ELULS.orgThe Environmental and Land Use Law Section of The Florida Bar
Section Reporter

April 2008

COLUMNS  
     

ELULS.org  University of Florida Levin College of Law Update
  Alyson C. Flournoy

      


Our spring update focuses on the many environmental and land use law programs hosted by UF Law during this season, as well as providing a highlight on one Conservation Clinic project.

2008 Environmental Speaker Series

The Spring 2008 Speaker Series began in January with a presentation by Dawn Jourdan, a newly appointed UF professor with a joint appointment in law and urban and regional planning. Professor Jourdan spoke on Evidence Based Ordinance Drafting: The Regulation of Signage Based on Scholarship. The schedule for the remaining speakers is:

March 20, 3-5 pm
Alexandra Klass
Associate Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Modern Public Trust Principles: Recognizing Rights and Integrating Standards

March 27, 3-5 pm
Luis E. (“Ricky”) Rodriguez-Rivera
Associate Professor of Law, University of Puerto Rico School of Law
The Development of Land Use Law in Puerto Rico

April 3, 3-5 pm
 C. Anthony Arnold
Boehl Chair in Property and Land Use & Professor of Law
University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
Models of Clean-Water Land Use

Space for the Speaker Series is limited, so please contact Lena Hinson at elulp@law.ufl.edu to reserve a seat. The Speaker Series is made possible through the generous support of Hopping Green & Sams, P.A., Lewis Longman & Walker, P.A., and the ELUL Section.


The Richard E. Nelson Symposium in Local Government Law

UF Law students and faculty, state and local government agency representatives and building contractors gathered to discuss the many implications of “Going Green” to improve the environmental landscape for future generations. The Seventh Annual Nelson Symposium featured a diverse panel of speakers from law and related fields to explore the construction of green building, its positive impact on the environment and its implications for state and local governments.

The conference, entitled “Green Building: Prospects and Pitfalls for Local Governments,” examined topics including the legal landscape of green building, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other certification programs, the state of Florida’s climate change initiatives and private environmental lawmaking.

Speakers included Bahar Armaghani, Assistant Director of UF’s Facilities Planning & Construction Division, Douglas Buck, Director of Governmental Affairs, Florida Home Builders Association, Professor Kristen Engel, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Professor Charles Kibert, University of Florida M.D. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, Errol E. Meidinger, Vice Dean for Research and Professor, University of Buffalo Law School, and Joshua Yaffin, Energy Coordinator, Florida Department of Management Services.

14th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference

The University of Florida Levin College of Law’s 14th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference (PIEC) was held Feb. 28- Mar. 1, 2008, at the UF Law campus, with over 200 people in attendance. The theme of this year's conference was "Reducing Florida's Footprint: Stepping Up to the Global Challenge." The conference focused on Florida's role in global issues on energy, land use, biodiversity, and water. The PIEC took place in conjunction with the 1st Annual University of Florida Water Symposium - "Sustainable Water Resources: Florida Challenges, Global Solutions." The conference was organized by UF Law students with the support of the Public Interest Committee of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section and the Section.

On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 27, the PIEC opened with a pre-conference keynote speech by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit climate change and human rights activist and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Shannon Estonez, Governing Board Member, South Florida Water Management District, delivered the keynote at the opening reception at the UF President's House, on Thursday. The conference continued on Friday and Saturday with two days of panel discussions, plenary presentations and a workshop, involving dozens of participants on such topics as sea-level rise, climate change, agricultural challenges, water resources, community land management, carbon markets, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, the impact of war on the environment, and Florida's needs for sustainable energy. Speakers covered topics from global environmental law to nutrient flows to environmental justice and bridging the science-policy divide. David Hunter, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Program on International and Comparative Law at American University Washington College of Law, delivered a keynote address at Friday’s banquet highlighting the evolution of international environmental law and its potential.

Conservation Clinic Students Work With Graham on Water Bill

Conservation Clinic student Kim Koleos (pictured left) goes over the clinic's draft Water Resources Restoration Act bill with former U.S. Senator Bob Graham (pictured right) at a recent meeting of the Everglades Coalition on Captiva Island in South Florida. Koleos and recent UF Law graduate Ashley Henry have been working with Graham to develop a policy justification and bill draft that would remove water restoration projects like the Everglades from the Federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which also funds controversial navigation and flood control projects. Graham announced the initiative during his keynote address at the annual meeting of the Everglades Coalition in early January. Center for Governmental Responsibility water law expert Richard Hamann has been advising the clinic on the project.
 

 
 





 

 

 



 

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