AGENDA: Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions

Sponsors: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; BP America; Holland & Hart; Patrick, Miller & Krope, P.C.; The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Rocky Mountain Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Western Water Assessment. Exploring the legal and political dimensions that climate change will bring to the American West will be the focus of the CU-Boulder Natural Resources Law Center\u27s 27th Annual Summer Conference. Titled Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions, the conference will be held June 7-9 at the Fleming Law Building on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. Participants will explore a wide range of issues from climate science to how climate change will impact water and energy resources; agriculture; wildlife habitat; land use and planning; state, federal and international law; and public and private initiatives. This is a conference for people who face decisions relating to climate change and for the lawyers and others who advise the decision-makers, said law Professor Mark Squillace, director of CU-Boulder\u27s Natural Resources Law Center. We have an outstanding lineup of speakers and panelists who represent a broad array of backgrounds and expertise, ranging from climate scientists renowned in their fields to energy company executives, elected representatives and political advisers, environmental lawyers and heads of nonprofits. Ray Dempsey, vice president and commercial manager of the Western Hemisphere for the international energy company BP America Inc., will deliver the opening address June 7 at 8:15 a.m. Other speakers will include Trigg Talley, acting director of the U.S. Department of State\u27s Office of Global Change; Fabio Feldman, executive secretary of Brazil\u27s São Paulo Forum on Global Climate Change and Biodiversity; and James Reilly, senior energy and environment adviser at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C