Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Pro Bono Activities
Air Quality Committee
Chairs: Bernie Hawkins
Dana Bivins Brown
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Air Quality Committee has developed and conducted several educational instruction in schools projects for use in Earth Day or Law Day projects to educate students about air pollution and climate change issues.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects
Climate Change and Sustainable Development Committee
Chairs: Kyle Danish Co-Chair
Katherine Silverthorne Co-chair
Karen Hopfl-Harris Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Climate Change and Sustainable Development Committee is developing a program with George Washington University relating to this year's world summit on sustainable development scheduled for September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Environmental Transactions, Audits and Brownfields Committee
Chairs: Sara Beth Watson
Deborah Brown Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Committee is presently developing an educational instruction in schools program focusing on brownfields development issues.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Forest Resources Committee
Chairs: James M. Kennedy
Powell G. Ogletree, Jr. Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Committee is developing an educational instruction in schools project dealing with forest resource issues.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Marine Resources Committee
Chairs: Gerald F. Georg
Jennifer Harr Nist Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Marine Resources Committee developed an educational instruction in schools project, "Swordfish and Sea Turtles", that is designed to educate students about the conservation and management of marine species through the development of fisheries management plans.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Mining Committee
Chairs: Katie Sweeney
Cynthia Chandley Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Mining Committee is focusing its public service efforts on developing a mining permit board game to educate the public about the permitting process. The Committee is also collecting a library of environmental videos that could be utilized by educational institutes.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Development Committee
Chairs: Janice K. Hartrick
Louise A. Glenn Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Committee will be working with the State Bar of Texas in developing pattern jury charges in oil and gas cases.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Public Service Task Force
Chairs: Dana Bivins Brown
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Task Force was created to determine the Section's public service goals and assist Section members in meeting those goals. The Task Force serves as the Section's clearinghouse for public service projects and their implementation. The Task Force gives particular attention to the following eight projects: 1) Educational Instruction in Schools; 2) Development of Model Regulations; 3) Public Education Pamphlets; 4) Pro Bono Services to Conservancy and Environmental Groups; 5) Promotion of Recycling and Reuse; 6) Electric Industry Restructuring; 7) Assistance to Law School Clinical Programs; and 8) Earth Day/Law Day Projects. The Task Force is also available to assist Section committees with committee-specific projects (each of the Section's 31 substantive committees have a public service component that is carried out by the committee's Public Service Vice Chair).
Volunteers and Cases:
In the Task Force's Pro Bono Services to Conservancy and Environmental Groups project, the public service portion of the Section's web board allows conservation and environmental organizations to list requests for needed pro bono services. Section members, who may be interested in providing services, can then review the posted entries and "chat" with or call the contact person for the organization. We have at least one volunteer providing pro bono services to an environmental group at present. In addition, the Public Service Task Force sponsors an educational instruction in school project at the Section's Annual Fall Meeting. This past year, Section members went to two inner city schools in St. Louis, MO, and moderated a mock trial using the ABA Public Education Division's US vs. Bunyan materials. A special session, which included school participants as panelists, was held at the Annual Fall Meeting for Section members. The Task Force also has two educational instruction in schools projects available on its website dealing with NIMBY issues; a link to the ABA Standing Committee on Environmental Law's Green Team website that introduces law office practices that reduce waste and energy usage and conserve resources; and a link to the ABA Section Officers Conference Committee on Outreach to Law Students website.
Awards
ABA Award For Excellence in Environmental and Resources Stewardship - This award, newly established by the Section in 2002, recognizes and honors the accomplishments of a person and/or organization or group that that have demonstrated significant achievement or leadership in the areas of sustainable development or environmental or resources stewardship. ABA Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy - This award, cosponsored by the Section and the Standing Committee on Environmental Law, recognizes and honors individuals or organizations who have distinguished themselves in the field of environmental law and policy, contributing significant leadership in improving the substance, process or understanding of environmental protection and sustainable development.
Special Committee on Second Generation Issues
Chairs: George Wyeth
Brenda Gotanda Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Committee recently established a Pro Bono Legal Assistance for Communities ("PBLAC") Pilot. The purpose of the PBLAC Pilot is to provide legal support to communities undertaking second generation community-based environmental protection ("CBEP") efforts. The Pilot attempts to match the legal assistance needs of those communities with volunteer attorneys from the Section who will provide pro bono legal support for specifically defined tasks or projects.
Water Quality and Wetlands Committee
Chairs: Beth Ginsberg Co-Chair
Steve Miano Co-chair
David Kurland Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Water Quality and Wetlands Committee has developed and conducted an educational instruction in schools project that demonstrates the significance of groundwater preservation.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
Water Resources Committee
Chairs: Jay F. Stein
Benjamin "Kip" Lombard, Jr. Public Service Vice Chair
Staff:
Dana Jonusaitis
312 988-5602
Description:
The Committee is developing a brochure directed at educating pro se claimants about general stream adjudications.
Volunteers and Cases:
The Committee does not seek to provide direct services or create local projects.
