Closing Statement. Taking Over the Helm of an Incredible Organization

• Author: John Cruden
• Position: President
• Pages: 60-60

Page 60 ❧ THE ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM Copyright © 2011, Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, D.C. www.eli.org.

Reprinted by permission from The Environmental Forum®, Sept./Oct. 2011

ELI Report

I

am truly honored to have been

selected as president of the En-

vironmental Law Institute. As a

long-time ELI member, I am acutely

aware of the shoulders on which I

stand in this great position. Fred

Anderson, Bill Futrell, and Leslie

Carothers have made ELI a well-

respected voice, as well as the premier

source for environmental publica-

tions and education. Each of these

individuals has been generous with

their time, mentoring me as the new

chief executive. I am beholden to all

of them for their past contributions,

sterling leadership, and signif‌icant

accomplishments.

After being selected, I was inter-

viewed by a number of reporters rep-

resenting the National Journal, Green-

wire, Environment & Energy Daily,

Washington Lawyer, Bloomberg, and

others. In each interview it was clear

that the reporter had great respect for

ELI’s professionalism and reputation.

I was attracted to ELI by its em-

phasis on the rule of law, incompa-

rable staf‌f, and stellar board of direc-

tors with environmental leaders in

every aspect of our profession. With

thousands of members, the Institute

impacts every state in the union with

its education, publications, and re-

search. I am mindful that this success

continues to rest in the able hands of

our sponsors, donors, members, and

board. e ELI staf‌f has led the way

with timely and accurate reports and

analysis of the environmental issues

of the day.

My f‌irst act as president was to

open an international symposium en-

titled “Harnessing Natural Resources

for Peacebuilding.” e symposium

focused on timely lessons from U.S.

and Japanese peacebuilding experi-

ences, and featured analyses of ef‌forts

in Afghanistan, Liberia, Southern

Sudan, Iraq, Philippines, Sri Lanka,

Timor-Leste, Haiti, Cambodia, Laos,

and Vietnam. e symposium’s lead-

ers — Carl Bruch from ELI, Miki-

yasu Nakayama from the University

of Tokyo, Geof‌f Dabelko from the

Woodrow Wilson International Cen-

ter for Scholars, and Norio Yama-

moto from the Global Infrastructure

Fund Research Foundation Japan

— are to be commended for an ex-

ceptional event that will signif‌icantly

advance future peacebuilding ef‌forts.

As I write this column, I am pre-

paring to go to the Texas State Bar’s

Environmental Superconference to

speak on the timely subject of “coop-

erative federalism.” Having just left

the Department of Justice, I am well

aware of the ongoing litigation in

which states challenge federal govern-

ment actions— frequently decisions

and rules by the Environmental

Protection Agency. Yet cooperative

federalism is a core environmental

value, and has proven quite success-

ful in our nation’s history. Occasional

honest dif‌ferences of opinion are to

be expected, and we have a formal

dispute resolution process available in

the court system. In my speech I will

provide a number of examples that

illustrate the success of this doctrine

in practice, and my own views as to

how to improve the process.

en I will f‌ly to Toronto to

speak at the annual conference of the

American Bar Association and pro-

vide an update on environmental law.

In this fashion, I hope to make every-

one aware of ELI’s important place in

our profession: reporting on timely

actions, researching new develop-

ments, and presenting commentary

in ELI’s world renown publications:

e Environmental Forum, National

Wetlands Newsletter, and Environmen-

tal Law Reporter.

As your new president I am still

learning, still meeting new people

who support or encourage ELI, still

considering new areas in which ELI

can and should play a role. In all of

this I need your assistance and advice.

Many of you have already contacted

me, and I sincerely appreciate the

addition of new Star Sponsors as we

approach ELI’s Annual Award Din-

ner on October 19.

is year the Award Dinner will

celebrate Dr. Steven Chu, our only

secretary of energy to also be a world-

class physicist, Nobel prize winner,

and expert on climate change. I hope

that you can all join me for this ex-

traordinary event honoring a remark-

able person.

is is, I f‌irmly believe, a critical

time in the history of our nation as it

deliberates over the next generation

of environmental law and policy. As

we approach an important presiden-

tial election, the candidates’ views

on environment, energy, and natural

resource issues should be known and

discussed. Similarly, as Congress con-

siders new or changed environmental

laws, they should do so utilizing

sound science, with knowledge of the

successful history and impact of these

laws since their enactment. I am con-

vinced that the Environmental Law

Institute can, and will, play a vital

role in this discussion.

Closing Statement

Taking Over the Helm of an Incredible Organization

John Cruden

President