March 31, 2004

Environmental Law Update 2004: The Practical Impacts of This Year’s Legal Struggles

Agenda

Do Endangered Species Act Challenges Still Have Teeth? Do recent constitutional challenges to the Endangered Species Act threaten the continued viability of this vital statute? Or are the challenges reining in misuse of an overly broad federal mandate?

Panel
M. Reed Hopper, Principal Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation
Wm. Robert Irvin, Director, U.S. Ecoregional Conservation, WWF
Mark Rutzick, Senior Legal Advisor, NOAA Fisheries
David J. Hayes, Partner, Latham & Watkins (Moderator)

What Roles Should Federal and State Governments Play in Fighting Air Pollution? Do pending suits between federal and state air regulators suggest that the respective federal and state roles are changing? Have courts become the ultimate decision makers on air policy issues?

Panel
Jeffrey Holmstead, Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, EPA
Howard Learner, Executive Director, Environmental Law and Policy Center
Peter Lehner, Office of the New York Attorney General
Leslie Sue Ritts, Partner, Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P. (Moderator)

Who Should Pay for Food Safety? What is the appropriate federal role in protecting the food supply? Who should bear the cost of regulations designed to protect the public against salmonella contamination, mad cow disease, and avian flu: the American farmer or the American taxpayer?

Panel
Wenonah Hauter, Director, Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program, Public Citizen
Richard Samp, Chief Counsel, Washington Legal Foundation
Bob Hibbert, Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery
Doug Kendall, Executive Director, Community Rights Counsel (Moderator)