Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies
by ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
Top environmental, energy, and resources lawyers discuss career development, legal issues, historical trends, and new developments in environmental law.The views, information, or opinions expressed in Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies are solely and exclusively those of the speakers and not those of the American Bar Association or the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Environmental Law Explored is intended for educational and informational purposes only.
Episodes
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SEER100: 100 Years of Pesticides & Chemicals Law
Lynn Bergeson, Managing Partner at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), joins Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C® and former EPA Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, to explore the history and evolution of pesticide and chemical regulation. They...
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SEER100: Women in Science and Technology
Host Norman Dupont sits down with Claudia Rast, shareholder at Butzel Long and a leader in cybersecurity and emerging technologies, to explore the impact of women in the environment, energy, and resources fields. The conversation looks back at pioneers like Rachel Carson and Jane Goodall, and...
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SEER100: A Century of Environmental Enforcement & Litigation
In this episode of the SEER 100 podcast series, hosts Naveed Nanjee and Rishab Mahajan sit down with Todd Kim, former Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and now a litigator at Pillsbury Law. This episode traces a century of...
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NEPA and Forest Law in the Face of Change
From timber sale agreements to conservation easements and project financing, join Dylan Sollfrank (Schwabe), Andrea Driggs (Holland & Hart), and Janet Howe (Holland & Hart) as they explore how NEPA impacts forest resources law—and how recent developments, including Seven County and changes to…
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SEER100: The Evolution of Federal Water Jurisdiction Under the Clean Water Act
While WOTUS serves as the jurisdictional foundation of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the statute does not define the term. Since the CWA's enactment in 1972, determining the scope of WOTUS—and, in turn, the reach of federal regulatory authority—has remained a persistent and challenging issue in...
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SEER100: The Clean Air Act and Beyond
Join Professor Richard Lazarus of Harvard Law School, author of The Rule of Five, and one of the nation's leading scholars of environmental law, for a discussion on the evolution of environmental law through the lens of the Clean Air Act and other landmark environmental statutes. Drawing on his...
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SEER100: The Evolution of Environmental Law & SEER
As the inaugural episode in this series, this conversation takes a broad look at the evolution of environmental law and the Section's role in shaping the field over time. The panel of former SEER Chairs includes moderator Alex Dunn, President & CEO of CropLife America and former EPA Assistant...
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The History and Future of Tribal Timber
This episode explores the history of tribal timber management as a trust resource and the legal framework that governs the federal government's trust responsibilities. Joining the discussion is Chris King, an attorney at Whitley Law Firm and former Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Department of the...
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Navigating the Headwinds: ESG Developments in a Shifting Global Landscape
Join Josh Galperin, Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub at Pace University, Lauren Lynam, Sustainable Business Scholar at Pace University and Yale School of the Environment, and John Rutherford, Assistant Regional Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as they break down…
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The Endangered Species Act at a Crossroads: Litigation, Regulation, and the Future of ESA Enforcement
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What We Talk About When We Talk About Forest Law
We are pleased to be joined by Professor John Leshy, author of Our Common Ground and the preeminent scholar on the history of America's public lands. Public land management is the cornerstone of forest law in the United States, and Professor Leshy's insights into its scope and evolution are...
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Emerging Contaminants: Supply Chain
Emerging contaminants are by their nature neither fully regulated nor fully understood. In this final episode of the Emerging Contaminants series Juge Gregg (Crowell & Moring), Sal Giolando (Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.), and Adam Sowatzka (McGuire Woods) discuss how to assess emerging…
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Emerging Contaminants: Non-Tailpipe Vehicle Emissions
While we all notice the emissions exiting our vehicle's tailpipes, the emissions from brake dust and tire wear are often overlooked. Scientists are now turning their attention to these lesser-known pollutants, which are emerging as significant environmental concerns. As studies begin to grasp the...
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Emerging Contaminants: Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs)
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products can be found in every home in America, but now they are also showing up in our wastewater systems and even our lakes and rivers. In this third episode of the Emerging Contaminants series, hear from Professor Bill Arnold (University of Minnesota), Eva...
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Emerging Contaminants: Ethylene Oxide
In the second installment of our Emerging Contaminants series, we turn our attention to ethylene oxide, a chemical critical to the sterilization of medical and protective equipment yet increasingly scrutinized for its potential carcinogenic effects due to widespread use and long industrial…
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The ESG Era: Progress, Pushback, and the Path Ahead
In 2024, key legal and regulatory shifts transformed the ESG landscape across the U.S., Canada, U.K., and EU. In the U.S., the SEC adopted—and later stopped defending—climate disclosure rules, while the Department of Labor's ESG rule faced litigation and Congress advanced anti-ESG bills. At the...
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Emerging Contaminants: Microplastics
In the debut episode of our Emerging Contaminants series, we examine the widespread presence of microplastics in our environment, including in human and animal bodies and throughout our food systems. Because microplastics originate from larger plastic products, regulatory efforts have targeted…
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Editor's Insights: Chemical Product Law and Supply Chain Stewardship: A Guide to New TSCA
Amy L. Edwards, environmental partner at Holland & Knight, sits down with Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner at Bergeson & Campbell and editor of Chemical Product Law and Supply Chain Stewardship: A Guide to New TSCA. Together they examine how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)...
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The Wildfire Crisis and Community Resilience
In the wake of the Los Angeles fires and amid a growing wildfire crisis, Doug Green, manager of Headwaters Economics' Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) program, joins Andrew Kihn, programming vice chair of the Forest Resources Committee, for a conversation about the L.A. fires…
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Redefining EPA Authority—San Francisco v. EPA
Join Tim Kelly (Hausfeld) and Misha Tseytlin (Troutman Pepper Locke) as they unpack the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in City and County of San Francisco v. EPA. The ruling struck down the EPA's use of "end-result" requirements in NPDES permits, ruling that the Clean Water Act (CWA) does...
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The Future of NEPA: 2025 and Beyond
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) landscape is shifting fast. With major developments like Eagle County, Marin Audubon, Section 5 of President Trump's Unleashing American Energy Executive Order, and several critical cases on the horizon, the way NEPA is applied and interpreted is set…
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Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West: Episode 3 - Conservation Implications
In the third episode of the Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West series, Andrew Kihn is joined by Susan Jane Brown, Principal and Chief of Silvix Resources, a nonprofit environmental law firm. Together, they explore the implications of the ongoing workforce challenges on the...
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Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West: Episode 2 - The Role of Land Management Policy
In the second episode of the Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West series, Andrew Kihn returns, joined by Travis Joseph, President and CEO of the American Forest Resource Council. Together, they delve into the role of land management policies in addressing workforce challenges from…
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Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West: Episode 1 - The Economic Landscape
From the Forest Resources Committee comes a new series, Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West, which examines legal and policy solutions to workforce challenges linked to the alarming rate of lumber mill closures in the American West. These closures have far-reaching implications for...
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What's Next in the Wide Wide World of WOTUS?
This podcast featuring Susan L. Stephens (Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.), Kim Diana Connolly (University at Buffalo School of Law, State University of New York), and Sarah P. Jarboe (English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP) provides a succinct summary of the history of...
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Shell v Milieudefensie: European Climate Case & Regulatory Backdrop
In this episode, Rhys Davies (Kirkland & Ellis International LLP) joins Natalia Urzola (SJD Candidate, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University) to discuss the Court of Appeal's decision in The Hague, Netherlands, in Shell v. Milieudefensie. The court determined that while Shell has...
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After Biden, The Realigned Rubik's Cube on Energy, Land Use, and Environmental Law
In this podcast Steven Ferrey (Suffolk University Law School) and Steve Weissman (Center for Law, Energy & the Environment), two experts in environmental/energy/land use law analyzing what became a legal Rubik's Cube with many different moving pieces to be realigned by attorneys and clients. New...
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The "Relentless" Attack on Chevron-style Deference to Agencies--What's it all mean?
This new episode focuses on the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright Enterprises, Inc. v. Raimondo and its impact on administrative law, moderated by Norm Dupont, Of Counsel at Aleshire & Wynder. The discussion features Professor Lisa Heinzerling of Georgetown University Law, a...
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PHASE Is: All Appropriate Inquiry in the Time of PFAS
In this podcast, David Rieser (K&L Gates) and Amy Edwards (Holland & Knight) will discuss the challenges and uncertainties of incorporating PFAS compounds into Phase I environmental assessments, including how to detect their presence and manage associated risks in real estate transactions. Now…
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Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, Third Edition: Episode 3 - Capturing Carbon: Engineering and Agriculture
In this final episode of the Global Climate Change and U.S. Law series, editor Michael Gerrard will talk with Tracy Hester, Instructional Professor of Law at University of Houston Law Center, and Peter Lehner, Managing Attorney for Earthjustice's Sustainable Food & Farming Program, about…
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Author Series: ESG: Optimizing Governance and Disclosure Practices to Minimize Risks
Heightened political and investor scrutiny; increasing regulations, lawsuits and government investigations; and numerous employee interests regarding a wide range of ESG issues — all of it amounts to considerable pressure on corporate boards and management to balance the implementation of...
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Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, Third Edition: Episode 2 - State & Local Climate Law
In this second episode of the series Global Climate Change & U.S. Law, editor Michael Burger will talk with chapter authors Sheila Foster, Professor of Urban Law and Policy at Georgetown University, and Alice Kaswan, Professor of Law at University of San Francisco, about local innovation, climate...
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Energy Law Insights for 2024: Grid Evolution - Navigating FERC Order 1920
Explore the implications of FERC Order 1920, a pivotal regulation set to reshape the landscape of energy transmission in the United States. This episode will discuss implications of the Order, focusing on enhanced long-term planning and transparency mandates, the integration of state entities in...
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Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, Third Edition: Episode 1 - Federal Climate Law
In the series Global Climate Change & U.S. Law, editors Jody Freedman, Michael B. Gerrard, and Michael Burger explore the pivotal themes in their book Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, Third Edition. In this first episode, Jody talks with chapter authors Tom Lorenzen, a Partner at Crowell &...
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Energy Law Insights for 2024: An Introduction with the Energy Committee Chairs
Join our esteemed Chairs as they illuminate the most pressing topics and key issues in energy law that will shape the year ahead. From regulatory changes and sustainability challenges to groundbreaking technologies and market dynamics, this introduction to the upcoming energy law series promises…
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Policy and Regulation: A Fireside Chat with Joseph Goffman
Joe Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Chuck Knauss, former lead Republican Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee during the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, discuss the Office of Air and Radiation's...
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50 Years of EPA: Looking Back with Walter Mugdan
Walter Mugdan discusses his career at EPA, where he began working in 1975 as a staff attorney in Region 2, and subsequently served in various supervisory positions in the Office of Regional Counsel, with Emily Mott, senior associate at Baker Botts LLP and past member of the Section's Leadership...
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50 Years of EPA: Looking Back with Roger Martella
Roger Martella discusses his service as General Counsel at the EPA from 2005-2008 with JD Howard, an associate at Morris, Manning, & Martin, LLP and past member of the Section's Leadership Development Program. This podcast was recorded in late 2020.
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50 Years of EPA: Looking Back with Quentin Pair (Part 2)
In the second of two episodes, Quentin Pair continues a discussion on his career and environmental justice, and shares his thoughts on the future of EPA with Phillip Dupré, a Senior Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, ENRD - Environmental Defense Section, and past member of the Section's...
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50 Years of EPA: Looking Back with Quentin Pair (Part 1)
In the first of two episodes, Quentin Pair discusses his career, which included serving as senior trial attorney for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for many years and working on environmental justice issues while at the EPA, with Phillip Dupré, a...
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SEER Essentials: What Can Animal Law Learn From Environmental Law?
With its intricate layers of international, federal, and state protections, environmental law is more established than animal law. In this podcast episode, Glenda Valdez, a recent graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School, interviews Professor Randall Abate, Assistant Dean for Environmental Studies…
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SEER Essentials: Prescribed Fires on Federal Lands: Overview of Pressing Management, Law, and Policy Issues
This podcast episode examines key legal and policy issues around the use of prescribed fire to reduce wildfire risk and the ongoing shift away from fire suppression policies to reintroducing fire back onto the landscape. Podcast Speakers: Steven Hattenbach is the USFS Forest Supervisor for the...
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50 Years of EPA: Looking Back with Martin Topper
Martin Topper discusses his career at the EPA, where he worked from 1987-1996, including serving as National Indian Program Coordinator for over seven years, with Cynthia Harris, staff attorney and Director of Tribal Programs at the Environmental Law Institute and past member of the Section's...
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50 Years of EPA: Looking Back with John Cruden
John Cruden discusses his career, including his more than two decades, as a senior leader on environment and natural resource matters at the U.S. Department of Justice, with Emily Mott, senior associate at Baker Botts LLP and past member of the Section's Leadership Development Program. This…
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Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series: Episode 8 - Litigation and Future Predictions
In the eighth and final episode of the Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series, Sarah Morath, Associate Professor at Wake Forest Law, and Megan Baroni, a partner with Robinson+Cole, discuss future litigation trends in the microplastics realm. This podcast...
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Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series: Episode 7 - Near-Term and Future Potential Regulatory Efforts
In the seventh episode of the Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series, Jennifer Novak, an attorney at the Law Office of Jennifer Novak, and Kevin Budris, Advocacy Director at Just Zero, dive into the near-term and future efforts to regulate microplastics in…
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Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series: Episode 6 - Current Regulatory Efforts
In the sixth episode of the Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series, Byron Brown, Senior Counsel at Crowell & Moring LLP, explains the current regulatory efforts around microplastics, including safer products, recycling efforts, and single-use plastic bans....
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Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series: Episode 5 - Health Risks and Current Human Health Ecotoxicology
In the fifth episode of the Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series, Dr. Scott Coffin, a Research Scientist at the California State Water Resources Control Board, and Catherine Boston, Principal Scientist and Risk Assessor at Roux Associates, investigate the...
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Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series: Episode 4 - Ecological Trends and Current Ecotoxicology
In the fourth episode of the Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series, Dr. Lance Yonkos, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, and Shannon Edmonds, Staff Scientist at Roux Associates, explore the ecological...
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Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series: Episode 3 - Sampling Methods and Analytical Techniques
In the third episode of the Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series, Andrew Patterson, Technical Director for Eurofins Specialty Services, and Rachel Maxwell, Senior Scientist at Roux Associates, discuss sampling methods and analytical techniques for finding...
About this show
Top environmental, energy, and resources lawyers discuss career development, legal issues, historical trends, and new developments in environmental law.The views, information, or opinions expressed in Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies are solely and exclusively those of the speakers and not those of the American Bar Association or the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Environmental Law Explored is intended for educational and informational purposes only.
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ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
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