About the Authors

• Author: Valerie Ann Lee/P.J. Bridgen
• Pages: 3-3

Page iii

Abou t the A utho rs

Valerie Ann Lee is the president of Environment International Limited, an environmental consulting rm,

and the principal of the law rm Acadia Law PLLC; both are headquartered in Seattle, Washington. For

over 25 years, she has assisted state, federal, tribal, and private clients in natural resource claims and damage

assessments and has achieved positive results cost-eectively. She has assisted clients in conducting stream-

lined natural resource damage assessments (NRDAs) and helped them grapple with coordination of response

actions and NRDAs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

(CERCLA). In both her consulting and legal practices, Ms. Lee has provided assistance to clients in envi-

ronmental matters including those involving compliance with natural resource, environmental, and land-

use planning laws, brownelds redevelopment, and litigation of natural resource damage claims. Ms. Lee

formerly was a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment Enforcement Section, where

she led and litigated some of the rst natural resource damage cases and achieved success in reaching settle-

ments that led to innovative and successful restoration projects. While at the Department of Justice, Ms. Lee

also litigated enforcement cases for federal agencies under federal statutes, including those discussed in this

deskbook. Recognized for her expertise, she has testied before the U.S. Congress, state governors, and tribal

councils. She has published articles on climate change, brownelds redevelopment, the Endangered Species

Act, and alternative dispute resolution. Ms. Lee received a J.D. from the Yale Law School, an M.S. in civil

engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S., magna cum laude, in biology from

Bates College. She can be reached via e-mail at valerie.lee@eiltd.net and valerie.lee@ acadialaw.com.

P.J. Bridgen is an ocer of Environment International Limited and an expert in risk assessment, risk com-

munication, environmental management, natural resource damage assessments (NRDAs), cost allocations

under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and environmental

management systems (EMS). Dr. Bridgen has provided advice to private parties and governments, includ-

ing tribal governments, in connection with NRDAs across the United States, participating in both litiga-

tion and successful, cost-eective collaborative assessments. Dr. Bridgen is certi ed as a lead auditor for

International Organization for Standa rdization 14001 EMS and was one of the rst experts in the United

States to be so designated. Dr. Bridgen’s expertise in environmental matters has been recognized nation-

ally. Appointed by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Bridgen served on

the Technology and Innovation Committee, a part of t he National Advisory Council on Environmental

Policy and Technology, and, by Cabinet-level appointment, served on the National Biotechnology Policy

Board that advises the president and the U.S. Congress. Dr. Bridgen has testi ed before Congress and

served as a liaison to the White House on environmental issues as an executive director of a trade organiza-

tion. Dr. Bridgen received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Leicester in England, was a postdoctoral fellow

and research associate at the National Institutes of Health and at Cambridge University, and received a n

M.B.A. with distinction from the Wharton School and a B.Sc. with honors in biochemistry from Leeds in

England. Bridgen has contributed to the literature on brownelds redevelopment and EMS.

Environment Internation al Ltd. is a consulting rm with headquarters in Seattle, Washington. EI is an

interdisciplinary team of experienced environmental managers, lawyers, engineers, scientists, and policy

analysts who specialize in natural resource damage assessments, risk assessment, site investigation, sustain-

able development, and alternative dispute resolution of environmental matters. EI’s clients include private

parties and governments. e rm’s website can be found at www.eiltd.net.

Acadia Law PLLC, is a Seattle-based law rm focusing on environmental law, litigation, and dispute reso-

lution services. Acadia Law attorneys provide representation in natural resource damage assessment mat-

ters and have a depth of experience providing advice under t he Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act. Acadia Law also provides dispute resolution services in connection with

environmental and commercial disputes. Visit the rm’s website at www.acadialaw.com.