CHICAGO, May 18, 2010 – Catastrophic floods and a prolonged drought have afflicted the Eastern United States in the last decade. As a result, these states are experiencing deepening conflicts over interstate water allocations and limited reservoir storage.

Experts from across the nation will convene to examine how water law is resolving conflicts in the area and how is the law is evolving at the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources 2010 Eastern Water Resources Conference, May 20 – 21 at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fla.

Panel discussions will feature analysis of current issues, including water transfers and wetlands regulation under the Clean Water Act; the tri-state water war between Georgia, Florida and Alabama; interstate compacts and the quantity-quality connection; adapting water infrastructure for surplus and scarcity; and the effect alternative energy has on water and the energy cost of fresh water.

On May 21, John C. Cruden, deputy assistant attorney general, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., will deliver a keynote address on water quality and water quality issues in the court, from 1:15 – 2 p.m. Cruden also serves as the 2009-10 chair of the section.

Programs include:

Thursday, May 20

• Water Law 101, 2:30 – 4 p.m.
• Diving Deeper Round Table, 4:15 – 5:45 p.m.

Friday, May 21

• State Water Planning Initiatives, 8:10 – 9:30 a.m.

• Water Economics, 10 – 11:15 a.m.
• Interstate Compacts – The Quantity-Quality Connection, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Infrastructure for Surplus and Scarcity, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Water-Energy Tie-In, 2 – 3:15 p.m.
• Uses and Abuses of Technology in Resolving Disputes, 2 – 3:15 p.m.
• Hot Topics in Water Law, 3:45 – 5 p.m.

More information on the 2010 Eastern Water Resources Conference, including a full conference schedule with speakers, is available on the section’s website at http://www.abanet.org/environ/programs/easternwater/2010/home.shtml.

In conjunction with the conference, volunteers will participate in a public service project at The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve on May 20 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.  Located just south of Orlando, the 12,000-acre preserve protects the headwaters of the Everglades ecosystem. The preserve is an innovative model of ecological restoration and one of the largest off-site wetlands mitigation projects ever undertaken in the United States.  It is home to hundreds of wildlife species, many rare, such as bald eagles, Florida scrub-jays, sandhill cranes and gopher tortoises.

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.

-30-

Editor’s note: Reporters are invited to cover any or all sessions of the conference for free.  Credentials may be obtained by contacting Lynne Van Buskirk in the ABA Division for Media Relations and Communication Services at 312/988-6136 or vanbuskl@staff.abanet.org.