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AuthorAttorney Staff
PositionFIVE QUESTIONS FOR... - Interview

What prompted you to pursue a career in environmental law?

I graduated from the University of Vermont with a self-designed major in Environmental Studies. After university, I worked as a Naturalist and then as Chief of Conservation Education for the State of Vermont. I loved the creative work that I did to conserve the environment through education, but I wanted to have a bigger impact. I went to law school to attain skills that would allow me to effect greater change.

You've been instrumental in CLF's work to curb stormwater pollution. Why is this such a major concern?

Stormwater runoff is a leading cause of water pollution in New England. More and more commercial developments like shopping centers and office parks mean more and more pavement--parking lots, flat roofs, roads, sidewalks. As stormwater runs off these paved surfaces into nearby streams and rivers, it carries oil, garbage, chemicals, and other pollution with it. Those pollutants kill insects and fish and make the water unsuitable for recreation, among other impacts.

In New England, CLF has pushed the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA) to regulate these kinds of commercial facilities by permitting them and requiring them to clean up and reduce their pollution.

Can you share a success story?

Long Creek snakes through the Maine Mall area, one of the most heavily developed areas in the state. Stormwater pollution from nearby businesses had severely impaired the creek's water quality, so CLF petitioned EPA to regulate those businesses. The agency agreed that they must have permits and be required to reduce their polluted runoff. The businesses have since joined together to clean up the creek and now, about a third of the way through a 10-year management plan, Long Creek's water quality is improving. It's a terrific model for the clean up of other urban rivers.

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