Environmental Law Program Events
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Upcoming Events
LA's New Low Carbon Diet: what AB 32 means for Los Angeles
This day-long symposium at UCLA will focus on the response of government, industry and communities in the L.A. region to the new AB 32 scoping plan and coming climate change regulations. The goals of this event are to explore the specific responses of the region and to lay the groundwork for future collaborative initiatives and research that will help all of us in Los Angeles reduce our carbon footprint.
Friday, March 06, 2009
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
De Neve Commons Auditorium
351 Charles E. Young Drive West
Keynote Address by Mary Nichols
Chair of the California Air Resources Board
Keynote Address by Fran Pavley
State Senator & Author of AB 32
For more information and to register, click here: http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/cccs/LowCarbLA.html
Working Conference on Nanotechnology Policy
April 17, 2009
UCLA School of Law
The Initiative on Sustainable Technology, a newly established joint project of the School of Law and the School of Public Health, will co-sponsor a conference to address the explosive growth in the development and commercialization of nanomaterials-engineered particles having a size of 100 nanometers or less.
Recent Events
Recent Symposia:
2008:
UCLA School of Law Hosts Major Climate Change Symposium
On January 25, 2008, UCLA Law Review hosted a daylong symposium, "Changing Climates: Adapting Law and Policy to a Transforming World." The public symposium, partially funded through the law school's Evan Frankel Environmental Law & Policy Program, brought together policymakers, legal scholars and environmental experts to address the impact of climate change on law and policy. Articles from the symposium will be published soon in Volume 56 of the UCLA Law Review.
2007:
The 2007 Frankel Symposium: Coping with Global Warming took place at the UCLA School of Law on Friday, March 2, 2007. This conference was a great success. The conference focused on how we will adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change, even as we all work to prevent those impacts. Articles from the symposium will be featured in a special issue of the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy.
2006:
The 2006 Frankel Symposium, Preventing and Responding to Catastrophe: The Role of Environmental Law and Policy was held at the UCLA School of Law on April 7, 2006. Leading scholars, advocates and government officials discussed disaster planning and response, with particular attention to global climate change and to the vulnerability of California's levee system. Bruce Babbitt gave the keynote address, stressing the importance of land-use planning in ensuring that more housing isn't built in vulnerable areas. Read about the symposium on Planetizen.com.
Other Recent Events:
SB 375 Workshop: Implementing California's New Anti-Sprawl Law
On January 27, 2009, the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment co-sponsored a discussion of SB 375, which has been called the state’s most important land-use law since the Coastal Act. Recently enacted, the bill alters decades of practice in land use planning, transportation funding, and CEQA law, all in an effort to get Californians to drive fewer miles and help slow global climate change. Key questions about how it will work in practice were discussed. Bill sponsor Tom Adams of the California League of Conservation Voters joined developers, local planners and other stakeholders to examine crucial implementation questions.
Conference on Litigating Takings and Other Legal Challenges to Land Use and Environmental Regulation
On November 6-7, 2008, the UCLA Environmental Law Center, co-sponsored a conference on litigating takings and other legal challenges to land use and environmental regulation. It was organized by the Georgetown Environmental Law and Policy Institute and was held at Stanford Law School. For more information, see the brochure online at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/gelpi/Conf08.pdf.
Lecture on Global Warming Law by Fran Pavley
On October 29, 2008, Fran Pavley, who was recently elected to the state Senate, gave a behind-the-scenes look at the politics of California's landmark global warming laws. She authored AB 1493, the landmark tailpipe emission reduction bill and the first global warming law in the nation. Eleven other states have adopted the "Pavley Clean Car Regulations". She also co-authored California's Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32. She has served three terms in the California State Assembly and is currently running for State Senate in the 23rd District. She is known as one of the most effective legislators in Sacramento--over 70 of her bills and resolutions have become law. She has been widely recognized for her leadership on the most important environmental issue facing our world, receiving (among others) Scientific American's Top Technology Leaders in Transportation award and, together with Al Gore, the 2006 California League of Conservation Voters "Global Warming Leadership Award."
This lecture was co-sponsored by the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment, the Evan Frankel Environmental Law and Policy Program and the Environmental Law Society.
Lecture by Jason Burnett, EPA climate change whistleblower
On October 13, 2008, former EPA staffer and climate change expert Jason Burnett lectured on "Public endangerment, unopened emails, and the politics of federal climate policy." Mr. Burnett recently testified to Congress about that agency's denial of California's request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and on the Bush administration's response to Mass. v. EPA. The lecture was sponsored by the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment and the Evan Frankel Environmental Law and Policy Program.
Climate Change Lecture by Ken Alex
On September 22, 2008, California Dept of Justice Senior Assistant Attorney General Ken Alex discussed the current state of legal initiatives to address climate change, and the Attorney General's role in pursuing and shaping these initatives. Mr. Alex, who received the ABA award for distinguished achievement in environmental law and policy in 2007 for his work on climate change issues, has been a chief architect of litigation-based strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about the California Attorney General's work on climate change at http://ag.ca.gov/globalwarming/.
Seminar on Transboundary Environmental Management
On September 9, 2008, UCLA School of Law hosted an enlightening and inspiring program featuring environmental experts from Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority who have championed the field of trans-boundary environmental cooperation through the model of the ground-breaking Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (www.friendsofarava.org). The seminar featured a keynote speech from Dr. Peter Gleick, co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security, who discussed the relevance of Southern California environmental issues to the Arava Institute model.
Energy Straight Talk! Lecture by David Freeman, LA Harbor Commissioner and Energy Expert
On September 3, 2008, L.A. Harbor Commissioner and author S. David Freeman, whose latest book is Winning Our Energy Independence (2007), gave us energy straight talk -- a realistic approach to solving the awesome threats facing this civilization from fossil fuels and nuclear power and the promising technologies now available to create a truly sustainable life as we know it. Mr. Freeman has worked for decades in high-level policy positions at government agencies relating to energy and the environment, including the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the New York Power Authority, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). See http://www.thegreencowboy.com/ for more information about his work.
Ninth Annual Student Environmental Negotiations Competition
On April 4, 2008, the law school hosted the State Bar of California Environmental Law Section's Ninth Annual Student Environmental Negotiations Competition. Forty law students from 14 law schools participated in this moot competition. The problem for 2008 involved a conflict caused by emissions from a local power plant burning different types of biomass. Students variously represented a community group, the Air Resources Board, or the large agricultural concern that owned the power plant, in an effort to reach compromise on the damage to the community's health and property and to account for the company's tampering with emissions equipment. Attorneys, mediators, and judges volunteered their time as competition judges.
Lecture by Special Agent Ed Newcomer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
On March 19, 2008, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent (and former attorney) Ed Newcomer spoke at the law school about wildlife-related crimes and the role of lawyers and law enforcement officials in addressing these crimes. The Evan Frankel Environmental Law and Policy Program and the the Environmental Law Society sponsored this event.
Panel on Environmental Law Careers
On February 25, 2008, the law school hosted a panel discussion on environmental careers. Practitioners from diverse backgrounds and practice areas in environmental law discussed their career paths and answer questions about the practice of environmental law and how to succeed in the field. Professor Sean Hecht will be moderating the discussion. The program was co-sponsored by the L.A. County Bar Association Environmental Law Section, the Environmental Law Society, the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, and the Office of Career Services.
Lecture by Steve Fleischli, President, Waterkeeper Alliance
On November 5, 2007, Steve Fleischli, President of the Waterkeeper Alliance (and UCLA School of Law Alumnus), discussed his work with the international environmental advocacy organization Waterkeeper Alliance and the importance of the rule of law to environmental protection. The Evan Frankel Environmental Law and Policy Program and the the Environmental Law Society sponsored this event.
