Climate Justice on an International Stage: Prelude to COP28 and Implications for Industry
December 15, 2023 8:30 AM (PT) | 11:30 AM (ET)
Speakers
Chris Whitehead QEP, CESM;Air Practice Leader, Enviro-Sciences Sunny Fleming, Environment & Conservation Industry Lead, Esri Maya Carrasquillo, Ph.D., University of California - Berkley
About
As climate-induced impacts continue to pile up it is unfortunately those in overburdened communities who often bear a greater percentage of these impacts. Many of you may have not heard the term climate justice before and may still just be wrapping your heads around environmental justice, but the two are intertwined and crucial concepts for planning industrial operations and building trust within your communities. Join Chris Whitehead (ESI), Sunny Fleming (ESRI), and Maya Carrasquillo (University of California - Berkley) for this informative event as we discuss what is climate justice, what actions are being taken on the topic, walk through a few case studies to show the importance of mapping these impacts, and plot a path forward to minimize risk of impact.
Offshore Wind 101: Exciting Career Opportunities for Environmental Professionals
October 16, 2023 12:00 PM (PT) | 3:00 PM (ET)
Speakers
Kim Fitzgibbons, Principal Consultant for Regulatory and Permitting at Kleinschmidt Associates Shannon Stewart, Vice President of Environmental Compliance & Strategy at Invenergy J.T. Hesse, Offshore Wind Planning and Permitting Technical Director at Jacobs Engineering
About
Join us for an introduction to the offshore wind industry and learn about potential career opportunities for the whole gamut of environmental professionals - all disciplines, all levels! This is an exciting new industry being built in real time to help combat climate change by expanding our renewable energy portfolio in the US and globally. This webinar will cover how offshore wind works, where it is being developed, and the regulatory process for approval in the US (including NEPA, Endangered Species Act consultation, other federal/state/local permitting). We will discuss how most of what we do as environmental professionals is useful and transferable to the offshore wind industry and ancillary markets, such as ports, vessels, and transmission infrastructure. You will hear about the paths of several environmental professionals now engaged in offshore wind whose careers span both the public sector and private sector, and as consultants and on the client side. We will also talk about how the industry is building capacity and growing the supply chain pipeline by partnering with academia and developing offshore wind training and certifications. Come join us to learn more about this exciting, emerging industry that is based on collaboration and innovation, and where you could be part of the success!
NEPA Phase 2: The Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule
September 19, 2023 10:00 AM (PT) | 1:00 PM (ET)
White House Counsel on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Speakers
Jomar Maldonado, Director for NEPA Megan Healy, Deputy Director for NEPA Amy Coyle, Deputy General Counsel
About
NAEP is pleased to welcome speakers from the White House Counsel on Environmental Quality (CEQ) who will present the recently released Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NRPM) for revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The discussion will include an overview of the proposed rule and a Question-and-Answer session.
Fred Wagner, NAEP Elected At-Large Board Member, Partner, Venable LLP Emily Gulick, NAEP Elected At-Large Board Member,CEP-IT, Environmental Planner, Jacobs Engineering Stacey Halliday, Principal, Washington, DC office of Beveridge & Diamond, PC (B&D)
About
Environmental justice continues to remain as a top priority for the Biden Administration. Although there is no single environmental justice law, the Biden Administration continues to advance targeted environmental justice initiatives, issue executive orders, and apply a “whole-of-government” approach to incorporating environmental justice. This session will explore a few of the key components of that effort, including Executive Order 14096 (Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All), the Council on Environmental Quality’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Phase II revisions, recent enforcement trends, and legal defenses being asserted by governmental and private parties. You will leave the session with a comprehensive understanding the recent environmental justice federal developments, NEPA applications, and what the future may hold.
Fred Wagner, NAEP Elected At-Large Board Member, Partner, Venable LLP P.E. "Pam" Hudson, Esq., NAVFAC SW, Department of the Navy Office of General Counsel Charles Nicholson, NAEP Elected At-Large Board Member, Senior Environmental Scientist, HDR
About
This webinar will mirror the Case Law presentation provided during the recent NAEP 2023 Conference & Training Symposium, with updates as warranted. The panel is focused on a paper that reviews substantive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) cases issued by the United States Courts of Appeals in 2022. The implications of the decisions and their relevance to NEPA practitioners will be explained. This webinar will summarize the more detailed paper prepared for the 2023 conference session. The paper briefly explains, with an emphasis on the substantive NEPA findings, each opinion issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The paper identifies statistics regarding the NEPA appellate opinions, such as a twelve-year record of NEPA cases, organized by circuit, and by year. The paper also identifies the agencies involved in each case and presents statistics relevant to the agencies; the paper further identifies the prevailing ratio of federal agencies, including by agency and by document type (categorical exclusion, environmental assessment, environmental impact statement). The paper analyzes the trends in the court opinions involving NEPA for 2022, with an emphasis on substantive NEPA practice, and by the grouping of the cases.
Finally, each court opinion is paraphrased and organized in a manner easy to read for practitioners to find the court's ruling. Appellate opinions are grouped and analyzed by agency. Past trends include challenges to purpose and need, alternatives considered, public comment, scientific impact assessment methodologies, GHG emissions and climate change impact assessment, incomplete or unavailable information, determination of significance, segmentation, duty to supplement, connected actions, federal actions, cumulative impact assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and adaptive management. Suggestions for improving the implementation of the NEPA process and to meeting current challenges are offered, looking ahead to the future with a renewed emphasis on one of the world's oldest and most forward-looking environmental laws.