News & Features

On Feb. 10, the Law School will host a symposium titled "Mission Impossible? The Compatibility of Military and Environmental Goals." The symposium is presented by the William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review. Admission is free and all are welcome. Story by Environmental Law and Policy Review staff

On Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007, the William & Mary Law School will host a symposium titled “Mission Impossible? The Compatibility of Military and Environmental Goals.” The symposium is presented by the William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review and will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Law School’s McGlothlin Courtroom. Registration is free, and the public is welcome.

This program will examine the intersection between the military and sustainable environmental policies. How responsive is the military to the concerns of environmental groups? What new environmental concerns have arisen in a post-9/11 world? How does the military solve environmental concerns in the base closing process? How does the military protect endangered species on its bases while maintaining readiness?

The symposium will include a number of speakers and topics, including:

Alex Beehler, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health, topic to be announced

James J. Van Ness, Associate General Counsel, Office of the Deputy General Counsel for Environment & Installations, Department of Defense, "Laws Governing Principal Resource Management on Department of Defense Installations"

Carolyn M. White, Senior Environmental Counsel, Air Force Office of General Counsel (Installations and Environment), "Environmental Considerations in Real Property Transactions"

Professor Robert V. Percival, University of Maryland School of Law, “American Exceptionalism?”: The Quest for Military Exemptions from Environmental Laws"

Joel Reynolds, Director Mammal Protection and Southern California Ecosystem Projects, Natural Resource Defense Council, "Bombs, Boomboxes, and Biodiversity: Litigation Against the Military on Ocean Noise Pollution"

Corry Westbrook, Legislative Representative, National Wildlife Federation, "The Impact of Invasive Species on Military Installations"

Professor Joel B. Eisen, University of Richmond School of Law, "The Functional Overlap Between Brownfields and BRAC"

Professor Marcilynn Burke, University of Houston, "The Impact of the Military’s Post 9/11 Exemptions from Environmental Regulations"

Beth Lowell, Federal Policy Director, Oceana, "Successful Relationships Between the Military and Conservation Groups?"

Thomas Ledvina, Associate General Counsel (Litigation), United States Navy, "Negotiating Environmental Friendly Solutions between the Department of Defense and Environmental Groups"

The symposium is open to the public and there is no registration fee. Pre-registration is recommended and is available by calling the Review office (757-221-3279) or by e-mail (mngarc@wm.edu).

The William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review is a nonprofit legal journal celebrating its thirty-first year of contributions to the field of environmental law and policy. The journal is published three times a year by students at William & Mary Law School.