2023 Agenda
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
10:00 AM
Welcome
Randall S. Abate, Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Studies, The George Washington University Law School
10:15 AM
recap OF SYMPOSIUM CONVERSATIONS AND TODAY’S EXPECTATIONS
This introduction will review key points and follow on actions resulting from the Group’s Natural Resource Symposium held in Fall 2022, including the impetus for the “Redux” program, and highlight goals for the day’s discussions.
Barbara J. Goldsmith, Executive Director, Ad-Hoc Industry Natural Resource Management Group; President, Barbara J. Goldsmith & Company LLC
10:30 AM
Companies Keeping up with Change: evolution and reinvention to meet today’s priorities
We are pleased to again welcome Roger Martella, who has contributed key insights in prior Symposia on the changing role of companies and their contributions to environmental progress, to identify how companies are meeting today’s challenges, corporate mandates, demands for clean energy and other global natural resource policies and demands.
Roger Martella, Group Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, GE and GE Vernova, Global Head of Engagement, Government Affairs, and Policy, GE Vernova
11:00 AM
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE FALL 2022 (LOTS!)
After introductory remarks by the Moderator, our panel of experts will identify important developments since Fall 2022 and discuss what this means for the multi-stakeholder community in terms of policy, practice synergies and site-specific applications – including the uptick of private/public initiatives to fulfill shared objectives. Key influences to be featured include corporate transparency and emerging ESG reporting requirements; climate change; PFAS and other emerging contaminants; the role of the judiciary; and public/private partnerships and collaborations.
Moderator:
Johanna Adashek, Visiting Associate Professor and Environmental Law Fellow, The George Washington University Law School
Speakers:
John Cruden, Principal, Beveridge & Diamond; Former Assistant Attorney General, Environment & Natural Resources Division, US Department of Justice
Michael Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice and Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
Peter Hage, Senior Director, Corporate Relations, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Jeff Rose, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy, Battelle
Jessica Thurston, Vice President, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability, Paramount Global
12:15 PM
break for networking Lunch
1:15 PM
national nature assessment - what it means for business and others
Participants will hear about the ongoing and unique US National Nature Assessment which is assessing the status, trends, and future projections of America's lands, waters, wildlife, biodiversity and ecosystems and the benefits they provide, including connections to the economy, public health, equity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and national security. Work completed thus far and plans forward, as well as ways that individuals and stakeholder groups can be involved, will be discussed.
Featured Speaker:
Phillip Levin, Ph.D., Director, National Nature Assessment, US Global Change Research Program, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Professor of Practice, University of Washington
Introduced by:
Jonathan P. Deason, Ph.D., P.E., Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Management Institute; Lead Professor, Environmental and Energy Management Program, The George Washington University
2:00 PM
PLAN FORWARD ON BEST PRACTICE APPROACH FRAMEWORK WORKSHOPS and related issues
Participants will first hear a Summary of the substantial work undertaken since the 2022 Natural Resources Symposium by four Multi-Stakeholder Working Groups (1) PFAS; (2) Remediation; (3) Climate Change; and (4) Emergency Response – and their interrelationship with natural resource damages assessment and restoration, including finalization of Best Practice Approach Frameworks on each topic. Plans underway for four topic-specific Workshops to be held in 2024 will then be described, followed by a Roundtable Conversation and audience Q&A involving the 2024 Workshop “Lead Conveners” and key stakeholders.
Overview of Multi-Stakeholder Working Group Activity and Related Work Products
Barbara J. Goldsmith
Preview of 2024 Best Practice Approach Framework Workshops
Kegan Brown, Partner, Latham & Watkins
Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable/Q&A
Kegan Brown (PFAS)
Greg Challenger, Principal Marine Scientist, Polaris Applied Sciences (Emergency Response)
Steven Goldberg, Partner, Downey Brand LLP (Climate Change) represented by Monica Browner, Associate, Downey Brand LLP and Patrick Veasy, Counsel, Downey Brand LLP
Steve Jones, Senior Ecologist, GHD retired (Remediation)
Sally Kniffen, Environmental Specialist, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
Tony Penn, Chief, Assessment and Restoration Division, US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
2:45 PM
What’s Happening With US DOI’s NRDAR Regulations
In early 2023, the US Department of the Interior (DOI) issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning its natural resource damage assessment and restoration (NRDAR) regulations. A short briefing will be provided by US DOI with an update on their ongoing revision of the regulations pursuant to improving flexibility, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as well as expediting restoration.
Emily Joseph, Director, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment, US Department of the Interior
3:00 PM
GAMEPLAN FOR 2024 AND BEYOND
A brief recap of the areas for action identified over the course of the day will be highlighted, including Framework-specific Workshops planned for 2024 and other opportunities. Actions that can be undertaken by individual stakeholder groups, as well as collaboratively, will be discussed.
Jean Martin, Senior Counsel, BP
Jay Pendergrass, Senior Advisor and Former Vice President for Programs and Publications, Environmental Law Institute
3:15 PM
SUMMARY/CLOSING
Barbara J. Goldsmith