For Immediate Release: September 25, 2012

The Environmental and Energy Stakes in the 2012 Election

Often overlooked in the coverage of the 2012 elections are the environmental and energy issues that could be among those most affected by the elections’ results. On September 11, 2012, ELI co-sponsored a panel at the New York City Bar Association, where senior environmental litigators and policy experts discussed the key environmental issues at stake in the upcoming elections; the impacts of those issues on the presidential race; and the environmental challenges facing the next administration and Congress.

&ldqup;Many environmental professionals on all sides of the issues yearn for a substantive and meaningful discussion about how best to address the pressing environmental challenges of the 21st Century,” said event organizer Jeffrey Gracer, Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee. “We organized this panel to advance that discussion and to examine whether there is common ground on which compromise might be achieved after the elections.”

According to moderator and ELI President John Cruden, “It was a great privilege for the Environmental Law Institute to join with the New York City Bar Association in presenting four distinguished speakers from both parties who are experts in environment and energy law and policy. Our desire was to inform, stimulate discussion, and highlight the issues that we firmly believe should be presented during presidential debates. We were impressed by the knowledge and energy of the audience, and the insightful questions that were presented to our expert panel.”

Panelists included:
Kenneth Berlin, Retired Partner and former head of the Environmental and Climate Change Practice Group, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Michael B. Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice and Director, Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
Raymond B. Ludwiszewski, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Mark McIntosh, Former General Counsel, Council on Environmental Quality

A digital video file of the event is available here.

ELI senior management have drawn up a set of what we feel are the 12 important questions that should be asked of the presidential candidates concerning environment, energy, and natural resource issues. This list was handed out during the Sept. 11 event and is attached to this press release. These questions have now been provided to the moderator of the first Presidential debate, scheduled for October 3, and to both presidential campaigns.

The Environmental Law Institute® is an independent, non-profit research and educational organization based in Washington, DC. The Institute serves the environmental profession in business, government, the private bar, public interest organizations, academia, and the press. For further information from the Environmental Law Institute, please contact Brett Kitchen at 202-939-3833 or pressrequest@eli.org.
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