suits - Messrs. Kushner and Riesel and Professor May
3:15 p.m. Networking and Snack Break
3:30 p.m. Clean Air Act Developments - Messrs. Elliott and Walke and Professor Gerrard
4:45 p.m. Networking Reception for Registrants and Faculty; END OF WEBCAST SEGMENT C
6:00 p.m. Optional Evening Lecture: Global Environmental Law (not recorded or webcast) - Professor Percival
7:00 p.m. Adjournment for the Day
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010
7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
WEBCAST SEGMENT D
8:00 a.m. Ethical Issues for the Environmental Law Practitioner - Mss. Berlowe and Esterman
9:00 a.m. Clean Water Act Developments - Ms. Hansen, Professor Houck, and Mr. Hill
10:15 a.m. Networking Break
10:30 a.m. U.S. Supreme Court Roundup - Professor Lazarus
11:15 a.m. TSCA Reform: Evolving Chemical Management Developments - Ms. Bergeson, Dr. Denison, and Mr. Owens
12:30 p.m. Lunch Break
WEBCAST SEGMENT E
1:45 p.m. NEPA and Environmental Justice - Messrs. Boling, Cohen, and Dreher and Ms. Ruhl
3:00 p.m. The Road from Copenhagen - Next Steps on Climate Change - Mss. Biniaz, Petsonk, and Taylor and Messrs. Gardiner and Hagen
4:15 p.m. Adjournment
Total 60-minute hours of instruction: 16.25, including one hour of ethics
Suggested Prerequisite: Limited experience in legal practice in subject matter or completion of Basic CLE Course in subject matter
Educational Objective: Acquisition of knowledge and skills to develop proficiency as a practitioner; maintenance of professional competence as a practitioner; provision of information on recent legal developments
Level of Instruction: Advanced
Here's what registrants have said about this course:
“Fantastic course: covered an array of topics in reasonable depth with a focus on new developments; all in a short amount of time.”
“The Supreme Court Roundup was fantastic – great presenters!”
“The ALI-ABA Environmental Law Course of Study offered a comprehensive overview of various environmental laws in an effective and concise format. This course is great for anyone, especially students, who want to learn the 'real' issues in these laws and how litigation can proceed under these laws. Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to learn more about environmental law or recent developments and trends.” – Lisa Campion, student, Vermont Law School
“It was a great review of the fundamentals and key terms/ideas of each subject.”
“Good diversity in topics – the session/speaker on water and water scarcity was great, as was discussion of the general development of renewables. The discussion about product regulation and biotechnology was very interesting and unique to this course vis-à-vis other conferences I’ve seen on environmental law.”
“Great job on panel discussion on pressing events/issues. Excellent variation of sessions. I attend every 2-3 years; this is the best conference for a long time. Thank you.”
"The course was very interesting, complete, and timely.”
“You had a good balance of private practice presenters and government officials.”
“Impressive group of experts compiled to teach these courses. Appreciate the ability to review the conference via webcast after the fact for items I may have missed or for which I need remedial training!”
“I liked how many of the panels connected back to climate change and energy, some of the big issues facing us today.”
“The current-event-type discussion of developments in the field were particularly interesting. Good job balancing the panelists.”
