Lee DeHihns Leads the ABA’s Environmental Committee

Lee DeHihns will serve as the section chair of the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources (SEER). Lee was elected at the ABA’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco on August 12. SEER is composed of approximately 10,000 ABA members from the public and private sectors – including law firms, major companies, government, public interest lawyers and academia – and is the premier forum for lawyers working in areas related to the environment, natural resources, and energy.

“The next year will provide many opportunities for the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources to be part of the national dialogue on environment, energy and natural resource issues,” said Lee. “Sustainability and nanotechnology are two key topics the section will continue to explore in depth. In particular, we will continue to support the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge and we will work to facilitate discussion about the environmental laws governing nanotechnology, using the comprehensive white papers we drafted in 2006.”

Lee has previously served as the Vice Chair of SEER, a member of SEER’s Council, Chair of SEER’s Strategic Planning Committee and Chair of the Water Quality and Wetlands Committee. He also sits on the Executive Committee of the ABA’s Section Officers Conference (SOC). The SOC is a federation of all of the ABA Sections, Divisions and Forums that meets to advocate the collective interests of the sections and promote communication, cooperation and coordination among the sections and other parts on behalf of the more than 400,000 members of the ABA.

Lee is a partner in Alston & Bird’s Environmental Land Use Group. A former Deputy Regional Administrator of the EPA’s Region 4, he has more than 30 years of experience in the practice of environmental law. He concentrates on regulatory matters and defensive litigation matters in the areas of air quality, water quality, hazardous waste and wetlands for industrial and municipal clients. Lee has worked on one of the highest profile wastewater litigation cases in Georgia, and successfully represented municipalities in federal court in Georgia in some of the most important water quality cases in the country. He has testified before Congress on various environmental matters, and has worked with officials at almost every level of government. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, and he was ranked as a leading environmental lawyer in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers 2007 where he is described as “tremendously well versed in the law and an excellent strategist and tactician.”

Lee received his J.D. degree from the Catholic University of America and his B.A. degree from the University of Scranton. He is licensed to practice law in Georgia and the District of Columbia. He is a veteran of the armed forces, serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1967-1969.