Annual Great Lakes Water Conferences
Historically, water law has been the province of lawyers and policymakers in the arid western United States. In recent years, however, lawmakers in the Great Lakes region have come to recognize the critical role that water management plays in securing a healthy and vibrant society over the long term. In recognition of this development, the University of Toledo College of Law and its LIGL sponsors annual conferences each fall on water issues of importance to the Great Lakes region and the nation.
Eleventh Annual Great Lakes Water Conference, November 4, 2011
The University of Toledo College of Law and its affiliated Legal Institute of the Great Lakes held their 11th annual Great Lakes Water Conference on November 4, 2011 at the College of Law. The theme of the conference was “More Than Diversions: Compact, Fracking, Shores and Carp.”
The keynote speaker was John Goss, Asian Carp Director of the Council on Environmental Quality. Three panels of experts discussed Regulating Water Use Within the Great Lakes Basin Under the Compact (featuring opponents and proponents of the bill vetoed by Ohio’s governor this summer); Whose Shore Is It? (addressing ownership and public access disputes along the Great Lakes shores); and Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources (exploring the law and impacts associated with the natural gas production method known as “fracking”).
The conference brochure is available here.
Note: There was a change in the Compact panel after the brochure was printed. Brian Barger of Brady, Coyle & Schmidt in Toledo spoke instead of Ohio Sen. (now Judge) Tim Grendell who was unable to attend.
Selected slide presentations from the 2011 Conference:
Implementing the Great Lakes Compact (Barger)
Michigan’s New Water Management Process (Seelbach)
Shale Development in Ohio (Zody)
Previous Years' Conferences
2010: Renewable Energy, Drugs and More in Our Waters
2009: Stimulating, Restoring, and Protecting the Great Lakes
2008: Implementing the Compact, Transboundary Pollution, and Groundwater
2007: Invasive Species, Ethanol, and Updates on the Compact
2006: Climate Change, the Courts, and a Common Water Policy
2005: National Water Crisis: Energy and Access for All?
2002: Great Lakes Neighbors: Managing International Waters in Crisis