CHICAGO, Sept. 28, 2010 – The American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources will host its 18th Section Fall Meeting Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 in New Orleans. With headquarters at the Sheraton New Orleans, the four-day meeting will provide opportunities for full-immersion into current issues affecting the environment, energy and natural resources.

At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will deliver keynote remarks.

Immediately following her address, a panel of experts will discuss “Oil Spill in the Gulf: Assessing the Effects and Policy Implications of Our Nation’s Biggest Environmental Disaster.”  Guests include those involved with the response to the spill, as well as policymakers addressing the implications future changes in policy and regulations resulting from the spill.

On Friday, another panel, “Leading Lawyers: A Visit with Top Government Lawyers in the Obama Administration,” will feature several general counsels from government agencies who administer the nation’s environmental laws.  Guests represent the departments of Interior and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Other key programs include:

• “Renewable Energy and the Endangered Species Act: Advancing Sustainable Energy While Protecting Wildlife,” Sept. 30, 10:30 a.m. – noon
• “Using the Clean Air Act to Reduce Greenhouse Gases: Useful Tool or Regulatory Quagmire?” Sept. 30, 10:30 – noon
• “Adapting to the Changing Face of Water Supply: What Does the Future Hold?,” Oct. 1, 10:30 a.m. – noon
• “Where the Floor Meets the Ceiling: Professional Responsibility and Environmental Ethics,” Oct. 1, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Also as part of the Fall Meeting, the Section has partnered with Hike for KaTREEna to replant trees in the city’s Gentilly neighborhood on Wednesday before the meeting begins.  The activity is part of the section’s One Million Trees Project, a five-year national effort to plant one million trees across the United States.  In New Orleans, more than 100,000 trees were lost in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

For more information about the conference, and to access a brochure, click here.

The ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources is the premier forum for strategies and information for environmental, energy and resource lawyers. Representing more than 11,000 members with a wide range of professional interests, the section keeps its members abreast of development trends, current court decisions, legislative initiatives and statutes concerning environmental, natural resources and energy law.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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Editor’s Note: Complimentary registration is available for members of the media. For more information on obtaining a press pass, please contact Tamiko M. Lee at leet@staff.abanet.org or 312/988.5237.