As always, this year’s APIEL conference will critically investigate emerging trends and long-term consequences of diverse environmental issues with complex scientific, ethic, legal, public health and social justice dimensions.

TVA’s intent to replace coal with natural gas remains a particularly hot topic for a session titled “Implications of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act — The Cumberland Campaign Story.” TVA’s plans not only disregard Federal climate-change directions, but would also saddle us with even more stranded assets that have a snowball’s chance in hell to repay their investments.

Other sessions will review Kingston coal ash litigation, the successes and challenges of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, mining and TDEC’s new Division of Minerals and Geologic Resources, and how NEPA shortcuts shortchange our public lands (which is a perennial issue at the Oak Ridge Reservation, for example).

The event offers much diversity. Several session periods offer a choice between two presentations. For example, “Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project,” an update on latest developments in this project — which was of great interest to APIEL attendees last year — runs concurrently to “Southern Organizing, Climate Change, and the Legal Industry.”

The registration fee for non-attorneys is a mere $25, including breakfast and lunch! Attorneys pay $100, but earn Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit hours toward their annual CLE requirement mandated by the Supreme Court of Tennessee’s Board of Professional Responsibility.