An ELI Public Seminar
For several years it has been suggested that public-private partnerships (P3s) hold great promise as a vehicle to better align public and private investment in discussions about replacing our crumbling infrastructure, addressing climate change adaptation, and building resilience to disasters and extreme weather. Even though P3s are highly touted in concept, questions exist regarding how P3s are accurately defined, how they can be implemented and financed, and what role they should play at the international, national, and local level.
ELI, in conjunction with the Government and Private Sector Initiatives (GPSI) Committee of ABA SEER and the Environmental Section of Maryland State Bar Association, cosponsored a half-day session that will shed light on the current state of play in the use of P3s to advance sustainability and resilience.
Presentations included:
- The R!SE initiative, highlighting UN-supported work relating to disaster risk reduction at the international level.
- Findings from Congressional Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Panel at the national-level.
- The Prince George’s County’s “Clean Water Partnership” P3, which was just recognized by the EPA and the White House CEQ for its innovative approach towards developing and improving Prince George’s County’s green infrastructure.
Attendees interacted with experts in this field and both the potential benefits of P3s and the challenges facing implementation were addressed in various contexts.
Panelists:
Laurence Carter, Senior Director, Public-Private Partnerships, World Bank Group
Yvonne Castillo, Director, Business and Practice Policy, The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
David Connolly, Majority Staff, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Clare Doherty, Director, Budget and Program Analysis, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Ira Feldman, greentrack strategies, ABA Task Force on Sustainable Development; Vice Chair for Sustainability, GPSI. Ira serves on the UNCITRAL P3 Expert Group and the World Bank Law Justice & Development Community of Practice on PPPs
Roger Feldman, Andrews Kurth, co-chair ABA SEER Government & Private Sector Innovations (GPSI) Committee and Past Chair, National Council for Public-Private Partnerships
Anthony Freedman, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Josue Pierre, Associate County Attorney, Office of Law for Prince George's County, Maryland
Nick Shufro, Director, Advisory, Sustainable Business Solutions, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Speaker Materials:
Yvonne Castillo presentation
Ira Feldman presentaion
Roger Feldman presentation
Josue Pierre presentation
Nick Shufro presentation
INFORMATIONAL LINKS:
R!ISE Initiative:
Prince George's County's "Clean Water Partnership" P3:
Congressional P3 Special Panel:
World Bank Group:
- Farquharson, Edward, Clemencia Torres de Mästle, E. R. Yescombe, and Javier Encinas. How to Engage with the Private Sector in Public-Private Partnerships in Emerging Markets. Washington, D.C., USA: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank. Public-Private Partnerships Reference Guide. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C, USA: The World Bank, n.d.
SUGGESTED READING:
The American Institute of Architects’ recently released Legislative Resource Guide for enacting PPP laws in the US.