Environmental Impact Assessment Committee

Click here now to sign up as a Charter Member of the ABA-SEER Environmental Impact Assessment committee!

• Overview
• Benefit to Students
• What's Next
• How to Get Involved

What's New!

• "Little NEPA" Conference: State Level Environmental Impact Assessment
  May 30, 2005, 9am - 5pm
  Hyatt Regency
  Cambridge, MA

Overview:

The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources recently created the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee (EIA Committee). The Chair of the Committee, Karen Bryan, is a past Membership Officer of the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, a past chair of the Section of Environment of the Alabama State Bar and several decades ago, the President of the Environmental Law Society at the University of Alabama School of Law. Karen found her association with the ABA and the State Bar Section to be professionally helpful and personally satisfying. The Committee's first priority is to recruit a diverse group of 50 Charter Members each of whom will receive a certificate to document this significant milestone.

In a nutshell the broad focus of the Committee will be practice under the National Environmental Policy Act and its state analogs. The Committee will delve into such issues as whether NEPA should be "reformed" and if so how; the applicability of the review laws to particular actions; how environmental impact assessments should be prepared; and associated litigation.

Top priorities for the Committee will be to establish an interactive list serve and a thoughtful periodic newsletter for attorneys to learn about the daily application of issues that arise all the time in each of our practices.

The EIA has an initial focus on states and territories with little NEPA laws:

There may be others. Additionally, other states have more limited environmental impact review laws.

Benefit to Students:

Karen believes that membership in this new, small EIA Committee will allow students to broaden their horizons and become involved quickly at a national level in Section activities. Such a step could be fun and professionally rewarding. Students are invited and encouraged to do as much or as little as they want.

What's Next:

On May 29, 2005, the Section plans to co-sponsor with the International Association For Impact Assessment (IAIA), a one day program in Boston, Massachusetts, in advance of the 25th IAIA Anniversary Celebration Conference. Although May 2005 may seem like a long time from now, it will be here "in the wink of an eye". The Committee needs to hear from students about topics they would like to have discussed during this important meeting, so please share your ideas and let us know who would be a good speaker on your suggested topics.

Please feel free to advertise this opportunity to members of other student or faculty bar groups by email, on a list serve, or in a newsletter.

How to Get Involved:

1. FAX OR MAIL
   On page 7 of the newest edition of TRENDS, you will find a Committee Preference Form. Once completed, it can be faxed to Chicago. See fax number at bottom of form.
2. ONLINE
   Go on line to http://www.abanet.org/environ/committees/signup.
   One the left side bar you will see the word "Committees". Click it.
   Then click "Sign Up". That will take you to the Section's Committee Preference Form.
   The Environmental Impact Assessment Committee is listed under the heading "CROSS-PRACTICE COMMITTEES".
3. Contact: Karen Bryan
   P.E. LaMoreaux & Associates, Inc.
   P.O. Box 2310
   Tuscaloosa, AL 35403
   (205) 752-5543 Ext. 39
   (205) 752-4043