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Environmental Law Symposium

LOOKING FORWARD: THE NEXT DECADE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
February 17, 2012
8:00 am-5:00 pm

Southern California is home to over 20 million people, four ports, no major sources of potable water, several industrial areas, and over 100 miles of coastline. As a result, southern California will continue to cope with the many concerns over marine life issues, climate change, the future of water in the region, and sources of energy in the region. The Southern California Environmental Law Symposium is an opportunity to discuss these and other concerns as well as solutions to the many issues the region will face over the next decade

  • Free to students at WLS and other law schools and colleges
  • $50 to community members

Online registration is now closed.

The Environmental Law Society of Whittier Law School gratefully acknowledges the ABA Law Student Division for its support of the Environmental Law Symposium.

Schedule

8 am-8:45 am: Check-in and breakfast

8:45-9 am: Welcoming Remarks

  • Aastha Madaan, President, Environmental Law Society
  • Peter Reich, Professor of Environmental Law, Whittier Law School

9:00-10:20 am: Challenges with Energy, Gas and the Environment
Moderator: Ryan M.F. Baron, Senior Deputy County Counsel, County of Orange
Panelists:

  • Gregory Trimarche, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig; Chairman, CleanTech OC
  • Aaron Klemm, Energy Project Manager, City of Huntington Beach
  • Chris Costanzo, Legal Director, SolarReserve, Santa Monica
  • Linda Anabtawi, Senior Attorney, Southern California Edison, Rosemead
  • Albert Garcia, Senior Environmental Counsel, Sempra Energy – Southern California Gas Company, Los Angeles

10:20-10:30 am: Break

10:30-11:45: Challenges in Stormwater Regulation
Moderator: Geoffrey Hunt, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, County of Orange
Panelists:

  • Richard Montevideo, Partner, Rutan & Tucker, Costa Mesa
  • Mary Lynn Coffee, Partner, Nossaman, Irvine
  • Richard Boon, Stormwater Manager, OC Watersheds
  • Garry Brown, Executive Director, Orange County Coastkeeper, Costa Mesa

11:45 am-1:15 pm: Lunch and Keynote Address: Lines in the Sand: Environmental Activism in the 21st Century
Joel Reynolds, Director of NRDC’s Urban Program, the Marine Mammal Protection and Southern California Ecosystem projects, Santa Monica

1:15-2:00 pm: Concurrent Breakout Sessions

  • Session A: 14th Amendment Equal Protection Under the Law: How to Ensure Equal Environmental Rights For All (Room 3)
    Robina Suwol, California Safe Schools
  • Session B: NFL Stadiums — Discussion of CEQA and Land Use Issues (Room 5)
    Thomas A. Miller, Supervising Deputy County Counsel
  • Session C: Natural Resource Allocation and Environmental Justice on the Mexico-U.S. Border (Room 8)
    Peter Reich, Professor of Environmental Law, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa

2:00-2:15 pm: Break

2:15-3:30 pm: Emerging Issues in Climate Change: The Science, The Law and Communities
Moderator: Olivier Theard, Attorney, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton LLP, Los Angeles
Panelists:

  • Jennifer Ganata, Staff Attorney, Communities for a Better Environment, Huntington Park
  • Dr. Elaine Chang, Deputy Executive Officer for Planning, Rule Development and Area Source, South Coast AQMD, Diamond Bar
  • Dr. Daniel Cayan, Researcher and Professor, University of California San Diego, San Diego
  • Susan Durbin, Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice, Sacramento

3:30-3:45 pm: Break

3:45-5 pm: Coastal Issues in Southern California
Moderator: John Fentis, Environmental Project Director, California District Attorneys Association, Sacramento, CA; Adjunct Professor of Law, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa
Panelists:

  • Gale Filter, Executive Director, San Diego Coastkeeper, San Diego
  • Angela Howe, Legal Director, Surfrider Foundation, Huntington Beach
  • Colin Kelly, Staff Attorney, Orange County Coastkeeper, Costa Mesa

5-6:30 pm: Cocktail Reception (Room 1)

Registration closed.