National leaders in environmental law and advocacy will join the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL) at Vermont Law School for "The Endangered Species Act: Putting the Bite Back in the Law," VJEL's annual symposium, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, in Chase Community Center. The symposium is free and open to the public and press.
The daylong event will open with an introduction to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by Professor Patrick Parenteau, senior counsel at the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. Professor Zygmunt Plater of Boston College Law School will deliver a keynote address.
Plater argued for the snail darter fish in Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, a 1978 case in which the plaintiffs alleged that the TVA's dam construction was in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Supreme Court, in its first interpretation of the ESA, ruled in favor of Hill.
"The Endangered Species Act has been touted as the most powerful environmental legislation ever passed," said VJEL Symposium Editor Max Krieger '17. "It has been used to protect vast swaths of habitat, and in turn a vast array of threatened and endangered species. However, the role of the ESA as a paper tiger is changing. The law is affected by new administrative decisions, a changing climate, and evolving ideas around the very ethos of conservation. The symposium will bring together an eclectic group of the eminent minds working on these issues, providing vital insight into the future of this powerful law."
Symposium themes and panelists include:
"The ESA and Climate Change"
Jim Murphy, Senior Counsel for the Northeastern Region, National Wildlife Federation
Marc Fink, Senior Attorney and Public Lands Legal Director, Conservation for Biological Diversity
Bill Eubanks, Partner, Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks
David Mears, Professor and Vice Dean, Vermont Law School
"The ESA and Animal Rights Intersection"
David Cassuto, Professor, Pace Law School; Board Member, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Monica Miller, Staff Attorney, Nonhuman Rights Project
Reed Loder, Professor, Vermont Law School
Patrick Parenteau, Professor, Vermont Law School
"The ESA and New England"
Jamey Fidel, General Counsel, Vermont Natural Resources Council
Rachel Stevens, Staff Attorney, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Vermont Law School
John Echeverria, Professor, Vermont Law School
"The ESA and the Obama Administration"
Bob Dreher, Senior Vice President of Conservation Programs, Defenders of Wildlife
Aaron Mintzes, Policy Advocate, Earthworks
Sarah McMillan, Senior Staff Attorney, WildEarth Justice
Will Stelle, Senior Advisor to NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan
Jessica Scott, Professor, Vermont Law School
"Biodiversity is one of the biggest challenges for our generation—we are on the brink of the sixth mass extinction," said VJEL Symposium Editor Elizabeth Smith '17. "From the charismatic megafauna to the species known by only a few scientists, we need to protect them all. We hope conversations at the symposium will inspire potential solutions for this global disaster."
The next book published by the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law will include articles written by symposium panelists. For more information about the symposium, including a full schedule, registration and continuing legal education (CLE) credit, visit Eventbrite or email SaraBarnowski@vermontlaw.edu; and follow VJEL on Twitter, @JournalVJEL, #ESAVTLaw2016. The symposium includes lunch for those guests who preregister.
The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law's mission is to provide an accessible forum to discuss contemporary environmental legal issues. VJEL publishes articles authored by academics, practitioners, and students alike. In selecting articles, VJEL editors recognize that environmental issues are inexorably linked with many other areas of law and seek to encompass a broad range of viewpoints and attitudes. In addition to publishing quarterly issues and hosting symposiums, VJEL reaches national audiences through its annual Top 10 Environmental Watch List. For more information about the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, visit vjel.vermontlaw.edu.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation's largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master's Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.