Ocean and Coastal Law Enforcement: Enforcing Ocean Water Quality Standards

In the final installment of a three-part focus series on Ocean and Coastal Law Enforcement, this seminar will explore the enforcement of ocean water quality standards.

The ocean is the ultimate receptacle for myriad sources of land-based pollution - regardless of their point of origin, contaminants ranging from heavy metals and petroleum products to fertilizers and pharmaceutical compounds enter terrestrial watersheds and find their way to the sea. Once in the ocean, these harmful pollutants contribute to algal blooms and dead zones, ocean acidification and coral reef die-off, and the accumulation of massive garbage patches in ocean gyres around the globe. To successfully combat these far-reaching impacts, effective enforcement of water quality laws and regulations is crucial.

This panel will convene experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the DC Water and Sewer Authority, the Conservation Law Foundation, and Beveridge & Diamond, PC to discuss existing challenges, opportunities, and successes in enforcing water quality standards in the marine environment.

MODERATOR: Bruce Myers, Senior Attorney, Environmental Law Institute

PANELISTS:

• Richard S. Davis, Principal, Beveridge & Diamond, PC
• Loren Denton, Chief, Municipal Enforcement Branch, Water Enforcement Division, U.S. EPA
• George Hawkins, General Manager, DC Water and Sewer Authority
• Christopher M. Kilian, Vice President and Director, Conservation Law Foundation Vermont; Director, Clean Water and Healthy Forests

Please RSVP to Marcia McMurrin (mcmurrin@eli.org) by September 11. The event is free and open to the public to attend in person (space is limited) or by teleconference. RSVPs should include: name of registrant, affiliation, email address, and whether you wish to attend in person or via teleconference. Call-in information will be emailed to registrants the day before the event (your normal long-distance rates may apply to your call).

The 2012 Ocean Seminar Series is generously supported by the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation.