Air

The Air Committee of the Environmental Law Section is composed of attorneys who practice in, or are interested in, federal, state, and local air pollution control laws. Air laws involve significant issues for business and environmental groups in Michigan, while the laws, regulations, and agency interpretations of those laws are in flux. The Air Committee meets quarterly to discuss current topics before EPA and MDEQ, as well as air permitting and legal issues relative to the practice of environmental law in Michigan. The Air Committee also presents air issue-related seminars, and conducts site visits for air pollution control projects.

The Air Committee welcomes any Environmental Law Section member interested in air issues, and maintains an e-Mail list to notify members of meetings and events.

Chair: S. Lee Johnson
Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn LLP
660 Woodward Ave. Suite 2290
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: (313) 465-7432
Fax: (313) 465-7433
e-Mail: sljohnson@honigman.com

Vice-Chair: Kurt A. Kissling
Pepper Hamilton LLP
100 Renaissance Center Floor 36
Detroit, MI 48243
Phone: (313) 393-7313
Fax: (313) 259-7926
e-Mail: kisslingk@pepperlaw.com
Web: www.pepperlaw.com

Deskbook

Editor: Jeffrey K. Haynes
Beier Howlett PC
200 E. Long Lake Road, Suite 110
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
Phone: (248) 282-1070
Fax: (248) 282-1089
e-Mail: jhaynes@beierhowlett.com

Co-Editor: Gene Smary
Warner, Norcross & Judd, LLP
111 Lyon Street NW, Suite 900
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2487
Phone: (616) 752-2129
Fax: (616) 222-2129
e-Mail: esmary@wnj.com

Energy

Chair: Rodger A. Kershner
Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC
450 W. 4th St.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
Phone: (248) 723-0421
Fax: (248) 645-1568
e-Mail: rkershner@howardandhoward.com

Vice-Chair: Susan L. Hlywa Topp
Topp Law PLC
213 E. Main St.
P.O. Box 1977
Gaylord MI 49734
Phone: (989) 731-4014
Fax: (989) 731-5804
e-Mail: susan@topplaw.com

Environmental Litigation and Administrative Practice

The Environmental Litigation Committee is responsible for legal issues that relate to environmental disputes in administrative, state, and federal jurisdictional forums. The Committee periodically arranges programs on these topics.

The Environmental Litigation Committee welcomes any Environmental Law Section member interested in the foregoing issues and maintains an e-Mail list to notify members of meetings and events.

Chair: Ernest Chiodo
Ernest Chiodo PC
35770 Harper Ave.
Clinton Township, MI 48035
Phone: (586) 746-1761
Fax: (586) 746-0269
e-Mail: echiodo@pol.net

Vice-Chair: Steven H. Huff
Of Counsel Donnelly W. Hadden PC
2395 S Huron Pkwy Ste 200
Ann Arbor, MI  48104
Phone: (734) 477-7744
Fax: (734) 973-1223
e-Mail: shhuff@earthlink.net

The Hazardous Substances Committee is responsible for legal issues that relate to the treatment, storage, disposal, and remediation of hazardous substances (including hazardous wastes) under both federal and state law, including CERCLA, RCRA subtitle C, and Parts 111 and 201 of NREPA. It is also responsible for the topics of liability under those statutes for injunctive relief, recovery of response costs and natural resource damages, related contribution actions, and associated claims for insurance coverage. Finally, it is responsible for the topic of managing transactions that are complicated by the real or potential presence of hazardous substances by environmental investigations, baseline environmental assessments and related mechanisms, environmental insurance, and incentives for brownfield re-development.

The Hazardous Substances Committee welcomes any Environmental Law Section member interested in the foregoing issues and maintains an e-Mail list to notify members of meetings and events.

Chair: Tammy Helminski
Dickinson Wright, PLLC
500 Woodward Avenue
Suite 4000
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: (313) 223-3057
Fax: (313) 223-3598
e-Mail: thelminski@dickinsonwright.com

Michigan Environmental Law Journal

Chair: Robert Schroder
Assistant General Counsel
ArvinMeritor Inc.
8921 Margo Dr
Brighton, MI 48114
Phone: (248) 346-7857
Fax: (810) 229-0326
e-Mail: robertschroder@comcast.net

Membership

It is the mission of the Membership Committee to: (1) assist the Section and each of the other committees in their respective functions by providing useful information about the membership of the Section and its needs and interests; (2) increase Section membership; and (3) promote race/ethnic and gender diversity in the membership and leadership of the Section.

The Membership Committee encourages any interested Environmental Law Section members to join this Committee or attend the next meeting. If you need more information, please contact:

Chair: Dustin P. Ordway
Miller Johnson
250 Monroe Ave NW Suite 800
PO Box 306
Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0306
Phone: (616) 831-1706
Fax: (616) 988-1706
e-Mail: ordwayd@millerjohnson.com
Web: www.millerjohnson.com

Vice-Chair: Christopher M. Bzdok
Olson Bzdok & Howard PC
420 E Front St
Traverse City, MI 49686
Phone: (231) 946-0044
Fax: (231) 946-4807
e-Mail: chris@envlaw.com

Natural Resources

The Natural Resources Committee tracks developments in federal state and local laws and regulations that relate to issues concerning natural resources, including wetlands, oil and gas, mining, forestry and fisheries. The Committee periodically arranges programs on these topics.

Chair: Dennis Mack
State Office of Admin. Hearing & Rules
525 W Allegan St.
PO Box 30473
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: (517) 335-4226
Fax: (517) 335-5420
e-Mail: mackdw@michigan.gov

Program

The Program Committee plans educational programs for the benefit of section members. The committee meets monthly by phone for about an hour to discuss the needs and interests of the members. The programs are designed to provide members with information on important new developments and opportunities for socializing and networking with other section members.

The length and content of programs vary widely, from informal lunch roundtables covering one topic to multiple day seminars that cover numerous topics. The committee selects dates, locations, and general themes for the programs, and one or two committee members will chair or co-chair the programs. The chair/co-chairs arrange for speakers and other details of the programs. Certain program committee members also function as liaisons to the subject matter committees to facilitate programming for those committees.

In short, the Program Committee provides opportunities for members to be kept informed on important new developments in the environmental legal landscape. Planning those opportunities is an effective and fun way to participate in section activities.

The Program Committee welcomes any Environmental Law Section member interested in keeping Section members up to date on current events and maintains an e-Mail list to notify members of meetings and events.

Co-Chair: Kurt M. Brauer
Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
2000 Town Ctr Ste 2700
Southfield, MI 48075-1318
Phone: (248) 784-5182
Fax: (248) 603-9782
e-Mail: kbrauer@wnj.com
Web: www.wnj.com

Co-Chair: James K. O'Brien
Dean & Fulkerson PC
801 W Big Beaver Rd Ste 500
Troy, MI 48084
Phone: (248) 362-1300
Fax: (248) 362-1358
e-Mail: jobrien@dflaw.com

Sustainability and Climate Change

Co-Chair: George F. Curran, III
Kotz Sangster Wysocki & Berg, P.C.
400 Renaissance Center Ste 3400
Detroit MI 48243
Phone: (313) 259-8723
Fax: (313) 259-1451
e-Mail: gcurran@kotzsangster.com

Co-chair: Cortney E. Goldberg
Bodman LLP
1901 St. Antoine St. Fl. 6
Ford Field
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: (313) 393-7594
Fax: (313) 393-7579
e-Mail: cgoldberg@bodmanllp.com

Technology

The Technology Committee supports the Section's use of Bar-provided resources such as the listserve and the website, and investigates, develops, and supports the use of newer communications technologies as suggested by the Section. The Technology Committee also investigates and prepares presentations for the Section on new environmental technologies.

The Technology Committee welcomes any Environmental Law Section member interested in the Section's technology related issues, and maintains an e-Mail list to notify members of meetings and events.

Chair: John L. Tatum
John L. Tatum, PC
4931 Ranch Lane
Bloomfield, MI 48302
Phone: (248) 203-7030
Fax: (248) 203-7028
e-Mail: johnt@tatum.com
Web: www.tatum.com

Vice-Chair: James Roush
Bodman LLP
201 S Division St Ste 400
Ann Arbor, MI  48104
Phone: (734) 930-2483
Fax: (734) 761-3780
e-Mail: jroush@bodmanllp.com

Water

The Water Committee tracks developments in federal, state, and local regulation of discharges to and use of surface water and groundwater. The Committee periodically arranges programs in which experts in water law discuss important developments in surface water or groundwater regulation. These programs also offer an opportunity for Section members to meet and benefit from learning about other attorneys' experiences in working on water-related matters.

The Water Committee welcomes any Environmental Law Section member interested in the foregoing issues and maintains an e-Mail list to notify members of meetings and events.

Chair: Scott J. Steiner
Rhoades McKee
161 Ottawa Ave. N.W. Suite 600
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: (616) 235-3500
Fax: (616) 233-5269
e-Mail: sjsteiner@rhoadesmckee.com

Vice-Chair: Sara R. Gosman
1401 Pear St
Ann Arbor, MI  48105
Phone: (734) 929-2130
e-Mail: saragosman@gmail.com