Beverlee Silva served as Program Co-Chair and Jonathan Wells and Bruce Pasfield were featured panelists at this conference hosted by the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. The EPA Region 4 states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee continue to face many cutting-edge issues in the arena of environmental law and enforcement. This conference addressed these issues with in-depth presentations and discussions. The conference also served as a forum to interact with key federal and state agency personnel, as well as catch up on important environmental issues within the region.
Jonathan Wells spoke on the panel "The Regulation of Greenhouse Gases – Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We May Be Going", 1:30pm - 3:15pm. As EPA regulates greenhouse gases, it’s worthwhile to learn from the past, examine the present and speculate about the future. This panel reviewed existing laws and policies regulating greenhouse gases, compared some recent permitting decisions relating to coal-fired power plants and discussed cutting-edge greenhouse gas issues facing Congress.
Bruce Pasfield spoke on the panel "Trends and Developments in Criminal Environmental Law in Region 4", 3:30pm - 5:00pm. EPA’s Criminal Enforcement Division has been especially busy in the past year, and with a new Special Agent in Charge, the trend is expected to continue. This panel addressed the current direction of criminal enforcement in Region 4 under a new Special Agent in Charge, and the discussion included the impact of recent judicial and policy decisions on criminal cases, some novel enforcement approaches and what this means for defense counsel.
May 7, 2009
Omni Hotel at CNN Center / Atlanta, GA