Three Lewis & Clark Law School alums, including Leah Feldon (’04), Cyndy Mackey (’86), and Laura Kerr (’14), will provide expert analysis at an upcoming symposium on Superfund issues organized by the Environmental Law Education Center (ELEC). Holly Duncan, also an LC Law alum, is the founder and executive Director of the ELEC, and has produced highly regarded educational programs for environmental professionals in the Northwest since 1994.
“Superfund 2020, the 25th Annual Environmental Contamination & Cleanup Conference,” will be held March 11, 2020 at World Trade Center 2 in Portland, Oregon. The alumni, who will speak on regulatory programs and updates, advancing mega-sites, and compliance issues, all have extensive experience as regulators or practitioners representing regulated entities. They each credit Lewis & Clark with giving them the inspiration, knowledge and confidence to tackle some of the biggest, and most critical, environmental issues facing Oregon today.
Leah Feldon, Deputy Director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), has extensive experience in environmental protection. Leah started her career at DEQ in 2004 as an Environmental Law Specialist in the Enforcement Section. She was the manager of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement for seven years, and was instrumental in establishing Cleaner Air Oregon, a program created to track industrial air emissions in response to the Bullseye Glass issue. In 2016, she became Deputy Director of the agency, overseeing broad environmental policies and regulatory issues. She works closely with EPA’s Region 10 office in Seattle on Superfund cleanup measures.
Feldon will speak on “Environmental Contamination and Cleanup – Oregon’s Program, Strategies, and Policies.” She is “excited to join my fellow alumni in the important conversation about rehabilitating contaminated sites, including Portland Harbor, and working together to leverage tools to ensure these properties become viable again for use and enjoyment by Oregonians.”
Cyndy Mackey is Director of US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) in Washington DC. As Director, Mackey manages EPA’s national program for remediation enforcement under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and the Underground Storage Tanks Program. She became Director of OSRE in 2014 following more than 20 years of service as a Superfund practitioner in the EPA Region 10 Office of Regional Counsel, in Seattle.
“Lewis & Clark Law school has had a long lasting and profound impact in shaping me as an environmental lawyer. I was surrounded and energized by professors (including some great adjuncts) and colleagues that were passionate about environmental law. My work with NEDC as a volunteer and as Executive Director provided an extraordinary opportunity to develop leadership, advocacy and collaboration skills while working with local professionals to address significant environmental issues. My passion for environmental law was ignited at LC Law and continues into my work today at the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Mackey will speak on “EPA Strategies to Advance Cleanup of Mega-Superfund Sites”
Laura Kerr is an environmental attorney at Stoel Rives LLP in Portland. She focuses her practice on helping clients solve complex challenges arising under federal and state environmental laws. She regularly advises clients on all aspects of state and federal cleanups, and brownfield redevelopment projects. Kerr has been recognized as an “Associate to Watch” in Environmental Law by Chambers USA and as a “Rising Star” by Oregon Super Lawyers.
Kerr will speak on “Source Control: Using the Overlapping Authorities of CERCLA and the Clean Water Act to Prevent Recontamination.”
Duncan expects close to 100 practitioners and environmental professionals to participate in the symposium. Registration is now open. https://www.elecenter.com/Conferences/503
Lewis & Clark Law School is sponsoring this symposium in honor of the 50th Anniversary of its Environmental Law Program, which is ranked #1 in the nation by US News and World Report.
