NEPA, ESA and the Fundamentals of Environmental Law

The oldest major environmental statutes in the United States have existed for over five decades. This session serves as an introduction to the framework of environmental law and highlights two of its major foundational statutes: the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

NEPA was enacted to establish a national policy and means for carrying out protective environmental principles. It requires federal agencies to assess the environmental and related social and economic effects of proposed actions before making decisions. NEPA also established the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to coordinate federal environmental efforts and work with other agencies on environmental policies and initiatives.

ESA is the principal law for the protection of endangered species. Administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the statute protects and recovers imperiled species deemed either “endangered” or “threatened” and the ecosystems on which they depend.

Join our expert panelists for an introduction into environmental law and an overview of these two statutes. We will also discuss new developments related to the statutes —such as CEQ’s proposed “Phase 2” revisions to NEPA, congressional permitting reform through the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and recent ESA regulation revisions—and what may be on the horizon later this year.

Panelists:

Melinda L. Meade Meyers, Of Counsel, Van Ness Feldman, Moderator
Rebecca Hays Barho, Partner, Nossaman
Jamie Pleune, Associate Professor of Law (Research), University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Katherine Renshaw, Section Chief, Office of General Counsel, Environmental Review and Coordination
Section, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration