Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources

State and Regional Environmental Cooperation Committee

2007-2008 Committee Chair:
Michelle Diffenderfer
[mdiffenderfer@llw-law.com]

Message from the Chair

On behalf of the State and Regional Environmental Cooperation Committee, welcome to our website. We think you will find this site to be a great resource for real-time, accurate information about the activities of state and regional environmental bar associations, USEPA Regions, state government environmental agencies and academic environmental programs. Our goal is to facilitate the exchange of information between environmental practitioners across the country, to cross-pollinate ideas and programs, and to keep you up to date on state and regional environmental issues.

For uniform reference, the Committee has organized itself based upon USEPA regions. Each year, the Committee sponsors at least two regional conferences in collaboration with USEPA. In ABA year 2006-2007, we will co-sponsor and co-present Regional Conferences in Regions 1 (Boston) and 4 (Atlanta).

Informal state bar idea exchanges are held in conjunction with SEER conferences. One such idea exchange was recently held at the 14th Section Fall Meeting of SEER in San Diego. Regional Vice-Chairs coordinate information exchanges at the regional level on a more frequent basis and in cooperation with state and regional environmental law sections.

The Committee publishes a newsletter that is a vehicle for publication of Committee activities and for articles from our members and others. We also sponsor and publicize public service project opportunities. Please test drive our map of comprehensive links to environmental agencies across the country.

Contact us with your ideas for the exchange of information, for publication of articles, for public service projects or just to let us get to know you. If you are not a Committee member — join! This Committee offers almost unlimited opportunities for members to become involved at the regional and national level.

Activities

The Committee sponsors conferences in each EPA region. The conferences are co-sponsored by the EPA region and the environmental and natural resources sections of the state bar associations (and often municipal bar associations) within each region. A cross-section of speakers includes federal, state, and local regulators, as well as private and public interests lawyers, consultants, and corporate officials. The frequency of these programs varies with the region. In those regions where distance make an in-person program difficult, the Committee attempts to provide alternative programs to achieve the same connection between practitioners in the regulated community and in the regulating agencies.

Announcing: Key Environmental Issues in U.S. EPA Region 1, May 8, 2007, The Westin Copley Place, Boston.
Purchase Course Materials: Key Environmental Issues in U.S. EPA Region 4, May 17, 2007, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, GA

At the Section Fall Meeting, the Committee moderates an "idea exchange" among Committee and Section members regarding common and innovative ideas used by state bar environmental sections across the country.

At the Annual Conference on Environmental Law (Keystone, Colo.), the Committee facilitates regional roundtables with EPA and private/public interest attorneys.

State and Regional Environmental Cooperation Navigation

SRECC EPA Resource Site

The SRECC sub-committee has compiled an exhaustive listing of Environment, Energy, and Natural Resource websites that is searchable by state and EPA region. If you feel there is a link that should be added please let us know.