Message from the President and Chairman

A Letter to Our Members,

We are pleased to report on ELI’s many contributions in 2007 to improved environmental governance and sustainability. In 2007, ELI continued to focus on making legal protections for the environment more effective and strengthening the capacity of environmental professionals and citizens to implement and enforce environmental laws. Here are some highlights of the year.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s splintered decision in 2006 on the proper scope of federal wetlands jurisdiction has left the law unclear for everyone engaged in wetlands protection, development, permitting, and decisionmaking. Leading the way on wetlands law and policy, ELI published the Clean Water Jurisdictional Handbook to help all parties determine what waters and wetlands meet the prescribed test of having a “significant nexus” to navigable waters. The Institute also continues to publish highly regarded reports on state wetland programs and to assess the effectiveness of institutions such as wetlands banks that are intended to compensate for wetland loss.

Our nanotechnology program attorneys published the first in-depth study of how U.S. environmental laws might address the challenge of assessing and regulating waste in the form of tiny particles associated with nanomaterials. In 2008, ELI will work with the London School of Economics and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies to develop U.S. and European Union strategies for governing nanotechnology risk. ELI will play an important role in helping policymakers understand their options.

Recognition for the quality of our publications increased significantly in 2007. Based on survey results, Washington and Lee University rated our law journal, ELR®—News & Analysis, number four among U.S. law reviews for number of citations and impact. A major new book from ELI Press, The Sustainability Handbook by William Blackburn, explains how to make sustainable development concepts operational in corporations and other organizations. Both business and academic leaders have hailed the book as the best source of information on making sustainability practical and effective, and AIG Corporation has funded a grant to translate the book into Chinese.

Today, climate change is a growing concern, though hardly new for ELI. The Institute published a report on global warming in 1987. We have to factor in how global warming affects almost all subjects that we work on, ranging from invasive species infestation, water supply, coastal zones, and oceans to urban development and sprawl. More than ever, the world needs legal systems that are resilient and adaptable to the effects of climate change, but minimize disproportionate impacts on lower income communities. Legislation to mitigate climate change is now likely in the United States. It will require swift and effective implementation across the economy. Clearly, ELI has the expertise—and commitment—to be a major contributor in finding solutions to these challenges, both through our research and publications and through the training courses and seminars on climate policy issues that we provide as part of our service to associate members and our green audience.

Our annual report offers many examples of how ELI continues to make law work for people, places, and the planet. This achievement reflects the outstanding work of ELI staff, and the ideas, volunteer work, and financial support we receive from ELI’s Board of Directors, our donors, and the distinguished firms, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals who make up our membership. We thank them all.