Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies

Professor Kim Diana Connolly (University at Buffalo School of Law) and Tom Tyler (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; views expressed are those of the speaker) join moderator Vidhya Iyer (Iyer Law Group, LLC) to explore the evolution of waste, recycling, and remediation law over the past century. They revisit the history of RCRA and CERCLA, examine Love Canal's lasting impact on environmental law, and discuss how recycling can create unexpected liability. Looking ahead, they consider emerging challenges and the future of waste management and resource recovery.

Lynn Bergeson, Managing Partner at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), joins Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C® and former EPA Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, to explore the history and evolution of pesticide and chemical regulation. They discuss the development of FIFRA, FQPA, and TSCA, the role of litigation and scientific advances in shaping regulation, and emerging issues including PFAS, endocrine disruptors, and new detection technologies. The conversation also looks at the role of SEER's Pesticides and Chemicals Committee in bringing together legal, scientific, regulatory, industry, and environmental perspectives and what the future may hold for this evolving area of environmental law. Keep the conversation going. Join SEER

Host Norman Dupont sits down with Claudia Rast, shareholder at Butzel Long and a leader in cybersecurity and emerging technologies, to explore the impact of women in the environment, energy, and resources fields. The conversation looks back at pioneers like Rachel Carson and Jane Goodall, and celebrates SEER trailblazers Sheila Hollis, Brenda Mallory, Alex Dunn, and Mary Nichols. Claudia then traces her own path from environmental science into cybersecurity, unpacking recent attacks on water infrastructure and the double-edged role of agentic AI in strengthening — or breaching — our cyber defenses. The episode closes with reflections on how far women's representation in science and law has come, and the lasting value of mentorship within the SEER community. Keep the conversation going.  Join SEER

In this episode of the SEER 100 podcast series, hosts Naveed Nanjee and Rishab Mahajan sit down with Todd Kim, former Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and now a litigator at Pillsbury Law. This episode traces a century of environmental enforcement, from early common-law nuisance claims to today's sprawling statutory framework of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and CERCLA. Drawing on his experience across government and private practice, Mr. Kim discusses how landmark matters like the East Palestine train derailment and the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis shaped his "principled, practical, problem-solving" approach, and looks ahead to the challenges reshaping the field, including climate change litigation, PFAS contamination, environmental justice, and the growing role of AI in compliance and monitoring.

From timber sale agreements to conservation easements and project financing, join Dylan Sollfrank (Schwabe), Andrea Driggs (Holland & Hart), and Janet Howe (Holland & Hart) as they explore how NEPA impacts forest resources law—and how recent developments, including Seven County and changes to CEQ's rulemaking authority, are already reshaping how lawyers structure deals, conduct due diligence, and assess litigation risk. Keep the conversation going. Join SEER

While WOTUS serves as the jurisdictional foundation of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the statute does not define the term. Since the CWA's enactment in 1972, determining the scope of WOTUS—and, in turn, the reach of federal regulatory authority—has remained a persistent and challenging issue in environmental law. By defining "navigable waters" only as "waters of the United States," Congress left it to the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Army Corps, and the courts to interpret a term with significant implications for federal-state authority, environmental protection, and private property rights. The definition of WOTUS has evolved through a combination of agency action and Supreme Court decisions, including Rapanos v. United States, and Sackett v. EPA (2012) (Sackett I ). These decisions have shaped how the agencies interpret jurisdiction, particularly with respect to wetlands. The split Rapanos decision introduced competing analytical frameworks, further contributing to longstanding uncertainty. In this episode, Professor Royal Gardner will provide a high-level overview of these developments, placing recent changes in context and offering insight into the current and future scope of federal jurisdiction under the CWA. Keep the conversation going. Join SEER

Join Professor Richard Lazarus of Harvard Law School, author of The Rule of Five, and one of the nation's leading scholars of environmental law, for a discussion on the evolution of environmental law through the lens of the Clean Air Act and other landmark environmental statutes. Drawing on his experience arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and advising policymakers across multiple administrations, he explores the challenges of applying decades-old laws to modern issues such as climate change, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, and the opportunities ahead for the next generation of environmental lawyers. He also examines how regulatory agencies, courts, and Congress have shaped the trajectory of environmental protection and what those dynamics mean for the future of environmental law.  Keep the conversation going. Join SEER

As the inaugural episode in this series, this conversation takes a broad look at the evolution of environmental law and the Section's role in shaping the field over time. The panel of former SEER Chairs includes moderator Alex Dunn, President & CEO of CropLife America and former EPA Assistant Administrator, and speakers John Cruden, Principal at Beveridge & Diamond and former Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. DOJ, and Carol Dinkins, former U.S. Deputy Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan. Drawing on decades of leadership across government, private practice, and industry, the speakers reflect on landmark developments in environmental law, the evolution of SEER's influence within the profession, and the challenges and opportunities shaping the field's future. Together, they consider how SEER can continue to contribute meaningfully to the next chapter of environmental law. Keep the conversation going. Join SEER

This episode explores the history of tribal timber management as a trust resource and the legal framework that governs the federal government's trust responsibilities. Joining the discussion is Chris King, an attorney at Whitley Law Firm and former Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, where he spent more than a decade handling complex matters involving federal Indian law, tribal trust responsibilities, and high-stakes litigation against the United States. Tune in to learn about ongoing litigation involving tribal timber, the issues at stake, and the potential implications for the future of tribal trust management.

Join Josh Galperin, Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub at Pace University, Lauren Lynam, Sustainable Business Scholar at Pace University and Yale School of the Environment, and John Rutherford, Assistant Regional Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as they break down the biggest ESG and sustainability developments of 2025. From climate disclosure requirements and greenwashing litigation to major state and international policy shifts, the speakers explore the trends shaping the future of ESG compliance and what they mean for companies navigating an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.