| This is an archive. Substantive information, including information about ABA policy, as well as contact information and links to other Web pages, may not be current. For the most recent ABA news, contact the Division for Media Relations & Communication Services. |
| Release: | Immediate |
| Media Contact: | Suzanne Cibotti |
| Phone: | 312/988-6142 |
| Email: | cibottis@staff.abanet.org |
| Online: | www.abanews.org |
The Environmental Protection and Economic Development of Puerto Rico
to Be Addressed at ABA Meeting in San Juan
CHICAGO, April 23, 2007 — Legal thought leaders nationwide will gather for the American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law’s Spring Meeting at The Caribe Hilton San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 18 - 20 to examine important issues affecting state and local government lawyers.
Topics to be addressed at this year’s meeting will include the environmental protection and economic development of Puerto Rico, the federal policy of Supplemental Environmental Projects, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
On May 18, Environmental Protection and the Role of the Supplemental Environmental Projects in Civil Enforcement will feature Luis E. Rodriguez, professor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, sharing his views on the environmental protection and economic development of San Juan. In addition, Patricia McKenna, a trial lawyer with the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, will present the federal policy on SEPs, which are environmental projects undertaken by environmental defendants in mitigation of civil penalties. Steven Bonorris, associate director of the Center for State and Local Government Law at the University of California Hastings College of Law, will round out the program by providing a survey of SEPs under state law.
Also on May 18, Church, State and Dirt: Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and Land Use in 2007 will include the following panelists: Marci Hamilton, professor at Cardozo Law School; Roman P. Storzer, a religious liberty lawyer formerly of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; and Detroit trial lawyer Daniel P. Dalton. In addition, Metadata and Its Implications to the Government Lawyer will examine the ethical problems and issues associated with disclosing metadata embedded in electronic communications.
Hot topic sessions on condemnation law, land use, and public finance will encompass the programming on May 19.
To download a PDF of the meeting brochure, visit: http://www.abanet.org/statelocal/docs/2007_Section_Spring_Meeting_San_Juan_PR.pdf.
The ABA Section of State and Local Government Law provides a common meeting ground and impartial forum for its members who are engaged in dealing with problems of urban, state and local government, and works to foster a better understanding of the law relating to municipal government and other public bodies.
With more than 413,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.
Note to Editors: Accredited reporters are welcome to cover the conference for free. Contact Suzanne Cibotti, ABA Division for Media Relations and Communication Services, 312/988-6142 or cibottis@staff.abanet.org.
