American Bar Association Energy and Resources Committees

Public Land and Resources Committee

2010-2011 Committee Chair:

Jim Butler, Parsons Behle & Latimer, Reno, NV

About the Committee

The public lands committee consists of practitioners in the area of natural resources and environmental law whose practices involve the use and management of publicly-owned lands, principally the federal public lands managed by the Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The committee works to educate and involve its members in dialogue on these diverse issues, which involve practice in the federal courts and before administrative agencies and Congress, as well as state-level practice on the same or similar issues.

The committee's concerns cut across a wide array of substantive laws (e.g. Federal Land Policy and Management Act, Mining Law of 1872, Clean Water Act, Wilderness Act, Endangered Species Act, etc.) and the interrelationship of these laws as they affect development and preservation objectives on the public lands. The committee's members practice at the intersection of law, policy, economics in a rapidly-evolving and frequently controversial field receiving much attention from the land-using public.

The committee has a newsletter and active educational programs and publications, and a very active involved membership. Because the members of the committee are in far-flung (and sometimes remote) parts of the country, the committee has a particular desire and need to establish a committee list-serve so as to enable frequent, inexpensive, and easy communications between public land law specialists.

List Serve

A list serve is an email list that aids committee members in communicating with each other in regards to committee activities or to discuss substantive topics pertaining to public land and resources law. The single list serve address contains the email addresses of all the committee members. The list serve address for this committee is:

ENVIRON-PUBLICLANDS@mail.abanet.org

In order to send out a message place the above address into the "To:" field of your email application, type your message and hit send, just like a normal email. Please visit http://www.abanet.org/environ/listserves.html for a comprehensive list of FAQ's regarding list serves.

Committee Resources

	Evolution of Natural Resources Law and Policy The contributors to The Evolution of Natural Resources Law and Policy do more than take a look at the past, however: they chart the course of the future as well. Throughout the book shows how the role of the federal government continues to be a complex one, as markets and private actors become more visible participants in the current policy arena.

	Endangered Species Act: Law, Policy, and Perspectives, Second Edition The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) provides a comprehensive approach to the complex problem of species extinction. Endangered Species Act: Law, Policy and Perspectives is an authoritative guide to the history of the ESA, the Act's most critical sections, the twists and turns of its implementation, and the cutting-edge issues facing the protection of endangered wildlife and its habitat. This updated edition serves as a guide for both the novice and the more experienced practitioner to the ins and outs of the ESA.

	Basic Practice Series: ESA (Endangered Species Act) This guide to the Endangered Species Act explains the statute and the regulations implementing the Act. Topics covered include: Listing and critical habitat designation; Conservation: Section 7(a)(1) and recovery planning; Prohibited acts and penalties; Section 7 consultation; Incidental take permits; The Section 7 exemption process; State/federal interactions under the ESA; International applications; Experimental populations; and Citizen suits, standing and procedure.

	Cultural Property Law Crossing into many disciplines, cultural property law is rapidly becoming an established area of practice and study. Cultural Property Law: A Practitioner's Guide to the Management, Protection, and Preservation of Heritage Resources is a comprehensive, user-friendly overview of all major components of an interdisciplinary legal practice that extends from government and tribal management of land to federal underwater resource management to the national and international laws governing museums and the arts marketplace.

	Global Climate Change and U.S. Law Global Climate Change and U.S. Law provides comprehensive coverage of the country's law as it relates to global climate change. After a summary of the factual and scientific background, Part I outlines the international and national legal framework of climate change regulation and associated litigation. Part II describes emerging regional, state and local actions, and includes a 50-state survey. Part III covers issues of concern to corporations, including disclosure, fiduciary duties, insurance, and subsidies. Part IV examines the legal aspects of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, such as voluntary efforts, emissions trading, and carbon sequestration. Global Climate Change and U.S. Law includes key resource aids, including a glossary of climate related terms; a list of acronyms; extensive endnotes; and a comprehensive index.