ABA Public Utility and Energy Lawyers Set to Explore the Legal Issues of Climate Change

CHICAGO, March 11, 2010 — The legal and regulatory implications of proposed climate change legislation will be the key issue of discussion at the  American Bar Association Section of Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law  2010 Spring Meeting on Monday at Pepco Holdings Inc, 701 9th Street Northwest in Washington, D.C.    

Barry K. Worthington, president of the United States Energy Association, will be the program’s keynote speaker. Additionally, leading regulators and climate change experts scheduled to speak include:

• Mason Emnett, associate director of the Office of Energy Policy and Innovation, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C.
• Rob Gramlich, senior vice president, Public Policy, American Wind Energy Association, Washington, D.C.
• Michael B. Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School, New York.

Offering the latest analysis from Capitol Hill, the program will also feature Republican and Democratic senior staff from the House Energy and Commerce Committee and from the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer.  Attendees will explore the issue of climate change from several perspectives, from the federal legislative picture to the possible litigation issues companies can expect to face.  The program will also examine the role governmental agencies will play in monitoring and regulating climate change.  Financial and investment topics will also be discussed with a leading environmental representative from JP Morgan Chase and a representative from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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.

Note to Editors: Reporters are welcome to attend and cover any session of the meeting for free, but must pre-register.  For more information about the programs or to arrange for press credentials, contact Rachel Estrada at estradar@staff.abanet.org or 312/988-6148.