Alston & Bird Partner James S. Stokes To Chair Governor's Conference On Pollution Prevention and The Environment

Preeminent Environmental Attorney To Preside Over Conference Atlanta, GA -Underscoring its commitment to create a broader initiative and understanding for greater environmental protection in the State, the Governor's Council on Environmental Quality will present "The Governor's Conference on Pollution Prevention and the Environment" at the Georgia International Convention Center on October 30th - 31st. Government officials and business and industry executives will address critical environmental issues and the challenges they face in developing effective solutions, including: Pollution Prevention Strategies; Environmental Management Tools; Risk-Based Decision Making; The Tri-State Water Study; Southeast Ground Water; Protecting Sensitive Resources; Nonpoint Source Pollution; Hazardous Sites Clean-Up; Ozone and Solid Waste Reduction; Air Toxics; Community Initiatives, among others. James S. Stokes, chairman of the Governor's Environmental Advisory Council and environmental partner at Alston & Bird LLP, will chair the conference. The only lawyer on the Council, Jim Stokes has been a member since its formation in 1991. The role of the 15 member Environmental Advisory Council is to advise the Governor, the Board of Natural Resources, and the director of the Environmental Protection Division about current issues impacting the state's environmental protection program. With more than 25 years of experience in environmental law, Jim Stokes is listed in
The Best Lawyers in America and the Guide to the World's Leading Environmental Lawyers. Mr. Stokes chaired Alston & Bird's Environmental Practice Group for many years and currently serves on the Firm's Partners Committee. He has extensive experience with hazardous waste, air quality, wetlands and solid waste matters, and lectures and writes frequently on environmental law issues. Mr. Stokes chaired the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Environmental Committee from 1987-92 and served as chairman of the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia from 1979-82. In addition to his role as conference chairman, Jim Stokes will preside over the opening plenary session on October 30th. Mr. Stokes will also present the first annual Governor's Awards for Pollution Prevention at the luncheon on October 31st. The awards are in recognition of companies, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals that excel in pollution prevention. Industrial companies qualifying as Pollution Prevention Partners will also be recognized. Ray Anderson, Founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Interface, Inc. will be the keynote luncheon speaker on October 30th. Mr. Anderson will discuss his revolutionary initiative to make his company's floor covering business completely sustainable through the use of solar energy, recycling carpet materials and eliminating all hazardous waste from Interface's operations. Alston & Bird's Doug Arnold, an attorney in the Firm's Environmental Practice Group, will participate in the conference session "Environmental Management Tools". Mr. Arnold's presentation will focus on "Internal Environmental Audits As A Management Tool." Alston & Bird, with more than 390 attorneys serving both domestic and international clients, is one of the largest and oldest law firms in the Southeast. Based in Atlanta, Georgia with offices in Washington D.C., Charlotte and Research Triangle, North Carolina, the Firm provides a full range of services to clients doing business throughout the U.S. and overseas. Alston & Bird's practice areas include: capital markets and investments; finance and public finance; financial institutions; trial and appellate; health care; real estate; environmental; antitrust and investigations; bankruptcy, reorganizations and workouts; tax and fiduciary; labor and employment; international; intellectual property; and communications and technology.