Section of Environment, Energy and Resources contributes expertise to Katrina aftermath

“We are keenly aware of the need for a playbook to help emergency responders when the next natural disaster hits,” said Lynn L. Bergeson, chair of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources in a conversation with Your ABA. Thus, immediately after Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast and touched us all, SEER — a 9,000-member strong section including multidisciplinary practices — joined other ABA entities in working to assist the victims of Katrina and, subsequently, Rita.

Upon hearing of the Hurricane Katrina Task Force that President Michael Greco commissioned, the section asked to contribute to those efforts, and then formed its own Task Force to lend its expertise on environmental and energy issues looking forward to recovery. The section’s fall meeting, held in September, included a plenary session on how federal, state and local responders could work together to move on after a natural disaster. Some 400 members attended the session to hear an overview of the work that already had been launched and to address the question of how to recruit additional resources for the next steps.

A series of quick teleconferences were scheduled, the first reaching out to members and others who may not have an office. Several hundred phone lines were offered free of charge by the conference call provider so that lawyers and others could participate and a coordination of action by local, state and federal responders could be facilitated.

Another teleconference focused on permitting and compliance in the affected areas. The question of “how to move on” was addressed, with representatives from EPA, state government and industry meeting to begin to answer such questions as “What steps are businesses and government agencies taking to return to normal, while complying with laws and regulations?” and “When is it environmentally safe to go home?”

The public health consequences will be at the core of yet another teleconference. Vector control and what can be done to avert the potential consequences of mosquitoes, mold and standing water will be among the items for discussion.

What the ABA can do, according to Bergeson, is be a repository for information for emergency responders and others. Under the guidance of section task force Chair Steve McKinney, and Professor Irma Russell of Pace University, chair of the section’s Strategic Response Committee, the section has also requested blanket authority to support legislative initiatives that would allow for appropriate waivers for environmental regulations, but oppose new blanket waivers that could cause long-term harm and that are unnecessary, in the eyes of the task force members.

In coming weeks, the teleconferences will be available online.

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